Sioux Falls Century Theaters to Open Back Up in July

COVID-19 shut down lots of fun this year. If you have been dying to go out to a movie and watch it on a screen bigger than a movie poster your wish is about to be granted.

Cinemark, the company that owns both Century Theaters in Sioux Falls, has announced that it plans to reopen both locations in July. The Century Stadium 14 on the west side will open on July 10 and the Century East at Dawley Farm will open its doors on July 17. The theaters were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and have been closed since March 17.

What are they going to show when they open? It isn't clear yet. As of this writing, there are no showtimes listed for Mulan on the Cinemark website for Sioux Falls. The live-action remake is slated to come out on July 24.

Unhinged, starring Russel Crowe, is supposed to come out on July 10, the first day for the west side Century in Sioux Falls.

How does Cinemark plan to keep its patrons safe in the world of COVID? According to Deadline.com, CEO Mark Zoradi says that the company can make money with 20-30 percent occupancy so for more restrictive states they will still be able to open. But in most cases, he thinks they will opening at half capacity with either every other seat empty, or selling half of the seats and suspending reserved seating.

This opening of theaters was way too late to save the movie I am looking forward to most in 2020. Top Gun: Maverick was originally scheduled to come out on June 26, a week from tomorrow. My wife and I were bummed that it was pushed all the way back to December 23, 2020. But, we'll just kick off the Christmas season by feeling the need... the need for speed.