Adam Aron, CEO and president of AMC, refused to be drawn into what he described as a 'politicized' debate over the necessity of face masks during an interview published yesterday.

The US President Donald Trump has claimed people who wear face masks to try to stop the spread of coronavirus only do it to show their disapproval of him.

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

Employees' use of face masks, however, will be mandated and customers will have the option of paying $1 for one.

AMC own more than 600 cinemas across the US, and hope to reopen 450 of them by July 15 in time for the debut of Disney's Mulan on July 24 and Warner Bros' Tenet on July 31.

Cinemas will be first opened at 30 per cent capacity before gradually increasing up to 100 per cent capacity by Thanksgiving, Mr Aron revealed.

And safety measures under discussion include plans to clean auditoriums between each showtime and allowing extra time between screenings for disinfection.