Five movie theaters in Middle Tennessee will be among the Regal Cinemas locations closing nationwide this week.
Regal Cinemas will close all 536 locations in the United States beginning on Thursday, October 8, citing financial problems brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the release date of the new James Bond film being pushed back, NewsChannel 5 reports.
Regal Cinemas has three locations in Nashville: 100 Oaks Mall, the Green Hills Mall and Opry Mills Mall, as well as two additional Middle Tennessee theaters in Hendersonville and Clarksville, respectively.
Regal Cinemas tweeted the following statement regarding the closings on Monday:
"In response to an increasingly challenging theatrical landscape and sustained key market closures, Regal will suspend operations at all theatres at close of business on Thursday, October 8, 2020 until further notice."
More than 40,000 employees nationwide will be impacted by the closures. The film industry has struggled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with many theaters remaining closed until August and a slow return of attendance even after reopening, as well as limited new releases.
Regal Cinemas has yet to reveal when it plans to reopen theaters, but said it would continue to monitor the situation closely before making a decision.
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