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Multiple movie theaters on Treasure Coast set to reopen

'I don't know, I think it is too soon,' resident says
Posted at 9:22 PM, Aug 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-20 23:38:43-04

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Many movie theaters on the Treasure Coast are set to reopen their doors Friday for the first time since March, but the question remains whether or not customers think it's safe.

The Touchstar Cinemas in Fort Pierce is a smaller theater that reopened in June.

Assistant manager Nathalie Desir said she and her staff are doing everything they can to keep moviegoers safe.

"Each theater is sanitized multiple times daily," she said.

When customers come to the Touchstar Cinema, they have to line up socially distanced on floor markers outside and get their temperature taken before entering.

Masks are required and the capacity has been cut to ensure customers are spread out.

The theater has also been renting out rooms to groups of 20 or less for private showings.

On the walls between theaters, there are bottles of hand sanitizer.

"I don't know, I think it is too soon," Fort Pierce resident Sarah Deacon said.

Deacon said that new movies should be released at home and on-demand.

"I'm not even allowed to go back to work yet," she said. "In my opinion, then you can't go to the movies."

Both the Regal 16 inside the Treasure Coast Mall and the Regency 8 in Stuart will be reopening Friday.

Next week, the AMC 14 in Port St. Lucie plans to do the same.

"We get a lot of calls asking if we're open," Desir said. "They've been saying thank you for opening. I know you guys are taking a risk, but thank you. We needed that. There's nothing else to do."

At Touchstar Cinemas, they've hired servers to limit crowding at concession stands.

Desir said once customers take their seats and before the movie starts, servers will take orders and deliver food and drinks.