In a change of heart, Addison and Elgin movie theaters don’t open after all

Two suburban movie theaters that had announced plans to reopen Friday, during a state ban on theater operations, ended up keeping the doors closed.

The Marcus theaters in Addison and Elgin had been selling tickets for Friday screenings, and a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee-based chain told the Sun-Times Friday morning that the company believed the region where they are located “has met all criteria to have Marcus Elgin and Addison Cinemas reopen.”

But by early afternoon, the two theaters were offering refunds for tickets and prepaid concessions. “Please be advised due to updated metrics provided by the Illinois Department of Health we will not be opening as scheduled today,” said a notice on their Facebook pages.

Movie theaters in Illinois have been shuttered since November, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered them closed as part of the state’s effort to slow a resurgence of coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, theaters across the border in Wisconsin and Indiana are open for business.