When are the cinemas reopening? Here you go!
7th July 2020
Little guide for the curious and impatient.
Guys– much like us – are probably awaiting the return of the cinemas with excitement and anticipation. This is precisely why we have done our research so not only we know for sure, but also are able to share it with you and keep you informed and up-to-date.
Date: 4th of July – the day that allowed cinemas countrywide (in England, not the entirety of the UK) to reopen falls on the American Independence Day. As the government relaxed its requirements to keep people two-meters apart, changing it to 1m+, it enabled the cinema chains to sell tickets, making part of their seats available to the audience without allowing them to sit next to each other.
Who: Odeon, UK’s biggest chain of cinemas, was the first to open on the 4th – with 10 locations, at first (Trafford Centre, Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza, Luxe Epson, Norwich, Milton Keynes Stadium, Bournemouth BH2, Luxe Lee Valley, Luxe Warrington, Port Solent and Luxe Durham).
Further 88 of them are set to open by July the 16th. With reopening starting on the 10th of this month – so keep your eyes open! Odeon puts emphasis on online-ticketing to limit human contact, as showtimes will be quite staggered to limit the queues and people will be kept one seat apart from one another. On top of that, you can get pre-packaged food and drinks and cash payments won’t be accepted – the staff, naturally, will wear protective gloves and masks and the cleaning measure will be increased.
Next up, Cineworld (and Picturehouse, which belongs to Cineworld) – set to initially open on July the 10th, now pushed to the 31st due to some of the biggest July releases, Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ and live-action ‘Mulan’ remake moved (again!) to August by Warner Bros. and Disney, respectively. Social distancing measures will be implemented the same way as in Odeon – with one exception! Families and friends will be allowed to sit together, only kept away from strangers (booking system’s been updated to suit this purpose). It is worth noting that on top of that, toilets will be fully-equipped with anti-bacterial soap and sanitizing stations.
Vue followed Cineworld’s example – instead of re-launching on the 10th, it will be open to customers on the 31st and ‘Mulan’ and ‘Tenet’ release dates being pushed back were cited as the main reason for further delay. All protocols followed by the in-house staff and enforced on visitors will be similar to those in Cineworld across 72 of Vue’s 91 locations (19 will remain closed for the time being).
Showcase opened on the fourth and plans to keep reopening more sites from the 10th, taking advantage of Cineworld and Vue waiting till the end of the month to draw more customers in. Safety measures don’t differ much from bigger chains – however, it has been announced that hand-sanitizing stations will be found all over the building at each location to fight the potential bacteria spread (well done!).
What’s on: Odeon’s screening Star Wars again – at the moment, Empire Strikes Back. Bloodshot – Vin Diesel’s superhero foray – is back as well after being pulled from theatres and made available as a VOD. Inception’s 10 year anniversary is building up hype for Tenet, with Christopher Nolan’s dream heist classic being shown again. Showcase also offers a 10-year-anniversary screening of Inception, as well as Interstellar, Just Mercy, Knives Out, Little Women, 1917, A Star is Born, Batman Begins, Bad Boys For Life, Bohemian Rhapsody, Dirty Dancing, to name a few. When can we expect new releases? Much like Mulan and Tenet – in August.
Other options: Drive-In Cinemas! In London, there’s a few. Luna Drive-In in Allianz Park might tempt you with Parasite. Drive-In Film Club ( check out below for details) has Toy Story, Black Panther and the timeless Do The Right Thing (which we are highly recommending – see our feature on Black Lives Matter films). The Drive In – Troubadour has Get Out, Grease, Dirty Dancing and 1917. Sunset Cinema offers The Great Gatsby, Mamma Mia! And Space Jam (hell yes to His Airness, Michael Jordan, with the Looney Tunes!)
Out of London? Luna Drive-In can be found in Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, Warwickshire, Herts. At The Drive In can be found in At The Drive In – Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. Last, but not least: The Star And Mouse Picture Show – found in Suffolk, Reading, Cambridge, West Yorkshire, Leicestershire – screens Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Some Like It Hot!
So yeah, you finally got options – and soon, there will be more. Stay tuned till then, but most of all – stay safe!
https://flipyourwig.net/2020/06/22/fancy-a-night-out-well-if-you-have-a-car-you-are-in-luck-drive-in-club/
https://flipyourwig.net/2020/06/15/great-shows-to-binge-watch-from-blackish-to-the-boondocks/
https://flipyourwig.net/2020/06/16/first-film-to-be-released-in-cinema-since-lockdown-is-tenet/
