Three more local movie theaters are closing soon. Ugh.
I love going to the movies. Even just for the food. The popcorn especially. I spent years working at my local movie theater Fox East, in Reading (RIP) and loving every minute of it. We saw movies for free, lived on popcorn, and even played hockey with the little brooms using pretzel nuggets as a puck. It was the best job.
One of the hardest parts of the pandemic was not being able to do a simple thing like going to see a movie. Unfortunately, the movie theater industry was one of the hardest hit industries during the worst of the pandemic with closures, and it’s still struggling. New movie releases available straight to stream at home are not exactly helping.
Business Insider reports that Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Theaters filed for bankruptcy this past September. We’re just learning how that move will effect us locally. A list of Regal Theaters were just listed for upcoming closure as Cineworld plans to vacate the theater’s leases in mid February. They plan to close 39 theaters total across the US, and 3 of the theaters on that list are local.
According to Business Insider, these are the local movie theaters closing soon:
- Barn Plaza Stadium 14 (Doylestown, PA)
- Oaks Stadium 24 (Oaks, PA)
- Hamilton Commons Stadium 14 (Landing, NJ)
The Oaks Stadium 24 is one of the main theaters I visit. It’s located right near my brother’s family, and midway between where I live in Philly and where my family lives in Reading. We meet there often. Super bummed to hear this news. If you love your local movie theater, go out and see a movie this weekend. Next weekend too. Support it while it’s there to support. Hopefully your theater won’t be on the next list of local movie theaters closing.
~ Kristen
