SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- AMC is reopening an additional 140 theaters nationwide by Friday, including seven of its locations in San Diego County.
The reopenings will mean 70 percent of the company's theaters, 420 total, will be open before Labor Day weekend.
A vast majority of the theaters, the company said, will reopen on Thursday.
On Friday, Sept. 4, these seven San Diego area theaters will be open to the public:
AMC Chula Vista 10
AMC Fashion Valley 18
AMC La Jolla 12
AMC Mission Valley 20
AMC Otay Ranch 12
AMC Plaza Bonita 14
AMC DINE-IN Poway 10
As part of the reopenings, AMC is "offering an array of $5 food and beverage treats, including regular popcorn, regular Coca-Cola Freestyle drinks and KidsPacks, through the end of October. And all AMC Stubs members will earn double points on all ticket and food & drink purchases through the end of October."
AMC says a new health and sanitation program will be in effect at all of its reopened theaters. The "Safe & Clean" initiative includes reduction in ticket sales and blocked seating for social distancing purposes, extra time between showings for thorough cleaning, hand sanitizing stations around the facility, and mask requirements for moviegoers and theater staff.
The world's largest movie theater company reopened more than 100 theaters in August after being closed for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
News of the openings comes as Christopher Nolan's newest movie "Tenet" makes its theatrical debut in the U.S. It's one of the first big movies to hit theaters since the pandemic struck.
To see if an AMC theater in your area is open, click here.
In addition to AMC theaters, Reading Cinema locations in San Diego area also reopening.
The two locations -- La Mesa (5500 Grossmont Center Dr.) and San Diego (4665 Clairemont Dr.) -- opened their respective doors on Thursday.
The theaters have their own health and safety protocols in place, including social distancing, 25 percent capacity, and extra cleaning between showings.
Additionally, Reading will not allow cash, and anyone with cash will be asked to purchase a gift card at the box office.
"We're just really excited to be able to pull the trigger and open the doors,” said Reading Cinemas Director of Food and Beverage Ken Gillich. "We're really trying to minimize the amount of touch points that anybody needs to have, but hopefully once you get into the auditorium, you can sit down and get back to enjoying the movies."
Thanks to the reopenings, Reading Cinemas in San Diego was able to rehire about 40 percent of their workforce.
Gillich added, "It's the cheapest form of therapy you can get. It's one of the only places where for 10-15 bucks you can turn off your phone, you're expected to turn off your phone and disappear from the world for 2 hours, 2 1/2 hours. And we're just really, really, really pleased to be able to provide that experience, once again, for the community."
