Bosses at Cineworld Cinemas have issued an update to Unlimited customers following the news they will temporarily close branches across the UK later this week.
On Monday (October 5), Cineworld said up to 45,000 employees would be affected worldwide as it confirmed plans to temporarily close its cinemas in the UK and the US.
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The company, which also owns Picturehouse cinemas, said it would shut 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse sites, confirming initial reports over the weekend.
What have Cineworld said?
In a statement to customers on Monday, October 5, Cineworld said: "We can confirm that all Cineworld cinemas across the UK and Ireland will be temporarily closed from Friday (October 9) until further notice.
"This is not a decision we made lightly. We did everything in our power to support safe and sustainable re-openings of our cinemas and we are so very grateful for our employees who implemented the new protocols, which resulted in lots of positive feedback from customers who visited our cinemas and felt safe.
"We were very proud of the fact that cinemas were open for 2 months and there was not one COVID case resulting from visiting the cinema. We cannot underscore enough how difficult this decision was.
"As we have done to date, we will do everything we can to save livelihoods and the company – this is an extremely delicate and tricky balance.
"We continue to work with the Cinema Association, to ensure we are lobbying the government to support our employees and the industry which has so much cultural significance.
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"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will communicate any future plans to resume operations once film studios are able to bring their pipeline of major movie releases back to the big screen.
"We can assure you that once a line-up of movie releases is confirmed, we will be ready to re-open our cinemas, as we did in July, with the same safety levels you have already seen while at the same time keeping the great experience that you are used to getting from us.
"A big thank you goes to you, our movie-loving customers; your health and wellbeing has always been our priority during this difficult time and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as possible to enjoy a full slate of films.
"You will be able to get updates on the status of our cinemas via email, if you are a My Cineworld or Unlimited member, the Cineworld mobile app and online at cineworld.com.
"If you do not already have a My Cineworld Account and would like to receive email updated, you are able to create a free My Cineworld account in one step here until Friday when the service will be temporarily disabled.
"We sincerely wish good health for you and your families during these uncertain times."
What will happen to those with an Unlimited Card?
The company have quickly moved to address concerns from movie-lovers as to what will happen to Unlimited members.
In a statement, Cineworld said: "As per the last time we closed temporarily, your membership will continue in line with the Unlimited membership terms.
"If you pay for your Unlimited membership monthly, please be assured that we’ll not be taking any Unlimited payments during the closure.
"Some payments may still be taken in the next few days for direct debit requests which have been already issued.
"You will not lose any prepaid time as we will credit you and reduce your first monthly fee(s) when we re-open accordingly.
"If you prefer, we will be happy to refund in full payments taken in October, provided that you have no used your Unlimited card this month.
"If you wish to have you October payment refunded, you can give us a call on 0333 003 3444 or get in contact via email on customer.services@cineworld.co.uk."
Alternatively, for those who have paid the membership annually up front, Cineworld said it would extended by the period of closure with no further charge.
"You will be able to continue enjoying your membership for that extended period once our cinemas are open again," the company added.
Cineworld have also revealed what will happen to red card holders during the closure period.
"Memberships will continue while we are closed, so if you are currently a red card holder and your anniversary comes during the closure period, you will be upgraded to black card during the closure so your Premium Membership will be ready to use as soon as we re-open."
Cineworld have also addressed the October offers (free cinema snacks and free IMAX upgrade), which were sent to loyal customers last week.
"We are still open until end of close on Thursday (October 8), so you have a few more days to redeem your free regular popcorn, free regular nachos, and the free IMAX uplift.
"If you don’t get a chance to redeem your freebies by then, don’t worry. We will extend the offers by three weeks from our re-opening date for all active members with a Direct Debit set up."
Here is a list of all Cineworld and Picturehouse locations in the UK:
Cineworld closures
- Aberdeen – Queens Links
- Aberdeen – Union Square
- Aldershot
- Ashford
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Basildon
- Bedford
- Birmingham – Broad Street
- Birmingham – NEC
- Boldon, Tyne and Wear
- Bolton
- Bracknell
- Bradford
- Braintree
- Brighton
- Bristol*
- Broughton
- Burton upon Trent
- Bury St Edmunds
- Cardiff
- Castleford
- Cheltenham
- Chesterfield
- Chichester
- Crawley
- Dalton Park
- Didcot
- Didsbury
- Dover
- Dundee
- Eastbourne – The Beacon
- Edinburgh
- Ely
- Falkirk
- Glasgow – IMAX at GSC
- Glasgow – Parkhead
- Glasgow – Renfrew Street
- Glasgow – Silverburn
- Gloucester Quays
- Harlow – Harvey Centre
- Harlow – Queensgate
- Haverhill
- Hemel Hempstead
- High Wycombe
- Hinckley
- Hull
- Huntingdon
- Ipswich
- Jersey
- Leeds – White Rose
- Leigh
- Llandudno
- London – Bexleyheath
- London – Enfield
- London – Feltham
- London – Fulham Road
- London – Ilford
- London – Leicester Square
- London – South Ruislip
- London – The O2 Greenwich
- London – Wandsworth
- London – Wembley
- London – West India Quay
- London – Wood Green
- Loughborough
- Luton
- Middlesbrough
- Milton Keynes
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Newport – Isle of Wight
- Newport (Wales) – Friars Walk
- Newport (Wales) – Spytty Park
- Northampton
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Poole
- Rochester
- Rugby
- Runcorn
- Rushden Lakes
- Sheffield
- Shrewsbury
- Solihull
- Speke
- Stevenage
- St Helens
- St Neots
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Swindon – Regent Circus
- Swindon – Shaw Ridge
- Telford
- Wakefield
- Warrington
- Watford
- Weston-super-Mare
- Weymouth
- Whiteley
- Witney
- Wolverhampton
- Yate
- Yeovil
- York
*Cineworld in Bristol had not reopened after the first shutdown
Picturehouse closures
- Ashford
- Bath – Little Theatre Cinema
- Brighton – Duke of York’s
- Brighton – Duke’s At Komedia
- Cambridge – Arts
- Edinburgh – Cameo
- Exeter
- Henley-On-Thames – Regal
- Liverpool – Fact
- London – Bromley
- London – Clapham
- London – Crouch End
- London – East Dulwich
- London – Finsbury Park
- London – Fulham Road
- London – Greenwich
- London – Hackney
- London – Picturehouse Central
- London – Ritzy
- London – Stratford
- London – The Gate
- London – West Norwood
- Norwich – Cinema City
- Oxford – Phoenix
- Southampton – Harbour Lights
- York – City Screen
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