Get Your Popcorn Ready: Wayne Cinemark To Reopen Friday

WAYNE, NJ — Cinemark, the third-largest theater chain in the country, is slated to reopen its Wayne location on Friday after nearly six months closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

The company closed theaters across the country on March 17, but is set to reopen four Garden State locations with new blockbusters like Tenet, and classics like Jurassic Park this week.

"Cinemark is thrilled to once again welcome moviegoers across the U.S. to enjoy the unparalleled immersive experience of watching movies on the big screen," said Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi in a news release. "Through our very successful test-and-learn theatres, we have heard firsthand from moviegoers that we are truly setting The Cinemark Standard by providing the out-of-home entertainment experience they have been craving in a way that makes them feel protected."

The reopening comes amid Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order allowing movie theaters and indoor performance venues to resume on Friday as long as capacity is capped at 25 percent, or 150 people.

This is the second movie theater to open in the township, as AMC announced last week its Willowbrook Mall location would open in time for the U.S. release of Tenet.

Like most other businesses reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, Cinemark will implement enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols, including staggered showtimes and limited theater capacity.

Theaters themselves will undergo more intense sanitization, and seat wipes and hand sanitizer will be available for customers. Face masks will also be required for those customers at all times, excluding when they are eating or drinking.

Employees will undergo safety and sanitization training prior to the location's reopening and must complete a wellness check-in prior to every shift. Each theater will designate a Chief Clean and Safety Monitor to ensure Cinemark's standards of safety are met.

"We have been extremely pleased with the results of our 15 test-and-learn theatres across the U.S., which have consistently been top performers among the 500+ indoor theatres opened," said Zoradi. "These strong results, coupled with consumer feedback, underscore that moviegoing is a favorite global pastime, and our teams are trained and prepared to safely welcome guests back to the cinema."

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