AMC Theatres Crosses the 1,000,000 Attendance Mark in the U.S. Since Reopening
AMC Entertainment says it has welcomed its one-millionth moviegoing guest who returned to enjoy the big screen at AMC Theatres all throughout the U.S. since reopening three weeks ago.
The total comes despite a phased schedule of theatre reopenings, with many theatres opening only this past Friday with significant seating capacity restrictions in place at all open theatres of between 25% and 40% of the maximum capacity.
AMC also announced that in surveys of returning U.S. guests, its guest scores for theatre cleanliness hit all-time highs, considerably beating by a wide margin all previous theatre cleanliness scores, which have been tracked by AMC through surveys for decades.
Approximately 70% of AMC's U.S. theatre circuit was open for business during the recent Labor Day holiday weekend, with more theatres opening around the country during September. This week, for example, more than 30 AMC theatres in New Jersey, Maryland, and Orange County, California will reopen.
"We are greatly encouraged that during the last few weeks as theatres have started to reopen, moviegoers have already returned to AMC more than 1,000,000 times,” says Adam Aron, AMC CEO and President. “They are getting to see first-hand our extensive and comprehensive commitment to the health of our guests and associates through our new AMC Safe & Clean protocols.”
TikTok, U.S. Discuss Ways to Avoid Sale
The Wall Street Journal reports that TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance Ltd., is discussing with the U.S. government possible arrangements that would allow the popular video-sharing app to avoid a full sale of its U.S. operations, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussions around such an option have risen in prominence since the Chinese government took steps that make a sale to a U.S. technology giant like Microsoft Corp. more difficult, the people said. They take place against a fast-approaching deadline that President Trump imposed for TikTok.
JCPenney Reaches Agreement in Principle with Brookfield and Simon Property Groups
J.C. Penney says that it has reached an agreement in principle to sell its stores through a court-supervised sale process to mall owners Brookfield Property Group and Simon Property Group. The brand plans to seek approval of a disclosure statement and, ultimately, confirmation of a plan of reorganization in parallel with the sale process.
“We have determined that an agreement with Brookfield and Simon, as well as the formation of separate real estate investment trusts owned by our First Lien Lenders, is the best path forward,” says Jill Soltau, chief executive officer of JCPenney.
Upon the execution of the agreement, it will be binding on Brookfield, Simon, and the First Lien Lenders. JCPenney intends to file a motion seeking authorization from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Court”) to conduct an auction pursuant to Section 363 of U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
Walmart Now Piloting On-Demand Drone Delivery with Flytrex
Walmart is taking the next step in their exploration of on-demand delivery by announcing a new pilot with Flytrex, an end-to-end drone delivery company.
The pilot launches in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and focuses on delivering select grocery and household essential items from Walmart stores using Flytrex’s automated drones. The drones, which are controlled over the cloud using a smart and easy control dashboard, will help Walmart gain valuable insight into the customer and associate experience, from picking and packing to takeoff and delivery.
“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone,” says Tom Ward, Senior Vice President, Customer Product, Walmart. “That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier.
Home Depot Says it Won’t Have Traditional Black Friday Sales
Home Depot says it is opting not to have a big one-day sale in stores. Instead, the home improvement retailer will host its Black Friday sales throughout the holiday season both in stores and online.
“Savings will start in early November and last through December, both in-store and on homedepot.com,” the company says on its website. “Say goodbye to one day of frenzied shopping and enjoy Black Friday savings all season long without the stress and crowds.
Home Depot added that it will remain closed on Thanksgiving like in years past. A number of retailers that are typically open on Thanksgiving are also opting to close for the holiday.