Regal Theaters Will Reopen In The US From April 2

Regal cinemas are set to reopen in the US. The theater chain, which is owned by UK-based Cineworld, will start to open its doors from April 2.

As reported by Deadline, this will be the first time that Regal theaters have been open for six months. A limited number of US sites will open on Friday, April 2 when Godzilla Vs. Kong releases, with more locations to follow on April 16 with Mortal Kombat.

Cineworld is the world's second largest theater chain, with 536 sites in the US and 127 in the UK. In October last year, the company closed all of its US and UK sites following the second delay of the James Bond movie No Time To Die. UK theaters are currently set to reopen in mid-May, providing a series of conditions about hospitalization rates set by the government are met.

Cineworld has also announced a deal with Warner Bros. to show the studio's films exclusively in its theaters during the 31 days that they are also available on HBO Max throughout 2021. From 2022 onwards, Warner's movies will have an 45-day window to show exclusively in Regal theaters if they hit a certain box office threshold.

In a statement, Cineworld SEO Mooky Greidinger said, "We are very happy for the agreement with Warner Bros. This agreement shows the studio's commitment to the theatrical business and we see this agreement as an important milestone in our 100 year relationship with Warner Bros."

This deal is another sign of the direction that theatrical exhibition is heading in, as it emerges from the pandemic. Paramount recently announced that its big movies will hit Paramount+ 45 days after theatrical release, while last year Universe and AMC reached an agreement over the distribution of profits for digital rentals.