Regal Cinemas May Close All Orange County Locations: Report

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Regal Cinemas may close all 543 of its theaters in the United States as early as this week due to continued revenue losses from the coronavirus pandemic. As of this moment, the closures would be temporary, according to reports.

A total of 45,000 workers will be left unemployed if the decision is made, according to reports. This would be yet another big hit to employees in the entertainment industry, with the Walt Disney Company's announcement last week of laying off over 28,000 employees amid coronavirus.

Read: 28,000 Employees Laid Off At Disneyland, Walt Disney World

Indoor movie theaters in Los Angeles County remain closed indefinitely due to public health orders, but theaters opened in Orange County in August, including several Regal multiplexes. Those theaters were open with limited capacity and other added protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The chain has 13 locations in Orange County and 14 in Los Angeles County.

"We can confirm we are considering the temporary closure of our U.K. and US cinemas, but a final decision has not yet been reached. Once a decision has been made we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can," the theater chain's parent company Cineworld tweeted on Sunday.

A report in Variety the previous day, which cited an unidentified source, said the company would be closing its theatres in the United States and the United Kingdom as early as this week.

Variety's report came one day after it was announced that the release of the latest James Bond film, "No Time to Die," would be postponed until April 2021. Large chains such as Regal count on blockbusters like the Bond films to sustain operations.

CNBC reports that a lack of major movies to watch on the big screen is the crux of the problem.

"Without new releases, Cineworld cannot provide customers in bot the U.S. and the U.K. ... with the breadth of strong commercial films necessary for them to consider coming back to theatres," the company says.

Regal is the second-largest theater chain in the United States after AMC.