Myrtle Beach movie theater plans to reopen after COVID-19 shutdown. Here’s what we know.
Moviegoers, rejoice!
With S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster relaxing restrictions on movie theater operations, one Myrtle Beach cinema hub will reopen its doors to the public in the coming weeks.
After a roughly five-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Grand 14 Theater at The Market Common is scheduled to open Aug. 28. The theater, which operates under Stone Theaters, plans to open at half capacity with at least one new release planned the first week, according to a Facebook post made by the company.
“We will be at limited capacity so please consider buying your ticket online to avoid any lines or sold out shows,” the post stated, adding showtimes would be announced in the coming days. “We will try and open as many things as we can, but we will carefully have to schedule time between showings for cleaning and leave room for social distancing.”
The theater will require patrons to wear face masks, social distance at least 6-feet and wash their hands often. If sick, the theater recommends you stay home. Credit card payments are recommend, and once inside parties will have three seats between them and others for social distancing purposes, the theater announced.
The building will be deep cleaned after closing each night, according to the theater, with surfaces sanitized frequently throughout the day and auditoriums sanitized and cleaned after each screening.
The theater chain will also reopen another South Carolina location in Indian Land.
McMaster announced last month sports stadiums, theaters, concert venues and other places that have large gatherings can reopen in South Carolina starting Aug. 3. However, those places, which can often hold hundreds or thousands of people, will have their posted occupancy slashed.
Under the executive order, McMaster is limiting those places to 250 people or 50% of the posted occupancy, whichever is less. And those venues must “require the wearing of masks or face coverings as a condition of admission or participation.”
According to a statement from the governor’s office, the businesses and venues covered under this order include “festivals, parades, concerts, theaters, stadiums, arenas, coliseums, auditoriums, grandstands, amphitheaters, gymnasiums, concert halls, dance halls, performing arts centers, parks, racetracks, or similarly operated entities.”
Cinemark, which operates a theater at Coastal Grand Mall, has theaters scheduled to open in about 21 states in August, but no South Carolina theaters were listed to reopen in the company’s Aug. 7 announcement.
AMC Classic Myrtle Beach 12 located at the Myrtle Beach Mall will remain closed until further notice, according to its website. B&B Theatres in Conway announced in a Aug. 6 Facebook post the theater would be opening soon with new protocols.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 1:38 PM.
