Vue cinemas delay reopening by three weeks to July 31

Vue has become the latest cinema chain to push their reopening back three weeks to July 31.

It comes after the government gave cinemas the green light to open from July 4, with lockdown restrictions beginning to ease across the country.

However, Vue has announced plans to wait until the end of the month following delays to major new releases like Tenet and Mulan.

Cineworld recently announced that it plans to wait until the end of July citing the same reasons.

A Vue spokesperson released a statement saying: “Having taken comprehensive steps to safeguard our staff and customers, Vue is ready to welcome back customers to its UK cinemas to enjoy the escapism of the big screen experience.

"We know from successfully re-opening cinemas across Europe – including some 70 sites in Germany, Denmark, Holland, Lithuania, Poland and Italy – that audiences after lockdown are itching to enjoy the big screen experience again, with the added reassurance of rigorous new operating protocols and appropriate physical distancing."

They added: “We also want to offer a great choice of content for the big screen experience and, despite having many classic films and recent releases lined up to whet the appetite of cinema audiences this summer, the worldwide rescheduling of the release dates of Mulan and Tenet has prompted us to review our opening dates.

It means that Odeon, Everyman and Showcase are the major chains in the UK planning to go ahead with reopening this weekend, with Genesis in Whitechapel the only independent cinema opening its doors to the public in London.

Cinemas across the country will adapt social distancing practices when they reopen, including operating online booking systems, possible one-way queueing systems and running films at staggered times to avoid crowding.

Read more

A full list of chain and independent cinemas reopening across London