What Reopened Movie Theaters in New York Look Like… You Might Be Surprised

Movie theaters are reopen in most places across New York State, and you may have been wondering what the theaters really look like while following new COVID guidelines.

My boyfriend and I recently took a trip to the Regal Cinemas theater inside Destiny USA and were actually surprised by how normal it looked. Of course, there were extra hand sanitizing stations throughout the lobby and plenty of social distancing signage, but many other parts of the theater were oddly reminiscent of a simpler time before the coronavirus pandemic. That's something you don't see much of nowadays.

We had to pick our seats when we purchased our tickets, and while we assumed there may be physical signs telling guests which seats were or were not available in order to promote social distancing, the theater left the seats untouched and relied on guests to social distance themselves.

Per New York State law, masks were required at all times when not sitting down and/or eating. Once we got into our seats, we were socially distant from other guests (granted, there were only two other people in the entire theater) to take off our masks and enjoy a movie... almost like it was 2019!

If you've been looking for a reason to leave the house and experience a safe yet reminiscent date night or family night out, the movie theater may just be the perfect excuse.

Potentially the coolest thing about many theaters right now is that they're showing throwback movies at a discounted rate. While I've seen Monsters Inc. many times in my life, I had never been able to see it in theaters until now... and for just $5 a ticket!

Of course, we understand that other theaters and companies may look different as they navigate new COVID guidelines. This article is only based off an experience at the Regal Cinemas in Destiny USA in Syracuse.