Regal Cinemas to close all US theaters until further notice starting March 17th

Regal Cinemas, the second-largest theater chain in the country, will close all of its theaters in the US starting tomorrow, March 17th, out of caution for the ongoing spread of coronavirus, according to and The Hollywood Reporter. The theaters will remain closed until further notice.

"Any time, at any Regal, it's our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for our employees and guests," said Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Regal Cinema parent company Cineworld, in a statement to Deadline. "At this time, we have made the difficult decision to close our theaters. We value our movie-loving customers and have no doubt we will be serving them again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters."

AMC, which is the biggest theater chain, said earlier today that no more than 50 people could be in a theater at the same time, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Other cinemas may follow Regal's move to close all theaters in the coming days, sources told The Hollywood Reporter.

The moves follow historically low box office sales this weekend and new White House guidelines issued today to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

Universal will be releasing some movies that are currently in theaters as $20 rentals starting Friday, the company announced today. And over the last few weeks, Mulan, F9, and No Time to Die, the newest James Bond movie, all had their theatrical release dates delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.