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It's not an April Fool's joke! Central Cinema reopens after closing due to pandemic

The movie theater is open again after it had to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the downtime, it made some changes.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Movie fans had the chance to return to the cinema on Thursday when Central Cinema reopened.

The theater closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But after several months of the screen staying dark, the projector shined once again. For its first screening, Central Cinema showed the movie "April Fools Day." Tickets were almost sold out, officials said.

"We're still at 40% capacity, so sold out isn't as good as it could be, but we're happy that many people are ready to get back to the movies," said William Mahaffey, a co-owner of the theater.

The theater also installed new seats with cupholders and cushions in June. They were originally used in the Knoxville Center Mall.

Officials said that staff is also thoroughly cleaning between screenings of films, and moviegoers must wear a mask if they want to sit in for a showing. The next one will be on Friday when the theater will show "Back to the Future."

On April 3, they will also host a showing of "Minari," which received six academy award nominations. Eager moviegoers can see other scheduled showtimes on the theater's Instagram page.

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