The pandemic placed a lot of businesses in great jeopardy, and one of those hit the hardest since the spread of Covid-19 has been movie theatres. With no public gatherings since mid March of 2020, many blockbusters and major releases had to shift to launching on streaming services like Disney Plus and HBO Max, missing out on box office revenue. 

On Tuesday, news broke that a deal has been cut between Regal Theaters the second largest theater chain in the United States, and Warner Bros. that will bring all of its 2021 releases exclusively to Regal theaters for 45 days before ending up on the streaming service. This news coincides with the reopening of select theaters on April 2nd, in time for the highly anticipated Godzilla vs Kong.

Regal is thrilled to welcome our guests back to the movies in April! Select theatres will be opening April 2, in time for Godzilla vs. Kong. Additional theatres will be opening in the weeks to follow. pic.twitter.com/KklRscIp3f

— Regal (@RegalMovies) March 23, 2021

Mortal Kombat is slated for an April 16 release, and Space Jam: A New Legacy expected July 16. Regal's reopening will start with 500 theaters, with a listing of more that will be added in due time. With the accessibility and convenience of streaming movies from home in the wake of this pandemic, this does have implications for the healthy future of theaters and their relevancy. Domestic box offices fell 80% in 2020, seeing only $2.8 billion dollars in revenue. As the world begins re-openings, the long-term impact of seeing films on the big screen may still be affected.

Do you believe movie theaters will be a thing of the past, or will more deals like this be made with other studios and streaming outlets?