National CineMedia Posts 96 Percent Revenue Fall as Movie Theaters Reopening Faces Uncertainty

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAs cinemas welcoming back audiences this summer, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is introducing a set of health protocols that it claims will keep customers safe from COVID-19.Dubbed “CinemaSafe,” the standards include asking patrons to social distance and wear masks, encouraging the purchase of tickets online, and making hand sanitizer more readily available.

AMC Theatres has re-opened select locations around the United States and we have photos from inside some of the socially distanced movie theaters.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards, Features EditorCaren Pistorius can only describe her experience on “Unhinged” as wonderful but “surreal.” The actor was working at a fabric store in Sydney when she got the call to audition for the road rage thriller starring Russell Crowe.Within hours, she found herself in New Orleans for a screen test. She ended up staying in the city as she quickly landed the role, and the film began shooting a week later.

WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa -- The doors to the AMC Waterfront 22 were locked. They had been for five months, along with most indoor theaters in the U.S.

Adam B.

Also Read: AMC Theatres Lays Out 'Safe & Clean' Plan for Reopening Cinemas (Video)“By closing only indoor movie theaters, Defendants are leaving open ‘ample alternative methods of communication’ in the form of outdoor movie theaters and at-home streaming options,” Martinetti said in the 33-page ruling.The ruling also includes the many protocols laid out by the theaters in order to attempt to provide a safe environment should they be allowed to reopen their doors, including new employee safety

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorA federal judge Tuesday upheld New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s closure of movie theaters in the state, dismissing a motion for an injunction by the National Association of Theatre Owners and five cinema chains that would have allowed them to open their doors.Judge Brian Martinotti ruled that the state is not infringing on the theaters First Amendment rights in enforcing its pandemic-related closure.

Mackenzie Nichols Staff WriterIt would seem that popcorn, America’s favorite concession stand snack, has taken a hiatus as movie theaters across the country have closed due to the coronavirus.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA judge on Tuesday upheld an order closing movie theaters in New Jersey, finding that the state is not infringing on theaters’ First Amendment rights in its pandemic response.Judge Brian Martinotti denied a motion for an injunction, which had been sought by the National Association of Theatre Owners, the industry’s main lobbyist group, and six cinema chains.

Mackenzie Nichols Staff WriterNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the prospect of reopening movie theaters during a news conference in Manhattan on Monday, saying they’re “not that high on the list of essentials” and pose a higher risk of spreading COVID-19.“I am sure there is a whole group people who say, ‘I cannot live without going to the movies.’ But on a relative risk scale, a movie theater is less essential and poses a high risk,” Cuomo said.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday gave gyms a green light to reopen August 24 following recent nods to bowling allies, museums and malls but is still leaving movie theaters, which he called less essential and higher risk, in the dark.That’s both literally and figuratively. He gave no indication of a reopening timetable for the key movie going market.“It’s the level of risk.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterConsumers believe movie theaters and live music concerts have been among the hardest hit industries by the coronavirus pandemic, according to an exclusive new survey from Performance Research in partnership with Full Circle Research.And yet, despite that understanding, they are also much less eager to support federal relief for theaters and live music venues compared to other sectors.According to the survey of over 1,000 people in the U.S.

MEXICO CITY -- The few, the brave — those were the people returning this week to movie theaters in Mexico City that had been closed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yes, there was popcorn.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe UK economy suffered its biggest slump on record between April-June as the effects of the pandemic triggered an official recession for the first time since the economic crisis of 2009.According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the economy shrank a record 20.4% compared with the first three months of the year.

popcorn. It’s not merely a tasty salty buttery snack.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticEver since the ’50s, when the motion-picture industry felt existentially threatened by the rise of television (much as forces within it today feel existentially threatened by the rise of streaming), the movies have found ways to entice people into theaters with added benefits. 3D was the original P.T.

Also Read: How the Studio-Movie Theater Power Dynamic Will Change Without Paramount Decree Antitrust RulesThe Justice Department as led by Makan Delrahim formally filed to terminate the decrees back in November, saying that the legacy antitrust rules “served their purpose” in eliminating horizontal distribution practices and could today actually harm the American consumer.The rules were established in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1948 decision United 
States v.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterWith the release calendar in tatters, and hopes vanishing for a nationwide reopening any time soon, the movie theater industry is increasingly looking to Congress for billions in aid.The industry has put its energy in recent weeks into lobbying for the “RESTART Act,” which would extend hundreds of billions of dollars in loans for businesses that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.“It would be a lifeline for us,” said Bobbie Bagby, executive vice

tracking the company via Yahoo Finance forecasted the media and entertainment company to report earnings of 2 cents per share, and reported revenue of $767.4 million.

Zynga on Wednesday posted the highest revenue in the game developer's history for its second quarter, hitting $452 million, a 47 percent bump year-over-year. Growth was largely driven by stronger than anticipated performance results from the match-3 puzzle and RPG crossover game Empires & Puzzles— which has a widespread user base in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and North America — as well as the puzzle adventure game Merge Dragons! and the slots game Game of Thrones Slots Casino.