Regal Cinemas, Pickford will reopen soon. Here’s what that means for movies in Bellingham
Regal Cinemas is reopening some of its theaters next week, starting off with the kind of movie made for the big screen.
The company, which operates the Regal Barkley Village theater, is planning to open select theaters starting Friday, April 2. Regal didn’t initially say which specific theaters would open that day, but CNBC reported that it would be more than 500, with more to open in the coming weeks.
Regal later updated its website to note that only one of its Washington state theaters is opening on April 2 — The Regal Thornton Place theater in Seattle. As of Thursday morning, March 25, openings for April 9 and April 16 were not posted.
Whatcom County is currently in Phase 3 of the state’s Healthy Washington plan. In this, phase movie theaters are allowed to be open at 50% capacity or less than 400 people, whichever is less.
The select theaters that do open on April 2 will show “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which will no doubt provide the kind of explosions and special effects that big screens and sound systems can amplify.
The Pickford Film Center in downtown Bellingham is also making plans to reopen, said Susie Purves, executive director. Currently they are aiming for a May reopening, depending on how things look in terms of vaccinating staff members and watching the rate of infection.
Once open, they will start at 50% capacity and have a variety of safety protocols in place, including improved ventilation and mask requirements.
“Our program staff is working on an exciting lineup of independent films,” Purves said in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
Regal has also made major changes to its concession stands, including eliminating every other register and reducing menu offerings. To make it easier on customers, concession items can now be purchased from the Regal mobile app.
Regal theaters will open more widely on April 16, in time for “Mortal Kombat,” according to Deadline.
As of last weekend, 51% of movie theaters in North America had reopened, CNBC reported. AMC has already reopened some of its theaters, including at the Cascade Mall in Skagit County.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 12:43 PM.
