As Hurricane Helene approaches landfall as a Category 4 storm with winds reaching 130 mph, close to 40 multiplex theaters—including AMC, Cinemark, and Regal locations—have temporarily closed across Florida. The affected theaters span from Fort Myers in the south to Tallahassee in the north, with plans to reopen tentatively by Friday, September 27.
Hurricane-force winds are expected to extend from Florida’s Panhandle into southern and middle Georgia, potentially reaching the Atlanta metro area tonight. According to Weather.com, widespread power outages and downed trees are anticipated, which could further delay cinema reopenings. As reported by CNN, over 225,000 homes and businesses in Florida are already without power, and flooding has hit areas like downtown Naples.
Notably, Regal’s Hollywood 20 in Naples was previously damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and underwent extensive renovations before reopening in April 2019.
While sources indicate that Florida’s theater closures might not significantly impact the overall domestic box office, closures in Atlanta—a top ten market—could pose a risk for ticket sales. Some events and schools in the Atlanta area are already canceled in anticipation of the storm. If the hurricane proves to be less severe than expected, it could benefit local businesses, including theaters.
The last major storm to disrupt the domestic box office was winter storm Jonas in January 2016, which resulted in a 32% drop in ticket sales during that weekend.
