EDMONTON -- A handful of movie theatres in Edmonton are set to welcome film lovers once again on Friday, June 26 as companies gradually reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The North Edmonton Cineplex, South Edmonton Cineplex, and West Edmonton Mall Scotiabank are the first Cineplex locations opening in Edmonton this Friday.
"We've been entertaining Canadians for over 100 years and on Friday we get to go back to what we do best," said spokesperson Sarah Van Lange.
All other Alberta Cineplex theaters will open July 3, along with all theatres in B.C., Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan.
Landmark Cinemas announced Thursday it would reopen the St. Albert and Spruce Grove theatres Friday as well.
The company said it will relaunch with showings of classic movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws, with tickets for those movies set at $5 every day and $2.99 on Tuesdays.
That will be followed by the reopening of all Landmark Cinemas in Alberta and B.C., including Edmonton's downtown Landmark location, on July 3.
Van Lange says the last couple of weeks have been spent recalling and retraining Cineplex staff on the new health and safety protocols and procedures.
Staff at both theatre chains will be required to wear masks. Cineplex recommends movie-goers do the same, but it's not a requirement.
Core concession items like popcorn will be available, but Outtakes food will be closed until phase two of Cineplex's reopening, as the food takes longer to prepare, and there needs to be safe spaces for customers to stand and wait for their food.
Until further notice, tickets during the reopening will be available for $5, including D-Box seats, with $3 movies on Tuesdays.
Cineplex recommends booking tickets in advance through Cineplex.com or the Cineplex app, while Landmark recommends doing the same at LandmarkCinemas.com.
