Finnkino theaters to resume screenings on 24 June

Finland's residents will be able to visit Finnkino's theaters again starting on 24 June. The largest movie theater company announced on its website its intention to start the gradual reopening in the last week of the month.

"We are pleased to announce that we will reopen our first three cinemas on 24 June," the company said.

The firm said the first theaters to reopen will be in Helsinki (Tennis Palace and Itis) and in Turku (Cinema Palace). Ticket sales for screenings on 24-30 June started on Wednesday 10 June. The rest of the theaters will reopen in stages during July.

Finnkino says safety guidelines regarding hygiene and social distancing have been created to ensure the safety of customers and staff. The number of seats for sale will be limited and audience groups will be separated from each other to prevent the spread of the virus.

Customers are also requested to purchase their tickets online in advance, as the staff will not accept cash. The ticket verification process will be contactless to further reduce risks.

The opening repertoire

The firm has extended by "at least four months" the validity of its movie vouchers. The changes to vouchers are made automatically and do not require any action from customers, the company says.

The opening repertoire will include a set of fresh first-run movies and pre-screenings. However, during the first week there will be also special screenings of some films widely celebrated by the public: Inception, Dunkirk, Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Cinema Paradiso are among them.

Movie theaters have been closed since mid-March due to government restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the Covid-19 disease.