WINTER PARK, Fla. —  Regal, the second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S., has temporarily closed all of its locations nationwide, impacting about 40,000 jobs.

The coronavirus pandemic is delaying major blockbusters, and the company said this tough time has left them no other choice.​

But a small movie theater in Central Florida has been able to keep its screens on.

Tammy Shrank's home away from home is the Aloma Cinema Grill in Winter Park.

"Our regular customers have said, 'I'm so glad you're open, we're so excited to come back to the movies,'" said Shrank, who is the general manager of the theater.

The theater reopened in June at 50 percent capacity with new coronavirus safety precautions like extra cleaning.

"We have tables that have signs on that say 'closed,' you cannot sit at them," Shrank said.

She said it was a slow start, but now movie-lovers are trickling back and theater still able to play new movies.

"Since we only have three screens, it's easier for us to obtain movies, and because of the fact we do sell food, it's easier for people to come here and have a meal and watch a movie," Shrank said.

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University of Central Florida Associate Film Professor Dr. Gary Rhodes said some 2020 films are postponed to next year. 

"There are companies like AMC, like Regal, that are experiencing enormous financial strains," Rhodes said. "We may see one of the five big movie theater chains go out of business, certainly into bankruptcy."

Rhodes has a book called, The Perils of Moviegoing in America, which looks at how previous pandemics like the Spanish flu of 1918 impacted the industry. He also looks at other illnesses like scarlet fever.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the Spanish flu the most severe pandemic in recent history with 500 million people or one-third of the world's population becoming infected with the virus. In the United States, 675,000 people died, with at least 50 million deaths worldwide.

Even a century later and with more modern film technology, Rhodes sees similarities to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Theaters had to shut down, some tried to reopen, some didn't want to shutdown, a few opened surreptitiously and there were fines," Rhodes said.

The industry bounced back from that pandemic, and Rhodes thinks it will again.

Shrank said she'll stay open unless they're mandated to close again.

"We're here to work and serve our customers, and we're happy to be here to do that for them," she said.

Rhodes said some films this year are also moving to streaming services like Netflix.

Regal has not shared when they plan to reopen, but said they're monitoring the situation closely.