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FROM STAFF REPORTS

HOOVER – An announcement from AMC Theatres’ CEO Adam Aron on Thursday, June 18, brought exciting news for those hoping to head back to the movies in Shelby County.

The CEO announced that AMC Theatres across the country would begin opening back on Wednesday, July 15, with all theatres set to open by the end of July, meaning the Lee Branch location will be back to showing movies and serving buttery popcorn, candy, drinks and more in the next month.

“We will be showing new releases, as well as classic movies that are widely known and loved,” Aron wrote in a press release. “This means that AMC will be there for you with open arms, welcoming you to enjoy Disney’s inspiring MULAN and the Warner Brothers release of Christopher Nolan’s intriguing TENET, along with several more superb movies now scheduled for a July theatrical release.”

With the reopening also comes a change in how the moviegoing experience will take place due to COVID-19.

“As we reopen, we recognize that the world has changed, and the health and safety of our movie theatre guests and our movie theatre staff is our absolute highest priority. We cannot and would not welcome you back to our theatres without having full confidence in the measures we are taking toward this all-important objective,” Aron said.

The theatre will be implementing a process known as AMC Safe & Clean, which will be a crucial new initiative in the reopening process that is designed to meet or exceed health and safety directives set forth by federal, state and local authorities.

The process is a comprehensive array of new policies and protocols specifically designed to bring viewers back to theatres in ways that are welcoming and responsible.

This will include capacity restrictions, social distancing efforts, commitments to health, new intensified cleaning protocols, contactless ticketing and expanded mobile ordering of food and beverages.

“We also have invested millions and millions of dollars in high tech solutions to sanitation, disinfection and cleanliness,” Aron said.

He added that they’ll add more detail about the process in the coming weeks and that in early July, the opening dates of specific theatres, as well as movie listings and showtimes will be released.

There will also be extensive promotional activities to drive people back to the theatres, including discounted ticket prices and reduced food and beverage options.

“AMC Stubs A-List, AMC Stubs Premiere and AMC Stubs Insiders members are among AMC’s most precious customers, and you can be sure we will be implementing a whole host of steps to encourage you to rejoin us at AMC as well,” Aron said.

Aron also said the theatres are in great financial position to welcome everyone back.

“In recent weeks, you may have seen or read speculation about AMC’s future. In this time of great uncertainty, where facts are in short supply, speculation and guessing sometimes becomes the norm. Somehow, that speculation can become conventional wisdom, and that conventional wisdom in turn can be reported as truth. Let me say to all of you that so much of the speculation about AMC that was prevalent in the last several weeks was just plain wrong. In April, we successfully raised a half a billion dollars of new investment capital for AMC, and fortunately that puts us now in a position of considerable strength,” he said.

This also marks the 100th anniversary of when AMC was founded, and the theatre company looks forward to celebrating 100 years through the rest of the year.

“As we welcome you back to the movies very, very soon, may I also take this opportunity to thank you for your loyalty to AMC,” Aron said. “We treasure our relationship with you, and hope it continues for decades to come.”