HURRICANE FLORENCE: Movie screenings limited in Wilmington

Nearly 2 weeks after Hurricane Florence, only 1 of Wilmington’s 3 theater complexes is open

WILMINGTON — After days of being cooped up in their homes as Hurricane Florence made its slow crawl over the region, local residents and families seeking a night out at the movies were met with dark screens this past weekend.

As of Monday, only one of the three local movie theaters, The Pointe 14, had reopened since the storm. Regal Mayfaire 16 and AMC Classic Wilmington 16 are still closed to the public — and silent on when they will reopen.

On Monday, Regal had stripped all of the movie posters from the lightboxes that line its entrance at Mayfaire Town Center, while a cleaning and restoration service truck parked outside AMC Classic off Cinema Drive.

Requests for comment from both theaters about reopening dates were not returned Monday.

Paige Coniglio, spokeswoman for Mayfaire, would not say whether the mixed-use complex’s management had spoken with the theater about any damage suffered during the storm.

The only comment from Regal has come in the form of standard reply to comments on its Facebook that indicates the theater is closed “until further notice.”

While other theaters remain quiet, Marie Cole, spokeswoman for Stone Theatres, said The Pointe 14 sustained damage in the box office and three auditoriums.

“There was some pretty major box office damage from water with the carpet, ceiling and dry wall,” she said. “The three auditoriums had some minor damage from water that affected the carpet.”

The theater reopened on Friday with limited hours and only 11 auditoriums hosting screenings. Cole said that was mainly due to limited staffing, as employees tried to make their way back into town if roads allowed.

Limited routes into Wilmington also hindered the premiere of new movies. The theater received a shipment for the new movie “The House With a Clock in its Walls” and played it as advertised beginning Friday. But copies of “Life Itself” were delayed until Saturday.

On Monday, the theater was still operating on a limited schedule, with no screenings after 7:10 p.m., but Cole said that could change if staffing is available.

“We can always update more showtimes online,” she said.

Contractors were able to get into town Monday to start work on repairing the three offline auditoriums, which Cole said should be completed by week’s end.

Reporter Hunter Ingram can be reached at Hunter.Ingram@StarNewsOnline.com.