Pullman Village Centre Cinemas is temporarily closed because no new movie titles are available. However, the cinema is offering private screenings. 

Sean Warner, Village Center Cinema chief operating officer, said movie studios have not released new movies since March. The cinema was playing older repertory titles, but this was not creating enough business to keep the theater open. The theater temporarily closed on July 19.

Warner said the cinema is offering private screenings that cost around $100 for groups up to 20 people.

The cinema’s staff is using the temporary closing to clean and sanitize the entire business, he said. The cinema has also implemented other safety guidelines like capacity restrictions where every other row is blocked off. This ensures the distance between patrons if they are not part of the same group.  

The cinema will reopen when new movies become available, Warner said. However, movie studios have been pushing back the release dates for several movies. 

Warner said he cannot put an exact number on the amount of money the cinema lost because he does not know how well the movies would have sold. However, most employees were laid off due to a loss of money. 

New movie titles are supposed to be available on Aug. 21 and 31. Warner said he hopes to reopen the cinema by those dates.