Marcus Theatres Reopening Next Week With Limited Locations And Hours, Staggered Seating And Scheduling, Low Ticket Prices & More

By Ethan Anderton/June 11, 2020 10:00 am EST

Marcus Theatres is the fourth largest chain of movie theaters in the United States, and starting June 19, they'll begin reopening some of their theaters with "enhanced protocols" that adhere to all the current health and safety guidelines in place in each state across the country following the coronavirus outbreak. Not only will Marcus Theatres engage in all the expected social distancing and increased cleaning measures, but to start with, they'll only be open four days a week with limited hours of operation. But what will they be showing? Get the details on all that and a lot more below.

Marcus Theatres Reopening Strategy

Over at the official Marcus Theatres website, the theater chain announced their plans to reopen beginning on June 19 with a handful of locations, most of which are in Wisconsin, where their headquarters are located in Milwaukee. These locations will be used to test their reopening strategy in order to effectively reopen the rest of their theaters in time for the first wave of summer blockbusters to arrive in July. Here are the locations that will be open right away:

Roswell Cinema - Roswell, GA

Bistroplex Southridge - Greendale, WI

Renaissance Cinema - Sturtevant, WI

Ridge Cinema - New Berlin, WI

Valley Grand Cinema - Appleton, WI

Majestic of Omaha - Omaha, NE

Following this initial reopening, Marcus Theatres will be adding more opening dates for the rest of their 91 locations in 17 states, which includes Marcus Theatres, Movie Tavern by Marcus and BistroPlex locations.

At first, these theaters will only be open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Hours of operation will begin in the late morning closer to noon and run through the early evening show. All showtimes for the locations that are reopening soon are available at their respective web page at the Marcus Theatres website.

The movies welcoming customers back to Marcus Theaters locations will mostly be those that had their theatrical run cut short back in March. Titles returning to theaters from this past spring include Sonic the Hedgehog, Bloodshot, The Hunt, Emma, The Invisible Man, Dolittle, and Bad Boys for Life. Some titles from the end of 2019 will also be coming back, such as Jumanji: The Next Level and Knives Out. But interestingly enough, there's no sign of Trolls World Tour. Perhaps Marcus Theatres is holding the same grudge that AMC Theatres announced a little while back.

Joining these recent releases will be throwback screenings of the Harry Potter franchise (which might be a little ill-timed), Batman Begins, the drive-in sensation The Wretched, and the indie drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Other classic titles, including Jurassic Park and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, will also screen.

So what can you expect from Marcus Theatres when it comes to reopening safely? Thankfully, they've provides an expansive breakdown of how the moviegoing experience will be at all of their locations. It begins with what they're calling the Movie STAR approach, which breaks down like this:

S – Social Distancing

T – Thorough Cleaning

A – App and website ordering for tickets and concessions

R – Respect each other and theater policies

Before You Arrive

Associates will undergo a wellness check prior to their shift, wear face masks, and gloves when appropriate

There will be an increased frequency of cleaning, especially high-touch surfaces

Social distancing will encouraged

Plexiglass will be located in various transactional areas

Hand sanitizer will be made available throughout the facility

Face masks will be required for employees but only encouraged for customers

Tickets should be purchased at the Marcus Theatres website or through their own app

Concessions can also be ordered before arriving through the mobile app or website

At the Theatre

Tickets and Concessions

Tickets can still be purchased at the box office or a kiosk if you didn't order the ahead of time

There will be designated pick-up areas for pre-ordered concessions

Concessions stand will be open for orders not placed in advance

Food and beverage menus may be limited

Table service at qualifying dine-in locations will not be available at first

Theatre bars/lounges will be open with limited hours

Restaurants will operate with limited hours and lower capacity

Staggered showtimes will limit the number of people in common areas

In the Auditorium

Reserved seating will be in place with limited capacity.

A checkerboard seating pattern will be in place

Two empty seats will be mandatory between groups to ensure social distancing

Restroom Breaks

There will be a restroom attendant in place to continually clean the facilities and encourage social distancing

Touchless faucets, soap dispensers and towel dispensers have been installed

After the Movie

Social distancing will be enforced for the exiting patrons

Theatres will discourage congregating in the lobby

Patrons will be encouraged to dispose of their own trash

Extensive cleaning procedures will be enacted, including thorough disinfectant used on all seats

As a bonus, any expired promotions that you might have used from March through June will still be accepted when theaters reopen, including any birthday vouchers or Magical Movie Rewards Members perks, which will include free popcorn on Tuesdays. Plus, every single ticket will only cost $5, though new releases arriving in July will have the regular ticket admission price.

Rolando Rodriguez, chairman-CEO of Marcus Theatres said:

"We continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of Marcus Theatres and Movie Tavern by Marcus guests and associates, and have been very thoughtful about the reopening process we are implementing. We know people are eager to return to theatres for movies on the big screen provided they feel confident that we've created a safe and comfortable environment – and that consumer confidence is very important to us. The steps are in place, associates are trained, and we are now ready and excited to welcome guests back."

In the meantime, don't forget that several Marcus Theatres locations are offering Parking Lot Cinema events, where they're showing movies in the parking lot of certain locations. You can learn more about that at the Marcus Theatres website, where they also have a thorough list of FAQs and more information about what to expect when their locations reopen later this month.

Will you head to Marcus Theatres as soon as they're open?