Cineworld CEO Is "Encouraged" By The Weekend's Box Office & Says People Are "Eager" To Return To Cinemas

Last weekend, AMC, Regal, and many other cinemas reopened for the first time in five months, since they were all shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while the box office numbers weren’t what you would call “massive,” the Russell Crowe film, “Unhinged,” did bring in around $4 million and showed that there are people that are ready to go back to the cinema. But this is far from the end of the story, as we anxiously await the rest of the country to reopen theaters and studios to begin launching big blockbusters, such as “Tenet.”

READ MORE: ‘Tenet’ Might Not Play At Your Local Drive-In After All

Cineworld (Regal’s parent company) CEO Mooky Greidinger spoke to Deadline about the reopening in the US, what it means for the future of the theatrical experience, and when life can maybe go “back to normal.”

“We got a very warm welcome in the places where we opened,” said the Cineworld executive. “We opened close to 200 cinemas and we were encouraged by the results…We hope this is really strong start. COVID numbers are decreasing and we believe that restrictions will be relaxed in certain places once we show that everything is safe and sound.”

He added, “One conclusion from this weekend is it’s clear that our customers have missed the cinemas; they were very eager to go back.”

READ MORE: Theater Organization Releases National Safety Protocols But Admits Cinemas Aren’t “Risk-Free”

And while Greidinger isn’t talking specifics about the numbers of sold-out shows and occupancy, in general, he said that Cineworld is “very satisfied with the turnout.” Of course, that doesn’t mean everything is back to normal and cinemas around the world (particularly in the US) are saved. In fact, Cineworld is hoping that the incoming “Tenet” release will help drive even more people to the cinemas and more states to reopen.

“We see great numbers on sales for ‘Tenet’ [in the UK], which is also very encouraging and so I think in general, people have missed the cinemas and look forward to going back,” he said. “Really what we need is to get the states that we are still missing in the U.S., New York and California, as they are very important for our industry. I hope this will be moving forward. I was encouraged by the statement of [New York] Governor Cuomo who recently said, ‘Movie theaters, I think, are next.’”

READ MORE: Survey Shows A Vast Majority Of People Would Happily Watch ‘Tenet,’ ‘Black Widow’ & ‘WW84’ At Home

But the real question that is dominating the discussion surrounding the theatrical experience post-pandemic is what the future holds for cinemas around the world. Will we ever go back to “normal,” where screenings are packed and no one is concerned by the guy who coughs behind them? Greidinger thinks that day is coming.

“A vaccination for me means life back to normal, just like a vaccination against any other disease that we have known in history,” he said. “So once there is a solution, there will not be a need for any precautions or restrictions. I would say that we always take care of the safety of our customers, we always keep our cinemas clean and that doesn’t (historically) have anything to do with COVID.”

Cineworld expects to open up 100 more cinemas this weekend in the US, as it welcomes the release of “The New Mutants” and continues to build anticipation for “Tenet.”