Cinemas in the Time of Coronavirus: Amazon “Circling” AMC Purchase, U.K. Theaters Staying Closed Until July, and Korea Initiating Contactless Venues

Amazon looks at a potential buyout of AMC Theatres, while movie theaters abroad remain closed or turn to contactless set-ups

Cinemas have been hit hard during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing measures have forced temporary closures of movie theaters throughout the world to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While some countries and U.S. states have started reopening their non-essential businesses, on the whole most theaters remain shuttered.

Here’s a round-up of movie theater-related news happening in both the U.S. and abroad in the wake of the pandemic.

Amazon Looks to AMC

The delivery/tech giant Amazon is reportedly “circling” AMC Entertainment Holdings over a potential takeover. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been rumored to be in talks to buy out the ailing theater chain.

AMC Entertainment Holdings – particularly, their AMC Theatres brand – has been going through a particularly rough patch as of late. The COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close many of their theaters back in March. This led to the laying off of more than 600 employees, a downgraded credit rating, and speculation of permanent closure.

What’s more, AMC has banned Universal Pictures films from their theaters after the distributor abandoned the traditional theatrical window agreement. AMC has long been at the forefront of the theatrical window rule, so their steadfastness didn’t come as too much of a surprise. But then again, neither did the public’s embracing of VOD and virtual cinemas, either, as distributors scrambled to adjust their upcoming slates. Still, it raises eyebrows when the U.S.’s largest theater chain bans a Big Six studio’s library from its screens. Not to mention it was a gutsy move, too, given their aforementioned financial troubles.

Although these reports weren’t confirmed by either Amazon or AMC, the latter’s stock prices jumped by 42% in their wake. As of Monday, May 11, AMC’s stock prices are now at $5.86 a share – a significant increase from their record low of $2.08 back on April 13, 2020.

U.K. Closed Through July

Movie theaters in the United Kingdom will remain closed through at least July 4, 2020.

According to the U.K. government’s plan for reopening procedures, movie theaters as classified as “leisure facilities”. This places them under the “Step Three” section of the plan, meaning they will take longer to reopen due to the higher risk associated with them. Similar leisure facilities include restaurants, hair salons, and houses of worship.

According to the guidelines:

Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to re-open safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part. Nevertheless the Government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows.

The plan also states that some businesses could remain permanently closed, while others will “go through phased and pilot reopenings in order to gauge their ability to adopt new guidelines”. There’s no clear indication where the U.K.’s cinemas fall in that dichotomy.

Contactless Korean Cinemas

South Korea is implementing contactless technology in some of its movie theaters to bring back patrons sooner rather than later.

Dubbed “untact” in local jargon, the technology utilizes robots, kiosks, and mobile apps to assist with ticketing and customer service. Even concession bars have been replaced by “LED-controlled pick-up boxes”, which seem to be high-tech snack machines.

Korean exhibitioners CJ-CGV and Lotte Cinema are spearheading the move to “untact”, reportedly reconfiguring their spaces throughout the country with the new technology. In particular, nearly one out of every five complexes owned by Lotte Cinema in South Korea are now contactless.

CJ-CGV predicts that this “untact” will soon become the new cinematic normal. While a socially-distant structure will keep things safe and sanitary, one also has to wonder if and how (former) workers and laborers will be provided for in this era of excessive automation. Still, it will be interesting to see if these new mannerisms will remain regional or will be adopted worldwide.

Novel Coronavirus Update

The novel coronavirus, resulting in the COVID-19 disease, has affected governments and industries all throughout the world. As of this writing, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports just over 1.3 million cases within the United States, including over 78,000 related deaths. The World Health Organization reports over 4 million cases of the virus worldwide, with more than 278,000 deaths.

Keep abreast on our reporting of the outbreak as it pertains to the entertainment industry here. You can also watch IndieWire’s listing for more frequent updates. Stay inside, stay healthy, and stay safe.

Leave your thoughts on Amazon potentially buying out AMC Theatres (via The Wrap), U.K. movies theaters remaining closed (via The Wrap), and South Korean theaters embracing contactless technology (via Variety) below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Pinterest Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.