This article was originally written by Michael Deeds with the Idaho Statesman.
Edwards Cinemas movie theaters will close this week because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Regal Cinemas, which operates the Edwards brand, made the announcement Monday afternoon. In Idaho, it means that dozens of screens at multiple megaplexes, mostly in the Treasure Valley, will go dark.
“Regal announces closure of all theater locations starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020, as a precaution amid the current circumstances,” Regal posted on Facebook. “All theatres will remain closed until further notice. Please check back soon. We look forward to serving you again as soon as possible.”
The second-largest theater chain in the United States, Regal operates Edwards 21 Cinemas & Imax at the Boise Spectrum, Edwards 9 in downtown Boise, and Edwards Nampa Gateway and Edwards Nampa Spectrum in Nampa.
After Regal’s decision Monday, other theaters in the Boise area remained open — although the situation is fluid.
Art-house theater The Flicks in Boise has announced that it will suspend operations as of 9:40 p.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Village Cinema’s plan is to scale back hours to noon-8 p.m., and reduce the number of theaters showing movies, according to Hugh Crawford, general manager at The Village at Meridian.
“They have temporarily closed the Bistro and are not providing in-theater dining in VIP at this time,” he said in an email Monday afternoon. “Food and beverage can be purchased at the concession stand. Village Cinema’s seating system allows them to maintain ‘social distancing’ when assigning seats on either side and front to back.”
