Film fans in Swanage will have to look elsewhere to catch the latest releases as the town loses one of its nearest multiplexes with the closure of Poole’s Cineworld.
The cinema chain has announced that it will be temporarily closing all of its venues as of Thursday 8th October 2020.
Risks more than 5,000 jobs in the UK
The move to close the Cineworld cinemas – which risks more than 5,000 jobs in the UK – has come at a time when many big cinema releases such as the new James Bond film No Time To Die have been pushed back due to the pandemic.
Cineworld cinemas have venues in Poole and Weymouth – the two cinemas from the chain that are the closest to Swanage.
The Mowlem has just reopened
This sad news for the entertainment industry comes as Swanage’s independent theatre reopened last Friday 2nd October 2020.
The Mowlem is taking bookings for several films and shows including Little Women, 42nd Street and Mamma Mia.
However, the Rex Cinema in Wareham, another independent cinema, has remained closed since the start of lockdown.
Elsewhere, Odeon cinemas – one of the UK’s other largest chains – operates in Dorchester and Bournemouth. Their cinemas are still open at time of writing, where viewers can catch big releases such as Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
The Plaza cinema in Dorchester also remains open as of Monday 5th October.
The Mowlem successfully reopened last Friday 2nd October 2020
Cineworld will “monitor the situation”
Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld, said:
“We did everything in our power to support safe and sustainable reopenings in all of our markets.
“Cineworld will continue to monitor the situation closely and will communicate any future plans to resume operations in these markets at the appropriate time, when key markets have more concrete guidance on their reopening status and, in turn, studios are able to bring their pipeline of major releases back to the big screen.”
It is unknown when they will reopen.
Coronavirus restrictions
Anyone who visits a cinema must adhere to any guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus. These can include wearing masks in venues and maintaining social distancing.
