Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Ultimate Moviegoing is back in ALL theatres across Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas! Another reason McCubbin felt good about the return to the movies was that he bought four seats for three people in the back row of the theater to ensure minimal contact with others. Located at I-70 & Tower Road, Harkins Aurora 12 will feature the best in Ultimate Moviegoing ® including:. Some of the other movies expected to hit the big screen are “A Quiet Place 2,” “Greenland,” “Wonder Woman 1984,” Black Widow,” “No Time to Die” (Bond 25), Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” “Dune,” “Coming 2 America,” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”.
Some of the safety protocols Harkins has put in place include required face coverings, the installation of safety shields, socially distanced seating, sanitizer stations and more. Other movies Bowers listed include Greenland (TBD), Black Widow (Nov. 6), No Time To Die (November 2020) Disney's Soul (Nov. 20), Dune (Dec. 18), Coming 2 America (Dec. 2), and Top Gun: Maverick (Dec. 23). Harkins planned to open an "entertainment concept".

"On behalf of all of us at Harkins, I’d like to express our deepest gratitude for your continuing support. Harkins says when they do reopen, safety measures will be put in place. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The mall is also home to a Harkins movie theater, Escape The Room, an escape room attraction, and PLAYlive Nation, a gaming lounge. "I'm a little concerned because it is a confined space," she said, noting a grocery store trip is a much faster trip indoors than an hours-long movie. © 2020 www.azcentral.com. Harkins Theatres will keep its auditoriums closed for a while longer, Mike Bowers, CEO and president of the Scottsdale-based movie theater chain, said in a letter published late Wednesday. He lifted the state’s stay-at-home order on May 15, but few theaters reopened, citing safety concerns over COVID-19. Even though the theaters are closed, guests looking to support the locally owned theater and get a popcorn fix, can pick up the Big Party Popcorn Pack and treats curbside at select locations every weekend. Harkins is also scheduled to offer free screenings of the film “Just Mercy,” which tells the true story of the founding of the Equal Justice Initiative. A privately owned and operated business, founded and based in Arizona since 1933. Earlier this week, Harkins announced plans to open all of their Arizona theaters on Aug. 28, including those in Yuma County despite the "substantial" COVID-19 … “There is no question that this has been the most difficult time in my 50 plus years in the business,” Dan Harkins, the chain’s owner, said in a release. Arizona’s largest movie theater chain will open locations in Flagstaff, Prescott Valley and Sedona on Friday, Aug. 28, “with hopefully more Arizona theatres announced very soon,” according to a release.

The big movies slated for release in July were delayed until August, and have now been pushed back to September. "We understand that even with all this, there may be some guests who will need a little more time to be comfortable before returning to the movies. Visit https://www.harkins.com/COVID-19 to read the letter. In each one, I was very much hoping to join the chorus of companies announcing a reopening date for their business. "Over the last few weeks, I have written many versions of this letter. ABC15 first reported back in November 2019 that Harkins planned to open an "entertainment concept" on the upper level of the mall in the former Sears building, however, specific details about the project weren't available. It almost seemed like a regular Friday night, save for the universally worn face coverings and extra cleaning procedures. All rights reserved. Abby Mendez and her three cousins saw an afternoon showing of "Unhinged" and they were glad to be watching movies on the big screen again. Harkins, like other major movie theater companies, have been closed since March, when cases of COVID-19 swept the country, and states, including Arizona, implemented stay-at-home orders, which forced movie theaters, gyms, and other businesses to close. They made the snap decision to buy tickets to the showing of "The New Mutants," mainly so they'd have something to do. MORE THINGS TO DO: For restaurant reviews, travel tips, concert picks and more, subscribe to azcentral.com. CINÉ 1 ® Auditorium featuring Dolby Atmos ® 3D object-based sound ; Plush, electric, leather, reclining Harkins Ultimate Lounger ® seats in all auditoriums; State-of-the-art laser projection and digital sound in all auditoriums We also could never have imagined that we would be experiencing such a sustained closure of our business," the letter stated. “I am so excited and so appreciative of our incredible team and tremendously loyal guests that have continued to support us through this challenging time.”. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Doug Ducey said that only “essential businesses” could remain open. With our rigorous safety and cleaning protocols in place, we are thrilled to begin welcoming guests back. When evaluating these for our reopening, we keep the health and well-being of our guests, team members, and the communities we serve as our highest priority, said Bowers.”.
ARIZONA — Harkins Theatres has announced it will reopen all Arizona locations on Aug. 28 after months of coronavirus closures. Social distancing will also be required. The movie theater chain previously was set to open select locations in northern Arizona. There were some brand new releases on offer on Friday night, such as "Unhinged," "The New Mutants" and "The Personal History of David Copperfield" that seemed to draw people back to the theater. Reopening depends on COVID-19 status & release of movies.https://t.co/HXW5lp8p9i pic.twitter.com/kprTKC30mz. PHOENIX — As the novel coronavirus continues to impact people in Arizona and across the country, and Hollywood's studios continue to push back the releases of their films, Harkins Theatres will keep its auditoriums closed for a while longer, Mike Bowers, CEO and president of the Scottsdale-based movie theater chain, said in a letter published late Wednesday. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Many of those movies, such as Tenet, Mulan, and Wonder Woman 1984, have had their anticipated release dates pushed back, in some cases more than once. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In a letter written by the President and CEO of Harkins Theatres on Wednesday, Mike Bowers announced that they are looking at reopening sometime in September. "We weren't planning on seeing it," she said, but when they found out theaters were open again they chose something to see and got out of the house. With locations in 5 states, Harkins Theatres is the 5th largest theatre chain in North America. Along with Arizona, Harkins will also be reopening locations in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. McCubbin said they had been going to the grocery store and pharmacy during the pandemic, but had only gone out to eat two times since March. ABC15 did reach out to a spokesperson for Harkins Theatre inquiring about the project last week, but we did not receive a response. Harkins is also scheduled to offer free screenings of the film “Just Mercy,” which tells the true story of the founding of the Equal Justice Initiative. What are you waiting for? No California theaters will open yet, either. According to a site plan and artist renderings filed with the City of Chandler's planning department in February, Harkins plans to open a 64,000-square-foot entertainment concept, called "Harkins Backlot.". CEO Mike Bowers said in a press release there would be extra safety protocols in place in Yuma. Like you, we could have never imagined what our country and the world has experienced over the last several months. The Nechako Branch (Hart) is open Monday-Friday 10 am-6pm. Harkins employees will undergo daily health checks. Unfortunately, this is also the case today.". Twitter: @goodyk. It is not known if Gov. The movie theater chain previously was set to open … New health and safety protocols at all Harkins Theaters include mandatory face coverings for employees and guests when they are not in seats eating or drinking, and reduced seating to provide for more space between guests. Johnson, however, was still apprehensive.

"We went to the movies every Friday night probably 40 weeks out of the year," said Jeremie McCubbin, describing his weekly theater-going ritual pre-pandemic. All seating will be reserved. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order expired, What to expect at Harkins, AMC and more movie theaters, Harkins announced plans to open all of their Arizona theaters on Aug. 28, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Gov. McCubbin, his husband and their friend Beth Anne Johnson were happy to be back at the theater but had mixed feelings about safety concerns. Harkins' website also says theaters now have improved hospital-grade air filters and HEPA filter vacuums. Bowers said the goal is to open a week or two before the major movie studios release their films. Ducey will let it expire, extend it, or modify it. “When we reopen, some of the new protocols you should expect to see include social distancing throughout the entire theatre environment, face coverings required for our team and our guests (except while eating/drinking in your seat), reduced and socially distant seating, additional cleaning staff, further enhanced cleaning and sanitizing procedures, safety shields, streamlining of our menu and concession offerings, and health checks for our team members.”, Harkins is preparing for the release of some much-anticipated films like “Tenet,” and Disney’s live-action “Mulan.” Harkins is also planning to have some unique showings, which will include the 10th-anniversary re-release of “Inception,” as well as a selection of classic films. That's because documents recently filed with the City of Chandler show that the Scottsdale-based movie theater chain has plans to open a multi-entertainment concept at Chandler Fashion Center mall. That order is set to expire on July 27. Indoor movie theaters have been closed since March, but now that the COVID-19 spread is "moderate" in counties such as Maricopa and Pinal according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, they can start to reopen at reduced capacity if proper mitigation measures are put in place.