Police from Round Lake Beach and firefighters from the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded about 2:00 a.m. Sunday, March 24, 2024 to an Activated Fire Alarm at the former Regal Cinemas, 550 East Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach.
A break-in was suspected, and no smoke was showing, so police first searched the building and determined that the building was secure of any possible offenders in the building. Police discovered an unsecured door and extensive damage inside the building, but no offenders remained on scene.
There was also water flowing inside the building from damage to the sprinkler system.
Firefighters stopped the water flow and confirmed there had been no fire inside the building.
FLASHBACK
The Regal Cinema location was one of 39 Regal Cinema locations that were announced for closures nationwide around January to February 2023. Some of the 39 locations tentatively have survived, but the Round Lake Beach location remains closed.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Regal had merged with UK theater chain Cineworld when Regal was purchased by Cineworld for $3.6 billion during a period from late 2017 to 2018.
Then during the COVID-19 pandemic Cineworld temporarily, but indefinitely, closed all 536 owned Regal Cinemas theaters in the United States. The closures occurred on March 16, 2020.
Regal began re-opening most theaters on August 21, 2020, but then announced closures again on October 5, 2020, citing New York’s continued prohibition or delay of the re-opening of theaters.
After the city governments of Los Angeles and New York City allowed the re-opening of theaters, Cineworld began to open only select Regal locations on April 2, 2021. A wider re-opening occurred in May 2021.
However, Cineworld struggled to regain movie audiences and overcome $4.8 billion in debt, and filed for bankruptcy in August 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic, individuals avoiding crowds due to the pandemic, the lack of new movie productions, and adaptation to streaming services were detrimental to the operation of traditional theaters.
Cineplex announced permanent closures of 39 Regal Cinemas in January 2023, including the Round Lake Beach location at 550 Rollins Road and the Bolingbrook location — the two announced closures in Illinois.
The Round Lake Beach location closed, but the Bolingbrook location stayed open, along with several other of the 39 theaters, as Cineplex rejected their leases and were able to negotiate with landlords and creditors to keep some of the theaters open (AKA: “a real estate optimization strategy”).
Today, March 28, 2024, Regal Bolingbrook is showing …
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Dune: Part Two
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Arthur The King
Love Lies Bleeding
Imaginary
FILE VIDEOS OF AN ABANDONED REGALS CINEMAS IN COBB COUNTY, GEORGIA, AND THE ABANDONED REGAL CINEMAS iN ROUND LAKE BEACH …
BigC Vlogs toured an Abandoned Regal Cinemas Movie Theater in Cobb County, Georgia that closed in 2020, according to the vlogger, who has captured videos of several blighted locations in Arlington Heights. YouTube Tips ⓘ
Mall Aholic Retail Adventures vlogger toured an abandoned Regal Cinemas building from the exterior in Round Lake Beach, Illinois and uploaded a video on April 12, 2023. YouTube Tips ⓘ
SOURCES:
Cineworld to buy Regal cinemas in blockbuster deal. BBC News. December 2017.
McClintock, Pamela; Hayden, Erik (March 16, 2020). Regal to Close All U.S. Theaters Indefinitely Amid Coronavirus Pandemic. The Hollywood Reporter.
Regal Theatre Reopening Dates. www.regmovies.com. Retrieved August 21, 2020. [BROKEN LINK]
Kanter, Jake (October 5, 2020). Cineworld Confirms ‘Temporary Suspension’ Of Theatres In U.S. & UK From Thursday. Deadline.
Tartaglione, Nancy (October 5, 2020). Cineworld Boss Mooky Greidinger Says Decision To Close U.S. & UK Cinemas Was Spurred By NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Inflexibility”. Deadline.
D’Alessandro, Anthony (October 21, 2020). Regal Cinemas Reopening In New York Following Gov. Cuomo’s OK For Movie Theaters. Deadline. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
Tartaglione, Nancy (May 14, 2021). Regal Parent Cineworld & Disney Agree On Theatrical Deal For U.S. & UK. Deadline.
Gladstone, Alexander (August 19, 2022). Regal Cinemas Owner Cineworld Prepares for Bankruptcy Filing. Wall Street Journal. (PAYWALL)
Goldsmith, Jill; Tartaglione, Nancy (September 7, 2022). Regal Parent Cineworld Files For Bankruptcy. Deadline.