Movie theaters to reopen in New Jersey at reduced capacity

Movie-goers can rejoice as movie theaters can open with limited capacity on Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy said. 

Theaters will be able to open but must require masks, implement social distancing guidelines and operate at 25% capacity — but only up to 150 people. 

Groups of people who purchased tickets together will be able to sit with each other in adjacent seats, but such groups will be separated by at least 6 feet, Murphy said Monday. Each screen in a multiplex will individually need to follow the guidelines — for example, if there are four screen rooms in a multiplex theater, then each room can only be at 25% capacity. 

Dine-in movie theaters will be allowed to serve concessions and food as long as the guidelines are followed. They are similar to the guidelines for indoor dining released on Monday morning in terms of capacity.

Movie theaters were closed on March 16, a point in the year when waves of closures and curfews were put in place as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grew in the state. At the time of the closure, the state had 178 confirmed cases and three confirmed deaths, numbers that have increased to 191,960 and 14,165 respectively as of Aug. 31. 

Check back on this developing story. 

Anthony Zurita is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: zuritaa@northjersey.com Twitter: @AnthonyRZurita