AMC expects to reopen all international theaters in three weeks

Movie theaters across the world were shuttered since mid-March

(Reuters) - AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said on Thursday it expects all its international theaters to resume operations in the next two to three weeks, while two-thirds or more of its U.S. theaters are set to reopen later this month.

Movie theaters across the world were shuttered since mid-March when several countries imposed strict lockdowns and social distancing measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We already have resumed operations in more than 130 theaters in all of the countries we serve in Europe and the Middle East. That is more than one-third of our international theaters,” Chief Executive Officer Adam Aron said.

The world’s largest movie theater chain’s plans come as studios push to make their movies available in living rooms sooner than the typical timeline of roughly 90 days after they debut in cinemas. Last week, AMC and Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures agreed to a major shift that will allow the studio’s movies to be made available to U.S. audiences at home after just three weekends in cinemas.

Walt Disney Co said on Tuesday its live-action epic “Mulan” will skip most of the world’s movie theaters and go directly to its streaming platform in September, due to uncertainty about when big movie theater chains will reopen.