Cineworld, Odeon, Vue and Picturehouse give update on future of their cinemas

The details come days after the entertainment sector was dealt with a major blow following the decision by producers of the next James Bond film 'No Time To Die' to delay its release from November 2020 until April 2021 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

We've put together the latest details from cinema chains on their plans for the future.

What have Cineworld and Picturehouse said?

Cineworld announced on Monday (October 5) that it will temporarily close all of its 101 sites across the country, and Cineworld-owned Picturehouse will shut 26, from Thursday, October 8.

Here is a list of all Cineworld and Picturehouse locations in the UK.

Cineworld

• Aberdeen – Queens Links
• Aberdeen – Union Square
• Aldershot
• Ashford
• Ashton-under-Lyne
• Basildon
• Bedford
• Birmingham – Broad Street
• Birmingham – NEC
• Boldon, Tyne and Wear
• Bolton
• Bracknell
• Bradford
• Braintree
• Brighton
• Bristol*
• Broughton
• Burton upon Trent
• Bury St Edmunds
• Cardiff
• Castleford
• Cheltenham
• Chesterfield
• Chichester
• Crawley
• Dalton Park
• Didcot
• Didsbury
• Dover
• Dundee
• Eastbourne – The Beacon
• Edinburgh
• Ely
• Falkirk
• Glasgow – IMAX at GSC
• Glasgow – Parkhead
• Glasgow – Renfrew Street
• Glasgow – Silverburn
• Gloucester Quays
• Harlow – Harvey Centre
• Harlow – Queensgate
• Haverhill
• Hemel Hempstead
• High Wycombe
• Hinckley
• Hull
• Huntingdon
• Ipswich
• Jersey
• Leeds – White Rose
• Leigh
• Llandudno
• London – Bexleyheath
• London – Enfield
• London – Feltham
• London – Fulham Road
• London – Ilford
• London – Leicester Square
• London – South Ruislip
• London – The O2 Greenwich
• London – Wandsworth
• London – Wembley
• London – West India Quay
• London – Wood Green
• Loughborough
• Luton
• Middlesbrough
• Milton Keynes
• Newcastle upon Tyne
• Newport – Isle of Wight
• Newport (Wales) – Friars Walk
• Newport (Wales) – Spytty Park
• Northampton
• Nottingham
• Plymouth
• Poole
• Rochester
• Rugby
• Runcorn
• Rushden Lakes
• Sheffield
• Shrewsbury
• Solihull
• Speke
• Stevenage
• St Helens
• St Neots
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Swindon – Regent Circus
• Swindon – Shaw Ridge
• Telford
• Wakefield
• Warrington
• Watford
• Weston-super-Mare
• Weymouth
• Whiteley
• Witney
• Wolverhampton
• Yate
• Yeovil
• York

*Cineworld in Bristol had not reopened after the first shutdown

Picturehouse

• Ashford
• Bath – Little Theatre Cinema
• Brighton – Duke of York’s
• Brighton – Duke’s At Komedia
• Cambridge – Arts
• Edinburgh – Cameo
• Exeter
• Henley-On-Thames – Regal
• Liverpool – Fact
• London – Bromley
• London – Clapham
• London – Crouch End
• London – East Dulwich
• London – Finsbury Park
• London – Fulham Road
• London – Greenwich
• London – Hackney
• London – Picturehouse Central
• London – Ritzy
• London – Stratford
• London – The Gate
• London – West Norwood
• Norwich – Cinema City
• Oxford – Phoenix
• Southampton – Harbour Lights
• York – City Screen

What have Vue cinemas said?

The chief executive of Vue Cinemas said the company will try to avoid lay-offs but is being forced to look at all options.

Tim Richards said cinema chains were dealt a “body blow” by the delay of the next James Bond film, No Time To Die, until April next year.

“We are struggling, we’re absolutely struggling, we came into this after a record-breaking year, both as an industry and as a company … we were well placed to ride this through, but this was unexpected,” he told Sky News on Monday.

He said that while studios are under pressure, they are taking decisions by focusing on the US, rather than cinemas in Europe and Asia.

“Everybody is struggling,” he said. “My one frustration is I think the studios are guilty of being a little bit US-centric and seeing what’s happening in New York and LA, and not really looking globally.”

Asked if Vue would shut any sites, he said: “We’re being forced right now to look at options.”

Earlier on Monday, Mr Richards told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’re good to go. Our customers right now … there’s a pent-up demand like we’ve never seen before to go out and enjoy a safe environment socially with others.

“Our problem right now is we have no movies. This was a big blow for us. We’re likely going to make it through; I’m concerned about the independents and the small regional operators right now that are going to really struggle, and when they close they may not reopen.

“We’ve tried to retain all of our jobs for the 5,500 employees we have in the UK and that’s still our goal. We’re going to try and find a way through this. This was an industry that was not broken.

“We came into this as a very strong industry; we just need to make it through the next three or four months where there are no movies.”

What have Odeon said?

Odeon have confirmed that about 30 of its 120 cinema sites will shut during the week between Monday to Thursday after audience figures have been slow to recover following the pandemic.

At the time of writing, Odeon have not yet confirmed which sites would be closed during the week.

The AMC-owned cinema chain emailed loyalty customers last week to notify them that some theatres will operate on a weekend-only model for the time being.

According to the PA news agency, it is understood the announcement was made prior to MGM and Universal’s decision to delay the latest James Bond movie from November to April 2021.