The multiplex operator Cinema City has decided not to open its Czech theaters until it can do so without such tight restrictions placed on operations. At the moment, it would not be allowed to show any movie to more than 100 people at a time, and it would be forced to leave an entire row open between guests, while selling no more than two seats next to each other. Movie theaters will also be barred from selling refreshments, which is a key source of income for them. “We’d be happy to open our theaters as soon as possible and we look forward to offering our customers the same wonderful cinematic experiences they’re used to,” said Cinema City’s Denisa Šandová. “That’s not possible in the current situation, so after careful consideration we decided to delay the opening of theaters.” Another major multiplex operator Cinestar said it had no choice but to open. “We’re in a situation where we can’t not open because we are able to fulfill the required hygienic measures and there are no objective barriers to doing so,” said its director Jan Bradáč. In 2019, Czech theaters sold 18.3 million tickets and brought in CZK 2.6bn.
