Cinema chains across the UK are to temporarily close their doors as the UK moves into lockdown in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Boutique operator Everyman said trading over recent days had been impacted by Covid-19 and the delay of major movie releases, and that in response to guidance provided by the UK government yesterday, it was closing its 35 venues to guests until further notice.
It said: “All appropriate measures have been put in place to reduce the impact on the group, including cost reduction and the postponement of new sites, refurbishments and other capital expenditure projects. The group has significant headroom in its loan facility and is in dialogue with its lenders on covenants to maintain liquidity through this period of uncertainty.”
Odeon, Cineworld and Picturehouse will also all be closing their doors to the public.
Odeon, which has 120 cinemas across the UK, said via Twitter: “In line with the latest government guidance on Covid-19, we are temporarily closing our cinemas. We will continue to monitor the situation and look forward to welcoming back guests as soon possible.”
Cineworld, which also owns the Picturehouse brand, said its 124 cinemas in the UK and Ireland would close from tomorrow (18 March).
Chief executive Mooky Greidinger said: “At Cineworld and Picturehouse we are committed to providing safe and healthy environments for our employees and guests, and have therefore made the difficult decision to close our cinemas in UK and Ireland until further notice. We deeply value our cinema-loving customers and have no doubt we will be serving everyone again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters and the best of independent films and content.”
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette
