Odeon to change quarter of cinemas to weekend only film showings following Cineworld closure
CINEMA chain Odeon has announced plans to run a weekend only schedule in around a quarter of its 120 branches.
It comes despite Boris Johnson today urging film fans to head to the cinema to prevent the big screens from going bust.
Odeon says about 30 of its sites will shut from Monday to Thursday after audience figures have been slow to recover following the pandemic.
The Prime Minister said: "I would say to people, local cinemas do now have ways of letting their shows go on in a Covid-secure way and I would encourage people to go out to the cinema, enjoy themselves and support those local businesses."
His admission came after rival chain Cineworld confirmed it was temporarily closing all 127 of its UK branches for a second time due to the coronavirus crisis.
Cineworld is also rolling out the temporary closures across its US cinemas putting 45,000 jobs across both countries on the line.
Odeon hasn't said when it expects to start running a fuller schedule again.
The AMC owned cinema chain adds that customers with its Limitless card were first notified about the shake-up last week, although it's unclear if they've been offered a partial or full refund or additional perks instead.
Limitless members usually pay £17.99 a month outside of London or £19.99 within central London to watch as many films as they like at Odeon.
You also get 10% off selected in-cinema food and drink, member previews, and other perks.
The coronavirus outbreak has caused several blockbuster movies to be pushed back, including the latest James Bond film No Time To Die.
But it is understood Odeon's announcement was made prior to MGM and Universal's decision to delay the latest James Bond movie from November 2020 to April 2021.
All UK cinemas were forced to temporarily close when lockdown began on March 17.
They were allowed to reopen from July 4 with Odeon reopening branches in phases from this date.
The Sun had a first look into the reopened Odeon, which have scrapped pick and mix stations and staggered film start times to minimise numbers in lobbies.