Los Angeles movie theaters may be only days away from reopening, albeit with a host of safety protocols, including 25 percent capacity or no more than 100 people in any auditorium.
Cinemas across L.A. County — the top moviegoing market in the country and home of the entertainment business — have been dark for a year because of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, based on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan, the county moved from the purple tier to the less-restrictive red tier after the number of COVID-19 cases eased.
If that trend holds for one more week, cinemas will be allowed to reopen in time for the weekend of March 19-21.
Los Angeles, along with New York City — where theaters reopened last weekend — are key to any box office recovery.
Once New York and Los Angeles theaters flip on the lights, film distributors will begin to feel comfortable releasing their big-budget tentpoles. However, studios will want to see capacity grow to 50 percent.
The larger Los Angeles market provided nearly 9 percent of all box office revenue in 2019, while the New York DMA turned in 7.4 percent.
At present, roughly 45 percent to 46 percent of the theaters in North America are operational, according to Comscore.
