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US cinema chain AMC Theatres has said customers won’t be required to wear face masks when it reopens this summer.
In a new interview with with Variety, President Adam Aron said the move was an attempt to avoid “political controversy”.
He said: “We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary.”
AMC, which is the largest cinema chain in the world, is instead encouraging the use of masks but will not make them compulsory in regions 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.”
Instead, the chain now plans to sell masks to patrons for $1.
The move comes after AMC claimed that it may go out of business due to coronavirus.
The chain announced earlier this month that it expects to record losses of $2.4 billion in the first quarter of 2020.
As The Hollywood Reporter writes, the company have expressed “substantial doubt” over whether it can “continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time”.
“We continue to manage proactively our cash resources to control our monthly cash spend rate. At the same time, we have begun to ramp up our cash spend with the intention of reopening theatres this summer,” AMC said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the chain also vowed to boycott films distributed by Universal, after becoming angered by their decision to release a series of films exclusively online, including Trolls World Tour and The Invisible Man.
Last month, UK cinemas asked the government to be allowed to re-open in July. The UK Cinema Association has been working towards a solution following the closure of all cinemas during the week of March 16 when the COVID-19 lockdown forced non-essential businesses and public places to close.
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