Penn Cinema Closes Temporarily Due to COVID-19 Measures

By Lynn Rebuck • 5 years ago

Mar
2020

(Lititz, PA-LititzDailyNews.com)-Lititz-based Penn Cinema has been forced to temporarily close two of its three movie theater locations as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, including its flagship location in Lititz.

The announcement to close the Lititz theaters was made on the Penn Cinema website today following an order by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf closing all bars, restaurants, and non-essential stores for two weeks effective midnight tonight.

Moviegoers at Penn Cinema at the opening of Star Wars in 2015. Photo by Lynn Rebuck/LititzDailyNews.com

“Due to the state-mandated closure of all entertainment venues in the state of Pennsylvania, Penn Cinema will be closed starting tomorrow, March 17, through at least March 30,” according to the statement. The venue hopes to reopen on Monday, March 30. The Delaware location remains open for the time being.

Penn Cinema concession stand workers pose at the premiere of Star Wars in 2015. Photo by Lynn Rebuck/LititzDailyNews.com

Those who purchased tickets in advance for any shows at the Lititz location affected by the closure are asked to email [email protected].

Penn Cinema closed its Huntington Valley location last week in response to the mandatory state-ordered closure of all entertainment venues in Montgomery County, where the highest levels of confirmed COVID-19 cases have been identified in Pennsylvania to date. The location closed on March 13, and will remain closed until March 26, according to a statement posted to the chain’s Huntington Valley web page.

Prior to closing the Lititz location, Penn Cinema modified ticket sales, seating, and sanitation procedures in its Lititz and Wilmington, Delaware locations.

After major theater chains AMC and Cinemark announced measures to facilitate social distancing, including reducing theater capacity in each auditorium to 50 percent by removing every other seat from the online seating chart to provide a “buffer seat” between patrons, Penn Cinema followed suit.

The local chain made changes to reduce the number of frequently-touched surfaces, propping open auditorium doors, providing fresh buckets for refills, and providing disinfectant wipes at usher stations.

Moviegoers at Penn Cinema at the opening of Star Wars in 2015. Photo by Lynn Rebuck/LititzDailyNews.com

Earlier today Penn Cinema announced that release dates on many films it planned to exhibit will be postponed, in one instance, an entire year. F9, the 9th and penultimate film of the popular “Fast and Furious” franchise, was originally scheduled to open May 22, 2020; it will now not open until April 2, 2021, the day the final film in the series was slated to open.

The release of the latest James Bond movie, No Time to Die, which was to open on April 10 is now pushed back to November. Many of the films, including the highly-anticipated Disney live-action remake of Mulan, John Krasinki’s sequel A Quiet Place Part II, have been indefinitely postponed.

Exhibitors across the county are experiencing the initial financial effects of the spread of the virus.

“Moviegoing in the U.S. slowed dramatically over the weekend amid the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in box office revenue falling to a 20-year low, according to initial Sunday estimates,” according to a story inThe Hollywood Reporter.

Many film and television productions have opted to discontinue production around the world. Celebrity couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced last week that they tested positive for COVID-19 and were isolated in a hospital in Australia, where Hanks had been filming on location.

Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company made Frozen 2 available on Disney+ on Sunday, three months earlier than previously scheduled.

The CDC urges individuals at high risk to pay attention to what’s happening locally in their community and if the disease is spreading in the community, stay home, and avoid crowds as much as possible. Follow LititzDaily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for frequent updates to this evolving community health concern. Message us on the LititzDailyNews.com Facebook page with any news tips.

Lynn Rebuck is the editor and publisher of award-winning LititzDailyNews.com, the only independent digital news source in Lititz. Lynn is an award-winning journalist who was invited to the White House and has received top recognition from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and has been profiled in Editor & Publisher magazine for her unparalleled devotion to publishing LititzDailyNews.com to benefit the community. Support continued publication of LititzDailyNews.com with your non-tax-deductible donation of any amount through the PayPal button below.