VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two AMC movie theaters are back open in Hampton Roads. One is in the city of Hampton, on Towne Center Way. The other is in Virginia Beach, by Lynnhaven Mall.
It’s a milestone, after nearly five months of closed doors, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first movies, at both of the reopened theaters, started at 2 p.m. All of the showings for the day sold out, even with new health safety rules inside.
As the doors opened, the smell of popcorn and sound of the ticket stubs printing brought back nostalgia for life before the coronavirus pandemic, and now that two AMC theaters in Hampton Roads are open, people can get a break from reality at the movie theaters once again.
We spoke with the first people to return to the AMC, by Lynnhaven Mall.
“I’m so excited. We love movies. This is the first time, since this stuff started,” said customer Linda Savage-Tuttle.
She and her friend came prepared to follow the new movie theater rules. “We’re masked,” said customer Jan Lockwood.
The mask policy isn’t the only health safety change. AMC's invested millions of dollars in elector-static sprayers, ventilation filters and extra sanitation.
Physical distancing markers now line the floors and clear plastic barriers stand between customers and employees.
Every other row in theaters is blocked off, too, to keep people spread out.
“It’s good because you don’t have people crowded around, people social distancing, that way you can be safe,” said customer Roshawn Wiggins.
It's one way they're enforcing CDC guidelines during the pandemic. Even with serious precautions, there was an undertone of celebration.
It's not just a reopening: it's AMC’s 100th anniversary. So, for opening day only, guests could buy tickets for 15 cents.
“I mean 15 cents - you can’t beat that,” said Wiggins.
That’s a lot of discounted tickets, considering about 300 AMC locations in America are opening over the next couple weeks.
“I was blown away,” said customer Wayne Dowdy.
But it's an experience many people didn’t want to miss reliving. “Everything, popcorn, candy, the movie,” said Dowdy.