AMC Reverses Decision; Will Require Patrons to Wear Mask

Well, this may be the quickest reversal decision of 2020.  

In a Thursday report by Variety, the world’s largest movie chain of theaters, AMC said it would not require patrons to wear masks after next month’s reopening, but as of Friday, that has quickly changed.

Seeing that we are still living in times of COVID-19, the decision was not well received by the public, and many took to social media to harshly criticize the company’s decision to “not get drawn into a political controversy” by making movie-goers wear masks.

CEO Adam Aron also spoke to CNN Business on Thursday and said, “we want to keep the politics out of our theaters” and “we didn’t want to step into that controversy.” This suggested the issue of politics outweighed the matter of health, and the company and CEO has since admitted the mistake.

“This announcement prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks,” Aron said in a statement on Friday. “At AMC Theatres, we think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests. Accordingly, and with the full support of our scientific advisors, we are reversing course and are changing our guest mask policy. The speed with which AMC moved to revise our mask policies” is a “reflection of our commitment to the safety and health of our guests,” Aron said.

Instead of encouraging mask, the company will now require patrons to wear them and will sell them for $1 when they start to reopen on July 15.

According to CNN Business, the new health and sanitation program titled “AMC Safe and Clean” will implement its new safety guidelines to help combat the spread of COVID-19 by operating at a 30% capacity during showings, disinfecting seating between films and nightly, upgrading its ventilation systems, and requiring all employees to wear masks and monitor their temperatures.

The reverse decision is a smart move for AMC. Let’s see if other theaters follow suit.