HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — While Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero allowed movie theaters to reopen as early as Jan. 16 with 50% occupancy, it won’t be until February when big-screen fans can watch the latest movies at Tango Theatres at Micronesia Mall.
The ticket counters at the Regal Guam Megaplex theaters at GPO in Tamuning are closed in this photograph taken on June 16, 2020.
Photo by David Castro/The Guam Daily Post
“We are gearing up to reopen. Early February is a moving target,” Tango Theatres general manager Kit Lanuza told The Guam Daily Post.
It would be the first time in nearly a year that Tango Theaters will open its doors to the public, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re surprised,” he said upon reading the governor’s executive order on Friday, allowing movie theaters to reopen within 24 hours.
While taken by surprise, it was nevertheless welcome news for Tango Theatres to open its doors once again and for all its furloughed employees to be back to work, he said.
It would take about two weeks to order new feature films and for them to get here, he said.
Nationwide, with more major movie theater chains reopening, big studios like Universal, Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. have started releasing movies.
The movie theater spaces at Micronesia Mall would also need to be spruced up, on top of the regular maintenance since March last year, Lanuza said.
Regal Guam Megaplex at the Guam Premier Outlets in Tamuning is awaiting word from its corporate office, according to Regal Guam Megaplex manager J.N. Milan.
Covid-19 protocols
There’s optimism that after being cooped up at home for months, people would want to get out of their houses while still practicing social distancing, wearing masks and washing their hands, Lanuza said.
At Tango Theatres, Covid-19 health and safety protocols will be in place to provide the moviegoing public a safe experience when they visit the theaters, including temperature checks, mask wearing, social distancing, shields at concession stands and frequent sanitization.
With occupancy limited at 50%, each auditorium will have ample space for social distancing, whether it be for 50 or 150 moviegoers, Lanuza said.
Dine-in restaurants are now allowed to have customers up to 50% capacity. Amusement parks, bingo halls, game rooms and similar facilities have been allowed to reopen. Most Covid-19 restrictions have been eased.
Closed for good
Because of the prolonged closure due to the coronavirus pandemic and lack of new films, Tango Theatres made the painful decision last year to permanently close its theaters at the Agana Shopping Center.
Despite the closure of this second theater, Tango Theatres didn’t let go of employees and placed them on furlough instead.
Everyone will be at the Micronesia Mall theaters, Lanuza said.
Lanuza also said Agana Shopping Center’s recent announcement of Ross Dress For Less opening a branch at the Hagåtña mall will not have any effect on Tango Theatres’ prior decision to close their theaters there.
The news of Ross opening at Agana Shopping Center stirred excitement from shoppers. Ross is anticipated to spur activity at the mall, which saw several of its tenants close for good or temporarily, or move somewhere else, over the last year.
