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AMC reopens theaters Thursday with 15-cent tickets

Throwback movies like Inception, The Empire Strikes Back and Black Panther are being shown.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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Corinne Reichert
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tenet-new-poster

Tenet is scheduled to be released in AMC theaters on Sept. 3.

Warner Bros. Pictures

AMC is celebrating its 100th year by reopening theaters across the nation on Thursday after closing down because of the coronavirus pandemic. To celebrate its anniversary, for one day only, tickets will be priced at their 1920 cost of 15 cents apiece.

More than 100 AMC locations are scheduled to reopen Aug. 20, including in areas across Georgia, Texas, Connecticut, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Minnesota, Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as Washington, DC.

Some of the movies being shown on the 15-cent day include throwbacks like Inception, Black Panther, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Grease and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Once the 100th anniversary pricing concludes, those movies will be priced at $5 per ticket.

The reopening is the first step in AMC's phased plan for the US. It aims to have 600 theaters, or two-thirds of its operations, open by Sept. 3 in time for the launch of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which has been repeatedly delayed due to COVID-19. The rest of its theaters will reopen when state and local officials give the go-ahead.

AMC had previously planned to reopen in July but pushed back its reopening again last month citing delays in movie release dates. Some of the year's biggest movies have been continually delayed, including DC's Wonder Woman, which is now scheduled to launch in October; Disney's Mulan, which has been pushed to August; and Marvel's Black Widow, now set for November.

"We are thrilled to once again open our doors to American moviegoers who are looking for an opportunity to get out of their houses and apartments and escape into the magic of the movies," Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres, said.

AMC rivals CineMark and Regal also set out for a July reopening. Regal's website now says it'll open on Aug. 21, while CineMark has already opened theaters across 23 states.

Is it safe to go to the movies now? Your own answer to that question may depend on your political leanings, according to a survey last month by The New York Times. For its part, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, on a web page updated Aug. 10, that certain activities and situations put you at "higher risk" of exposure to COVID-19, including "being in crowds -- for example, in restaurants, bars, airports, bus and train stations, or movie theaters."

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