AMC reverses course after initially saying it won't require face masks when theaters reopen to avoid 'political controversy'

• AMC Theatres, which has more than 600 locations in the US, reversed course after it initially said it would not require customers to wear face masks when it reopens this summer.
• "This announcement prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks," CEO and President Adam Aron said in a statement on Friday.
• "At AMC Theatres, we think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests. Accordingly, and with the full support of our scientific advisors, we are reversing course and are changing our guest mask policy."
• Masks will be available for $1 and mandated for employees.
• Competitors Cinemark and Regal are making masks voluntary in areas where they are not already required.

AMC Theatres reversed course, after initially saying that it would not require customers to wear face masks when it reopens this summer.

In an interview with Variety that was published on Thursday Aron said, "We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy. We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary."

The announcement "prompted an intense and immediate outcry" from customers, Aron said in a statement on Friday, adding that "it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks."

"At AMC Theatres, we think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests," he continued. "Accordingly, and with the full support of our scientific advisors, we are reversing course and are changing our guest mask policy."

Masks will also be available for $1.

AMC, which operates more than 600 theaters across the United States, plans to begin reopening on July 15. Competitors Cinemark and Regal are encouraging masks, Variety reported, but not mandating them – at least in jurisdictions where they are not already required.

"We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks," Aron said. "When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example."

Indoor environments, particularly those with air conditioning, are considered high-risk environments for the transmission of the coronavirus. With indoor theaters still closed in most states, many have turned to drive-in theaters, which have proliferated in the age of COVID-19.

Mask-wearing, though proven to be effective in containing the spread of COVID-19, has been politicized. President Donald Trump has resisted wearing a mask in public and told The Wall Street Journal this week that he thought that people were wearing masks to show they disapprove of him — not as a safety measure.

Update Saturday, June 20, 2020: This story was updated with AMC Theaters' new stance on mask wearing.