Regal Cinemas

Shock Study: Nearly Half of U.S. Moviegoers Still Staying Away from Cinemas

Nearly half of all U.S. moviegoers are no longer going to cinemas in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, signaling a longer-than-expected road to recovery for the exhibition industry. A new study shows that many Americans are still too scared of the coronavirus to step foot in a movie theater, while other factors like pricing continue to keep people away.

A theater sits empty shortly before the start of a scheduled film showing, attended by a half dozen people, at the Cineteca Nacional, Mexico's film archive, in Mexico City, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. After being closed for nearly five months amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, movie theaters in the capital …

The Pandemic Is Changing Hollywood, Maybe Forever

NEW YORK (AP) — “No New ‘Movies’ Till Influenza Ends” blared a New York Times headline on Oct. 10, 1918, while the deadly second wave of the Spanish Flu was unfolding. A century later, during another pandemic, movies — quotes no longer necessary — are again facing a critical juncture. But it’s not because new films haven’t been coming out. By streaming service, video-on-demand, virtual theater or actual theater, a steady diet of films have been released under COVID-19 every week. The Times has reviewed more than 460 new movies since mid-March.

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