With Orange County moving up from the state’s purple to red tier this week, many businesses are beginning to reopen while some are taking a more cautious approach.
Regal movie theaters reopened right away on Tuesday, the first day in the red tier, with screenings of “Tenet” at theaters in Garden Grove, La Habra, Anaheim Hills, Brea, Aliso Viejo and elsewhere in Orange County.
AMC Theaters are planning to reopen on Friday. The movie chain’s theater at the District at Tustin Legacy will reopen with screenings of “Tenet” and “The New Mutants” at 4 p.m. Friday.
Moviegoers must wear masks that cover the mouth and nose with a snug fit. Neck gaiters, open-chin bandanas and masks with vents or exhalation valves are not allowed. Customers without one can buy a mask at the theater for $1.
The shopping center will still continue its outdoor screenings, with plans for a “Spooktacular Film Fest,” on Thursday nights, starting Oct. 1, said marketing director Shannon Campbell. The first screening will be the original “Ghostbusters,” starring Bill Murray.
The District has been screening movies outdoors through the summer during the most recent lockdown after outbreaks following Memorial Day and Independence Day.
Planet Fitness at the District reopened to 10% capacity on Wednesday, Campbell said. Restaurants, which have been serving customers outdoors this summer, are also planning to restore some indoor service, Campbell said.
It’s unclear when Bowlmor, the bowling alley at the District, will reopen.
Frida Cinema leaders met Wednesday to discuss a reopening in October, said executive director Logan Crow. In the meantime, the independent theater, which shows art films and older movies, will continue its streaming service and drive-in movie events.
Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is ramping up a reopening on Saturday with a continuation of its “Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic.”
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum will hold a 9/11 memorial on Friday featuring Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes and Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy, but it is closed to the public and will be available online.
Nixon library officials are working with the National Archives and Records Administration, which governs presidential libraries, on a reopening plan, said Joe Lopez, a spokesman for the Nixon Library.
The Discovery Cube OC in Santa Ana has no firm plans on a reopening, said spokeswoman Erin Warady.
Pretend City, the children’s museum in Irvine, remains closed. The museum is angling for an Oct. 1 reopening, said Pretend City’s Leslie Perovich.