Movie Theaters Are Staying Closed For Now

Irving – When Governor Abbott allowed Shelter-in-Place orders to expire on Thursday, April 30, people started to think about life returning to normal. But despite being permitted to open at 25 percent capacity, all the movie theaters in Irving have opted to stay closed during this time. 

There are four movie theaters in Irving. AMC owns the AMC Theater in the Irving Mall and the AMC Classic on Esters. Alamo Drafthouse is located near the Irving Convention Center, and Fun Movie Grill is in the MacArthur Marketplace. Fun Movie Grill is open for curbside food purchases. 

“I feel like most of the people around either have been sick or know we need to stay home when sick,” Eddie Scaggs with Fun Movie Grill said. “I feel comfortable working, because I know that places are doing more cleaning. I worked at a movie theater in Arkansas before all of this started. We cleaned all the door handles and public places every 15 minutes. We cleaned every seat that was in use and did not allow people to get refills with the same bowl or cup. You definitely have to change what you do to respond to the virus. But I think every place is doing that now. 

“I have been laid off from that other movie theater. When I talked to them last night they said no movies would come out until July. Even then, I think they will not fill up the theaters all the way. I do not know, but I think it will take a while for things to get back to normal.” 

Fun Movie Grill has the following statement on their website: “Cinema closed until real life doesn’t feel like a movie. Stay Safe. Stay King. Due to local government’s response to fight against spread of COVID-19, our all FMG theatres will be closed temporarily from March 16 midnight until further notice.” No additional statement was available from management. 

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema posted this on the company’s social media platforms, “We will not be opening our Texas theaters this weekend. Opening safely is a very complex project that involves countless new procedures and equipment, all of which require extensive training. This is something we cannot and will not do casually or quickly. But know this – when we do open, we will be providing the safest possible experience for both our staff and our guests, and we can’t wait to see you all again.”

The theater offers at home movie options, and the funds raised from these purchases support the business. The theater has also released the recipes of some of their signature dishes on the website. 

The AMC Theater website also contains a brief statement about the closures. “This theatre is temporarily closed in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines. It will re-open when those guidelines allow. Please continue to check back here for updates.”

The theater offers movie rentals and purchases and has special promotions on the website. No additional information about when the theaters will reopen is available. 

Although Irving’s theaters remain closed for now, a small number of theaters in Houston plan to open Friday, May 8. According to the websites, each theater will only allow 25 percent occupancy, will do temperature screenings and require signed health affidavits of each employee for every shift, will sanitize public areas frequently, and encourage online purchase of tickets. 

Additionally, one theater reported that moviegoers will also be subjected to a health screening and temperature check.