off on new releases until New York cinemas reopen (accusing Governor Andrew Cuomo of being inflexible, despite having allowed other forms of indoor businesses to resume operations), and that the company only planned to reopen its cinemas once it is confident there is a "clear" and "solid" lineup of new releases. The closures initially excluded seven recently opened locations in California, and 11 New York state locations (after it began to allow cinemas outside of New York City to reopen on October 23 at 25% capacity if specific health metrics are met). However, on November 9, Regal announced that these locations would close until further notice effective November 12. On March 23, 2021, Cineworld announced that in light of theaters in New York City and Los Angeles being given the go-ahead to reopen theaters earlier in the month, they would begin reopening select Regal locations on April 2, in time for the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, with the company aiming to have most Regal locations reopened by April 16, in time for the release of Mortal Kombat, which was pushed back a week to April 23. The wide reopening was pushed back to May 7, with all but 13 open by May 28. Cineworld reached agreements with Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. to commit to theatrical windows. On June 19, 2021, Regal Cinemas acquired the lease of the former Arclight Cinemas at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles, with plans for a $10 million remodel that would include premium large format, 4DX, and ScreenX screens. Cineworld bankruptcy In August 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported that Cineworld would file for bankruptcy after struggling to rebuild attendance and incurring debts of more than $4.8 billion amid the pandemic. Cineworld confirmed that Regal Cinemas would remain in operation while Cineworld would evaluate their financial strategies. On September 7, 2022, Cineworld announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Cineworld plans to emerge from Chapter 11 in the first quarter of 2023, and planned to pursue "a real estate optimisation strategy", including the closure or sale of theaters and other discussions with landlords on its cinema lease terms with Regal. On September 28, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Canadian exhibitor Cineplex was exploring the possibility of merging with Regal; Cineworld had attempted to acquire Cineplex in 2020, but was forced to pay US$1 billion in damages for breach