AMC theaters to begin reopening in Los Angeles on Monday

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, the world’s largest movie theater operator, will begin reopening its Los Angeles locations starting with two theaters on Monday, the company said in a statement Friday.

Los Angeles County theaters, the home of Hollywood and the largest movie market in the United States, were closed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Local authorities allowed them to resume their activities from Monday if they limited participation to 25% of their capacity.

AMC has said it will return to business starting with the Burbank and Century City theaters. The company plans to begin opening the rest of its theaters in the Los Angeles area and elsewhere in California from March 19.

Los Angeles is the largest market for AMC in terms of number of theaters. The company has 56 theaters in California, including 25 in Los Angeles County.

Movie chains and independent theaters have been devastated by the extended shutdowns and hope audiences return in the spring and summer as coronavirus vaccines become more widely distributed.