Some Jacksonville moviegoers are warning others that someone used their lost and found phones to buy expensive electronics.

At select Cinemark theaters, friends and family can get into the holiday spirit while leaning into the nostalgia of two all-time favorite seasonal films.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For many families, going to the movies on Christmas Day is a tradition. Normally on Christmas Day, there are long lines of people waiting to buy tickets. Many people who News4Jax spoke with say there were fewer people at the movies this Christmas compared to years past. This Christmas, moviegoers were also faced with social distancing guidelines to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Despite the changes, moviegoers say they still enjoyed going to the movies on Christmas Day.

Universal Pictures has struck another deal with a major theater chain to shorten the theatrical window from three months to as little as 17 days in an effort to adapt to the new business realities of moviegoing. Universal and Cinemark announced Monday a multiyear agreement that guarantees three full weekends, or 17 days, of theatrical exclusivity for Universal and Focus Feature titles before a film can become available to rent on demand. Earlier this summer, Universal made a similar agreement with the nation's largest chain, AMC Theaters. Zoradi said that Universal was forward-thinking in coming to this “mutually beneficial agreement" and wouldn't be surprised if more studios follow suit. Cinemark, which operates brands like Century, Tinseltown and Rave, operates some 332 theaters in the U.S. and 202 internationally.

NEW YORK – The Pixar film “Soul” will skip theaters and instead premiere on Disney+ on Christmas, the Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday, sending one of the fall's last big movies straight to streaming. The successive delays of the film industry's would-be blockbusters has only made the dire circumstances of movie theaters more acute. Without aid, the organization said, 69% of small and mid-sized movie theater companies will close or go bankrupt. “The stark reality is that many movie theaters will not be able to open again if they don’t receive government help,” says Esther Baruh, director of government relations for the association. It recently announced that it would lay off 28,000 workers, most of them at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. After several postponements, movie theater chain Cinemark will reopen locations across the country. For Jacksonville, that means the Tinseltown location is open. The reopening in Tinseltown today is an expansion of that test-and-learn process.The River City theater will reopen with staggered showtimes and socially-distant seating. Frequent contact surfaces like concession sands, door handles, drink stations and bathrooms will be sanitized every 30 minutes, according to a Cinemark release. Its invited patrons to channel their nostalgic interests by showing the classics, including including Back to the Future, The Goonies, Jumanji, Beauty and the Beast and Ghostbusters.

AMC Theaters, the world's largest theater operator, said Tuesday that it expects to have 97-98% of its theaters worldwide reopened by mid-July. It will be up to movie theater operators to convince moviegoers that its safe to once again sit in the dark among strangers. Only recently have state guidelines allowed the reopening of theaters in California (including in the countrys top market, Los Angeles, where local officials have yet to agree). Before Tenet arrives, theaters will play just as those that are currently open are showing recent and classic catalog offerings. Though a handful of movies have been steered to streaming or on-demand platforms during the pandemic, most studio films have been postponed until theaters reopen.