AMC will reopen theaters on Aug. 20, but not on LI

Adhering to various pandemic guidelines nationwide, the AMC Theatres chain will reopen more than 100 of its movie theaters on Aug. 20, though none on Long Island.

"Another 300 will open during the following 2 weeks and the remainder will open only after authorized to do so by state and local officials," the chain tweeted Thursday. Its website lists 113 theaters in 20 states. All its New York State theaters, including the eight on Long Island, bear the notation: "Will reopen when local guidelines allow."

As the site additionally explains, "The reopening of all locations is subject to the directives set forth by federal, state and local mandates. Reopening dates and this list of theatres may change and will be updated if needed."

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in June excluded movie theaters, among other indoor arts and entertainment businesses, from restarting in regions that reach Phase 4 of New York State's reopening plan. "Thanks to our data-driven public health policies and New Yorkers' hard work, we have achieved — and so far maintained — one of the lowest rates of infection in the country," Cuomo spokesman Jack Sterne told Newsday in a statement, "but with hot spots popping up across the country, we are continuing to monitor how and when higher-risk industries like movie theaters can safely reopen."

AMC is relaunching with 15-cent ticket prices "to any movie on Thursday, August 20" under the promotion "Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices." The 10 films playing that day include classics such as "Back to the Future" (1985), "Grease" (1978) and "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and more recent films, including "Jumanji: The Next Level" (2019) and this year's "Bloodshot" and "Sonic the Hedgehog."

Among those scheduled to play at AMC theaters are Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" (Sept. 3) and Matthew Vaughn's "Kingsmen" prequel, "The King's Man" (Sept. 18). Others planned include "Wonder Woman 1984" (Oct. 2), the remake of "Candyman" (Oct. 16), Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" (Nov. 6) and both the James Bond movie "No Time to Die" and Pixar's "Soul" (both Nov. 20).

On its website, AMC posted extensive pandemic safety procedures including mandatory masks covering both the mouth and nose. It's disallowing "neck gaiters, open-chin bandannas and masks with vents or exhalation valves," all listed by medical researchers as increasing infection risk. Seating will be at 30% capacity or less, based on local guidelines, and AMC has instituted enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures and air filtering, among other actions.

On Long Island, AMC has theaters in Stony Brook, Rockville Centre, Huntington, Glen Cove, Westbury, East Northport, Levittown and Garden City.