Grace Sybert, 19, hands a bag of popcorn to Chalee Durand, 21, at the soft opening of Moraine Pointe Cinemas Friday.
Even with an option to watch “Black Widow” at home, audiences went to the movie theater in pandemic record numbers nationwide during the weekend to catch the first Marvel movie released in two years.
The superhero film generated an estimated $80 million in ticket sales in North America. It's the largest domestic opening weekend since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” debuted in 2019, pre-pandemic.
In Butler County, moviegoers were happy Friday to return to the theater in Moraine Point Plaza in Butler Township to see movies for the first time in more than a year, but it's not the same theater that was there before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its place, MovieScoop Moraine Pointe Cinemas held a soft opening to reacquaint people with the big screen until some finish work is completed for the grand opening in the fall.
The previous theater, a Regal Cinemas theater, was one of 536 the company closed last year at the onset of the pandemic.
A group of friends including Seth Windsor, Cody Manuel and Mikael Shields, went to a matinee showing of “Black Widow.”
“We came here before, all the time,” said Shields.
They all said they love movies and they turned to streaming services, drive-ins and the AMC Classic South Pike 10 theater in Sarver to get their fill during the pandemic, but they're glad the theater closest to their homes is open again.
“I love movies,” Windsor said. “I've been wanting movies to come back for a while.”
Christine Creely, of Butler, brought her three children to see another new release, “Boss Baby.”
“We used to come here quite a bit so we were sad when they closed,” she said.
Derek Mahon stopped in to buy advanced tickets for him and his girlfriend to see the classic “Jurassic Park” on Saturday, but learned the theater's computer system is one of the glitches MovieScoop is working on.
“It's nice to have everything come back (from the pandemic). Dinner and a movie is a nice option to have especially in Butler. You don't have to drive to Cranberry for a movie,” Mahon said.
MovieScoop is showing new releases and classic movies in the 10-screen theater in a soft opening that includes matinee and evening shows. The concession stand is open, but only popcorn, candy and soft drinks are available now.
COVID-19 policies at the theater will follow CDC guidelines, and do not require masks for vaccinated visitors.
“We wanted to do a soft opening to get people back to the movies,” said Liz Harper, MovieScoop spokeswoman.
A grand opening will be held in August or September and luxury renovations that include replacing the seats with reclining chairs will be done before the end of the year, Harper said.
People who have gift certificates from the Regal Cinema that they didn't use before it closed can use them at MovieScoop.
Luxury renovations, such as those already completed at MovieScoop Cranberry Cinemas in Cranberry Township and some other MovieScoop theaters in the region, will result in fewer seats, but are intended to improve the movie watching experience.
“They're really fantastic,” Harper said, about the recliners. “They're going to a whole new level. We're really excited to start our luxury renovations. The first step was to get everything up and running.”
Jocelyn Dombeck, the manager at the Moraine Pointe theater, said people anxious to watch movies on big screens had been driving past the theater and stopping in to ask when it would open.
