New York City movie theaters to open for the 1st time in almost a year


For the first time since March 2020, movie theaters in New York City are about to reopen their doors.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Monday that movie theaters in New York City will be permitted to resume operations at 25 percent capacity and with no more than 50 people per screen beginning on March 5.
Although movie theaters that shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic have previously reopened in other parts of the United States, including the rest of New York, they've remained closed in New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest moviegoing markets in the country. This has been a major impediment for the box office prospects of movies like Tenet that have debuted theatrically during the pandemic, and it's been part of the reason upcoming blockbusters like No Time to Die have recently been facing new delays.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
New York's move to reopen theaters prompted speculation over whether some upcoming tentpole films, such as Marvel's highly-anticipated Black Widow, could actually be released in the coming months rather than be postponed again. At the same time, Variety notes it "will be difficult to turn a profit on $200 million-budgeted films with capped capacity and Los Angeles venues shuttered."
For now, Raya and the Last Dragon and Godzilla vs. Kong will debut in March both in theaters and on streaming, while Marvel's Black Widow is set to only play in theaters on May 7. During a recent earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Black Widow remains slated for its theatrical release, but he noted the company will be closely "watching to see the reopening of theaters and consumer sentiment in terms of going back."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures