UPDATE:

AMC Theaters, America's largest movie cinema chain, will close its nearly 700 locations across the United States for at least six to twelve weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced Monday.

AMC's announcement comes on the heels of Regal Cinemas' earlier announcement that it was also closing down temporarily to help slow the spread of COVID-19.Other theater chains who suspended operation Monday include the Landmark, Harkins Theaters, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Showcase Cinemas, and Bow Tie CinemasOur earlier report follows.

Every Delayed Movie Due to Coronavirus (So Far) 47 IMAGES

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In an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, AMC Theaters announced that it's reducing capacity in each of its auditoriums by at least 50%, from Saturday, March 14 through April 30.AMC will cap ticket sales for each showtime in each of its theatre’s auditoriums to half of the normal capacity. In auditoriums with more than 500 seats, AMC will further cap ticket sales to a maximum of 250.Per Deadline , AMC is the first theater chain to address the COVID-19 pandemic and, as the largest theater chain in the country, is also actively complying with "all local authorities’ directives on social gathering and is further reducing the availability of tickets to comply with any current or future federal, state or local governmental order."Each theaters' health and safety cleaning protocols have also been enhanced “to ensure that at least once per hour within an AMC building, the theatre team is cleaning high touch point areas, including kiosks, counter tops, restroom areas, glass, handrails and doorknobs.”Meanwhile, a handful of movies have had their releases delayed, including F9, No time to Die, Mulan, and more . Furthermore, many TV and film productions have been shut down due to concerns over coronavirus. To see our running list of shows and movies that have been halted, click here For more on this rapidly evolving situation, check out what a major movie studio executive told IGN about what to expect next for movies in 2020 ...Keep it locked into IGN for all the latest news from the entertainment world regarding COVID-19.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler