Cineworld could close all of its 128 UK and Ireland cinemas, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
The cinema chain is set to announce the decision, which would leave up to 5,500 people without a job, as early as tomorrow, according to The Sunday Times.
Bosses at Cineworld, which has 128 theatres in the UK and Ireland, will write to Boris Johnson and the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, pointing out that the movie theatre industry has become ‘unviable’ because of the decision by film studios to postpone big-budget releases.
The new Bond film No Time To Die has been delayed until April – it was due for release next month.
The cinema industry saw its profit drop when the UK was locked down in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Social distancing measures have been introduced, including such as one-way systems, perspex screens, contactless payment and no pick and mixes.
Cineworld has now raised doubts over its ability to survive a second dip.
