Showplace Cinemas ironing out preliminary plans to reopen

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - Movie theaters throughout Indiana will be able to reopen their doors to the public on June 14.

Mick Stieler, the president of Showplace Cinemas, says his movie theater chain is currently observing how theaters are operating in Texas.

However, Stieler said his tentative plan is to open back up on July 10. He explained the reason for waiting so long to reopen is because no new movie releases are scheduled to hit the big screen until around then.

Stieler says he’s watching the theaters in Texas so closely because they are offering a few different options to get costumers back inside their cinemas.

“Texas theaters - they opened up last weekend, and most of the theaters are playing what they were playing before they closed down, or there are a couple of theaters playing 80s and 90s movies, which I am really going to watch closely because I think that may be a neat thing to do,” Stieler said. “Maybe some old baseball movie, stuff like that trying to get creative.”

Steiler says if his theater chain decides to play reruns or old movies, they would do so at a reduced rate, and run concessions at reduced rates as well.

He also says being at a 50% capacity limit means that Showplace Cinemas will decide whether to close every other row or put two seats in between people.

Steiler said his theater chain is still working on figuring out that plan.

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