UK cinemas set to reopen in early July as film industry gets back to normal

© Luis Quintero

It’s been a painful few months for UK cinemas and the film industry as whole, but today Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that cinemas could begin to reopen.

In a statement to the House of Commons today, the Prime Minister confirmed that cinemas as well as museums, galleries, arcades and theme parks could reopen starting from 4th July. Johnson also confirmed that the Business and Culture Secretaries would be setting up several taskforces along with the backing of health professionals to ensure that sectors reopening could be safe and minimise the risk of new infections.

With film productions now commencing and the UK economy slowly returning to normal, cinemas will be able to reopen to the public within days during the peak summer months. And following an extended lockdown period, there is optimism that UK cinemas can see strong demand for films over the summer period.

There will however be social distancing measures in place at screenings, with new seating arrangements and schedules to minimise contact.

Many UK cinemas have been facing severe financial difficulty since the lockdown began. Cineworld, one of the UK’s most recognised cinema chains recently secured more than £200 million in extra funding from private investors to secure its future, and will be filing its financial results this Friday, showing the full impact of the lockdown on demand and its overall revenue.

It’s not alone, and many independent theatres are also facing financial hardship with the film and arts sector as a whole needing government support for the coming months ahead.

Are you working in film production? How has the cinema shutdown affected you? Share your opinion with us: @filminetworkUK