Coronavirus: Vue boss hopeful that UK cinemas will reopen by mid-July

Cinema chain head is in discussions with officials over implementing new social distancing practices

The head of Vue cinemas, one of the UK’s biggest cinema chains, has said he is hopeful that cinemas will reopen in mid-July.

Cinemas across the UK have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic, with several high-profile films suffering delays as a result, including Disney’s live-action Mulan and the new James Bond film No Time to Die.

Tim Richards, Vue’s chief executive, told the BBC that he was discussing social distancing measures with UK authorities.

“We can control how many people come into our cinemas,” he said.

Warner Bros recently announced they were postponing the releases of several of their biggest projects, with the except of the Christopher Nolan-directed Tenet, which is still scheduled to come out on 17 July. This is apparently in accordance with the wishes of the director, rather than the studio.

In order for cinemas to reopen, the government would need to officially relax the current lockdown measures. Boris Johnson is expected to provide an update this Sunday on the plans to ease restrictions.

“We are seeing our markets in Europe opening before ours,” said Richards. “We are trying to work with the government to demonstrate we are not like sporting fixtures and pop concerts.”

“We can control how many people come into our cinemas at any one time – we have the ability to control the exit and entrance.”