After a Long Slumber, US Cinemas Awaken on Pivotal Weekend

After a Long Slumber, US Cinemas Awaken on Pivotal Weekend
Concessions workers stock the bins with popcorn and other treats as the theatre opens for some of the first showings at the AMC theatre when it re-opened for the first time since shutting down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in West Homestead, Penn., on Aug. 20, 2020. Keith Srakocic/AP Photo
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STAMFORD, Conn.—With the previews about to start, a trickle of masked moviegoers made their way into one of the first U.S. screenings of “Tenet” at the Bow Tie Majestic 6 in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. They took their seats Tuesday night, eyeing the empty seats between each other and a little giddy at being back at the movies for the first time in many months.

Philip Scarante and Andy Flores, both 25, went every Tuesday religiously before theaters closed in March. “It’s just our thing,” Scarante said. Seeing Nolan’s latest mind-bending spectacle later on a smaller screen held no appeal. They sat down in center seats, up close.