Las Vegas Valley filmgoers dismayed by possible Regal theater closures
Local moviegoers expressed surprise and dismay Sunday at the possibility of temporary closures of Regal theaters in the Las Vegas Valley and across the United States.
Cinema chain Cineworld said Sunday it is considering temporarily closing all of its movie theaters in Britain and the United States after the postponement of the new James Bond film left a big hole in schedules. Cineworld Group PLC owns 543 Regal cinemas in the U.S. and 128 Cineworld venues in the U.K. and Ireland.
The cinema chain said it hadn’t yet reached a final decision. “Once a decision has been made, we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can,” it said.
People interviewed Sunday at several of the nine Regal theaters open in the Las Vegas Valley after pandemic restrictions shared their thoughts on the possible closures.
Toni and Chris Corvin were unaware of the possible closures when they bought their tickets to see “Infidel” on Sunday at the Regal Green Valley Ranch Resort theater.
“It’s really disappointing,” Toni Corvin said. “It’s another closure resulting from the pandemic.”
Chris Corvin said the couple hadn’t been to a movie since February but noted, “We’re trying to get out and support the economy.”
New Henderson residents Karla Swigart, 42, and husband Gavin Swigart, 36, also were venturing out for the first time since the pandemic began, seeing “The New Mutants” at the Regal Fiesta in Henderson.
“We only moved here a couple weeks ago from San Diego, but it’s our first movie we’ve seen since February,” Karla Swigart said. “We’ve been wanting to come out, but with the pandemic, we have second thoughts.”
The Swigarts were finally motivated to get out when they heard that the Regal theaters may close temporarily.
Regal Fiesta Assistant Manager Diana Freeman said her theater has been back open for a month now, but she was told last week that Sunday is the last day for Fiesta Regal.
Loyal fans such as Soleil McCants, 42, lamented that if the closures happen, she won’t even get close to her movie stats from 2019, when she saw 57 movies and racked up 40,000 Regal points.
“I’m loyal here,” she said standing outside Regal Colonnade on Eastern Avenue, just blocks from her house. “It’s sad they’re closing. This is my theater.”
