After initially saying that returning movie-goers would not have to wear masks when AMC reopens, the company soon received some serious social media backlash.

And, that social media firestorm has caused AMC's CEO Adam Aron to do an abrupt about-face on the issue.

In other words, theater patrons will have to wear masks at AMC Theatres when they reopen 450 of their theaters on July 15th. Customers who don’t wear masks won’t be admitted or allowed to stay. All staff at all AMC theaters will be required to wear masks as well.

AMC CEO Adam Aron:

We think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests. It is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks.

Associated Press:

But the AMC plan hit a nerve for many on Thursday and #boycottAMC quickly became a trending topic on Twitter.

The outrage was further flamed by one of Aron’s comments in an interview with the Hollywood trade Variety that implied that taking a hard stance on mask-wearing was a political matter.

“We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy,” Aron said. “We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary.”

He also said that he thought the “vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks” and that he planned to lead by example and would be wearing a mask himself.

AMC said it will open 450 of its U.S. locations on July 15th, with the goal of having most of its theaters in operation by July 24th for the opening of Disney’s “Mulan” and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” the following week.

There might be a loophole for those against the idea of mask-wearing, though. How can you wear a mask when you've got a barrel of popcorn and a 96-ounce pop sitting next to you? Just a thought.

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