Companies to reopen Springfield theaters this week

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theatres and Regal Theatres announced reopenings for their Springfield theaters starting this week.

AMC Springfield 11 is scheduled to open Aug. 20, followed by Alamo Drafthouse Springfield and Regal College Station Stadium 14 on Aug. 21, according to notices from the companies. All will have coronavirus safety precautions in place.

Alamo Drafthouse is requiring guests to wear face masks unless they're eating or drinking, per the city’s face mask mandate. They'll also be asked to maintain 6 feet of physical distance, and there will be at least two buffer seats around each customer. Each auditorium is slated to be disinfected between screenings, according to a news release.

"We’ve made a number of updates to the Alamo experience in order to provide the safest and most enjoyable experience possible for our teammates and guests," said Marc Evans, managing partner of Alamo Drafthouse Springfield owner Springboard Ventures LLC, in the release. "We have missed the Springfield community these past several months and we’re looking forward to getting back to what we love to do."

New movies "Unhinged" and "Bill & Ted Face the Music" are scheduled to be screened, alongside recent blockbusters "Inception" and "The Greatest Showman," according to the release.

Alamo Drafthouse, AMC and Regal closed the Springfield theaters in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Moxie Cinema held a soft reopening Aug. 14 after temporarily shutting down in March, said Executive Director Mike Stevens.

Alamo Drafthouse in March submitted a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notification to the state of Missouri indicating 199 employees were temporarily laid off at the 4000 South Ave. theater in Springfield. Officials with the theater chain could not be reached for comment by deadline on the status of the jobs.