Bow Tie Cinemas is reopening at Reston Town Center for Memorial Day weekend

Bow Tie Cinemas at Reston Town Center is reopening on Friday (May 28), just in time for the holiday weekend.

Making good on a March promise, the movie theater will open its doors for Memorial Day weekend, marking the return of audiences more than a year after it closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company told Reston Now two months ago that they hoped to open by this coming weekend, but it depended on the major movie studios releasing films into theaters, as opposed to streaming and on-demand services.

With vaccinations up across the country and region, that appears to be happening. According to Bow Tie Cinemas, the major new Hollywood releases waiting to greet Reston moviegoers include “A Quiet Place Part II”, Disney’s “Cruella,” and “Spiral: Saw.”

“I am thrilled that we are finally able to reopen our Reston location,” Bow Tie Cinemas Chief Operating Officer Joseph Masher said in the press release. “By exercising our health and safety protocols, we have been able to successfully provide a clean atmosphere for our guests to return to the cinema.”

Masher says the chain has not recorded any cases of COVID-19 transmission among patrons or staff since it first reopened some locations last summer.

“Guests have been returning, and leave feeling a sense of normalcy that has been sorely missed during the pandemic,” he said.

The Reston Town Center theater will reopen with a series of safety and health protocols in place in accordance with the National Association of Theater Owners’ CinemaSafe initiative, which commits participants to following guidelines that, in some cases, are stricter than what Virginia and Fairfax County now require.

The state will lift capacity limits on movie theaters and other entertainment venues starting on Friday.

Bow Tie’s protocols include 100% reserved seating, the installation of plexiglass barriers at box office and concession stands, contact-free ticket and concession purchasing, and enhanced cleaning.

Additionally, all staff must wear a mask, even if they are fully vaccinated.

“Bow Tie Cinemas staff must wear masks at all times, whereas fully vaccinated customers are welcome to remove their mask,” a Bow Tie Cinema spokesperson confirmed to Reston Now in an email. “If a customer has yet to be vaccinated, we ask that they continue to wear their mask unless they are actively eating and drinking in their seat.”

There are also several promotional offers for those who come to the Reston Town Center theater on the first weekend.

From May 28 to 30, a purchase of a non-alcoholic beverage comes with a free small popcorn and entry into a raffle for free movie tickets. Reston customers can also continue to rent out an entire theater for up to 30 guests for a private screening.

Bow Tie Cinemas is one of the last movie theaters to reopen in the area, with theaters in Herndon, Tysons, and Dulles already showing movies again.

Bow Tie Cinemas acquired the theater at Reston Town Center from Rave Cinema in 2011.