New Yorkers eagerly return to the movies

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Cinemas in New York re-opened on Friday to great fanfare, after closing for almost a year due to the global health crisis.

Each movie theater can allow no more than 50 people per screen, following guidelines released by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last month.

Moviegoers have to wear masks and obey social distancing rules, and are encouraged to wipe seats down and sanitize their hands.

But that didn’t stop excited residents from returning.

“I'm excited I decided to not work today, and I just came to the theater. As soon as I read the movie theaters were open, I got a ticket literally 10 minutes later."

AMC Entertainment said it reopened all 13 of its theaters in New York, while its rival Cinemark did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Theater operators have struggled with the yearlong closure, as major studios moved to release their movies on online streaming platforms.

Warner Bros rolled out iconic cartoon Tom & Jerry on HBO Max last week, while Disney's new animated film Raya and the Last Dragon became the latest addition to its streaming platform Disney Plus on Friday.