Cineworld To Temporarily Close

[Maurice Leakey]

Cineworld is set to temporarily close its UK cinemas in the coming weeks as they they say current conditions are "unviable".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54407213


Maurice

[Lee Mannering]

Have been following all our wonderful UK Cinema chains and Cineworld seemed to be trying to run as normal with many films to go see which of course they couldn't get away with in these special measures times.
The local Reel Cinema had it off pat with excellently trained staff, endless cleaning and much distancing. Regretfully Blackpool Odeon has reduced its programming to later afternoon so that's a bit impossible to run I would guess with such limited screening, seating and I guess we all feel for our loved movie houses.
As with all other businesses I wish them well.

[Brian Fretwell]

I had a look at my easiest to get to Odeon today. They had posters up for films but not the one showing times and no entry on the main door, which was actually open. In previous weeks they had a sign to enter via the gym doors. The HMV Curson had film times up but not ones I want to see.

[Lee Mannering]

Blackpool Odeon have moved a little forward in time with a film on a 3:30pm.
Super 8 filmed CW when the 35mm projectors were removed a few years ago for one of my little epics, a sad day indeed.

[Maurice Leakey]

The lunchtime news has reported that Cineworld confirm the temporary closure on Thursday 8 October of its 127 UK cinemas. Also affected will be their 536 Regal cinemas in the US.

The company employs 45,000 people world-wide, 6,000 of them in the UK. They will all lose their jobs, and hope that they will be re-employed when the cinema chain re-opens.




Maurice

[Maurice Leakey]

More bad news.
Odeon Cinemas in the UK will have a restricted opening of a quarter of their 120 cinemas. This is for a weekend period of Friday through to a Sunday.

https://www.theguardian.com/business...ds-coronavirus

Maurice

[Adrian Winchester]

I'm sorry to hear this and the Cineworld closures extend to Picturehouse, which it owns. Saw 'Tenet' in September at the smart quite new Bromley Picturehouse and everything there was very commendable.

As the second delay in releasing the new Bond film is being cited as a major factor, I personally wish they proceeded with a November release. I appreciate that audiences would probably have been lower in the current climate, but it would have received added publicity, and any current boost to the cinema industry would have meant that it's in a better state when normality returns.

[Brian Fretwell]

I have been thinking. It is many years since I went to see a Bond film at the cinema, but I always did when there were West End showings in 70mm.

[Lee Mannering]

Spoke to the Odeon lad I know. They may also be shutting altogether.

The thing is we have something like 500,000 films archived surely we could have a Bond festival fortnight or something? All seems very much accounting these days and zero innovation.

I don't want to belittle the situation but we do have two USA traders currently releasing new films on Super 8 to the market so what's up with the big industry boys coming up with ideas as well?

[Brian Fretwell]

I fear that, as with the actual film shows in multiplexes, the art of showmanship and promotion at the cinema level has gone for good.
Perhaps they should all be shown The Smallest Show on Earth to learn how to get people in (excluding the final part, of course).

[Maurice Leakey]

Agreed.
The days of showmanship have vanished. A welcoming auditoria, a single screen, attractive tabs, variable masking, no mobile phone interruptions, no talking, a double feature, continuous showing, queues around the block, a Compton organ interlude.
I spent 50 years showing real film. The happiest days of my life knowing that I was entertaining hundreds of people at each show.


Maurice

[Lee Mannering]

A top idea!

Been in many cinemas from Brighton to Glasgow but Blackpool Odeon wins for me. Excellent staff, good presentation and safe as it can be.

[Dave Groves]

This pandemic is giving the film industry one massive headache. Cineworld is £6.2 billion in the red. Odeon owner AMC is £4 billion in debt. The everyman chain has lost £12,000,000 this year. Vie is looking at closing it's cinemas-till things improve. All had put their hopes on James Bond, but he won't be coming to their rescue until 2021. After spending £800,000 on refurbishments, the owners have put the Everyman Cinema, Hampstead Heath up for sale. I fear many of the independents will never re-open, and as Disney has already discovered how lucrative streaming can be, I doubt that studio bosses will worry about that too much. Cinema won't disappear but it could struggle for an audience in some places. If and when this is all over some imaginative and enthusiastic thinking is going to be demanded to get bums back on seats. Can James Bond do it? Possibly!!