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Friday, March 29, 2024

Popular east Ocala movie theater hoping to reopen this June

A popular movie theater in east Ocala is hoping to reopen its doors this June.

Ocala Center 6 closed its doors over a year ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater, which is located at 2021 East Silver Springs Boulevard, was forced to shut down in March 2020 as a result of an order issued by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Ocala Center 6 Cinemas closed its doors in March 2020
Ocala Center 6 closed its theater down in March 2020

Although multiple theaters across Ocala were also forced to close their doors temporarily, most reopened in limited capacities at various times over the past year. That includes Regal Cinemas, who reopened its Ocala location earlier this year.

Ocala Center 6 chose to remain closed, however, on account of the lack of movies being released, while other local theaters chose to rerun old films.

With Hollywood productions starting up again, theaters are hoping summer box offices will show a reinvigorated demand for new films.

According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, theaters played 454 new movies during 2020, a 20-year low and a drop of over 50% from the previous year (911).

Total revenue fell from $11.3 billion in 2019 to $2.1 billion in 2020, an 81% decrease. This year, over 170 new films have been released and generated just over $530 million.

Have you visited a theater since they reopened? Share your experiences and comments with us.