Columbia’s Nickelodeon Theatre suspends in-person screenings again as COVID rolls on
The curtains are closing once again, at least temporarily.
The Nickelodeon Theatre, which reopened in December after being shuttered for months amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, announced Tuesday that it will once again suspend in-person film screenings, at least until the spring.
“Thanks to those who visited the Nick over the holidays,” the theater shared on Twitter Tuesday morning. “While we had as much fun as you, we are again suspending screenings due to high COVID rates and low attendance. We hope to open in spring. Visit our virtual screening room until then! Healthy New Year!”
South Carolina continues to post high numbers of new coronavirus cases. The state health department announced another 3,492 new cases on Monday, and more than 5,000 South Carolinians have been killed by the virus since March.
Located in the 1600 block of Main Street, the two-screen Nickelodeon has been one of the catalysts of Main Street’s revival during the last decade.
The theater initially suspended in-person screenings in March, as COVID-19 began to gain a foothold in South Carolina and nationwide. The Nick, as it is referred to by many in Columbia, continued to host virtual screenings in the subsequent months.
But in December, the Main Street theater reopened, allowing 25% capacity in its auditoriums. It spent the month showing holiday favorites, such as “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Gremlins,” “Elf” and more. It offered, among other things, more repertory fare after Christmas, such as Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic “Alien,” which screened this past weekend.
The pandemic has been a rough moment for movie theaters, as Hollywood studios continue to delay most of their biggest blockbusters until it is safe for large crowds to gather indoors. Major players, such as Disney, have been sending some of their biggest offerings straight to streaming platforms, and at least one studio — Warner Bros. — has committed to releasing all of the films on its 2021 slate on streamer HBO Max on the same day they hit theaters.
Regal Cinemas, the nation’s second-largest theater chain, which operates four locations in the Midlands, continues to be shuttered amid the pandemic. Meanwhile, AMC Theatres, which has three locations in Columbia, remains open, with capacity restrictions in place. Spotlight Cinemas’ St. Andrews location, a discount theater, also is open.
Meanwhile, the Luminal Theater, a nomadic cinema focusing on Black film, is set to host screenings in association with the Sundance Film Festival in late January and early February at Spotlight Cinemas’ Capital 8 in northeast Columbia.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 12:54 PM.
