It’s almost showtime!
Some of the South Coast’s movie theaters are set to reopen after going dark during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metropolitan Theatres Corp. plans to reopen Camino Real Cinemas in the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta and Metro 4 Theatres in Santa Barbara on June 26.
The theaters will offer $5 ticket prices on all seating and waive booking fees on advance ticket sales.
Films planned for reopening week include “Knives Out,” “I Still Believe,” “The Wretched,” “Midway” and older movies such as “The Goonies,” Ready Player One” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
M Rewards members will earn double points on all movie and concession purchases through July.
Standard pricing will apply when new movies are released.
“We are excited to welcome our guests back to the movies. We have missed the daily contact with them, but have been busy formulating reopening plans with enhanced safety procedures so we may open responsibly,” president David Corwin said. “Our guests’ health and safety remain our top priority, and we appreciate their trust and confidence in us as we reopen our theaters.”
The theaters will reopen with a variety of safety measures in place, including reduced capacity, placement of stickers to indicate 6 feet of separation and installation of hand sanitizer stations. Movie patrons will also have to wear face masks at all times, until they are seated in the theater. Arcade games will be closed.
Employees will have their temperatures taken before each shift. They will wear masks and gloves, and employees will have to wash their hands at the beginning of their shifts — and regularly.
The Riviera Theatre on Alameda Padre Serra in Santa Barbara is scheduled to open next Friday and will show “The Trip to Greece.”
This story was updated to reflect the correct opening date: June 26.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
