U.K. Exhibitor Vue to Partially Close Quarter of Cinemas

Tom Grater International Film ReporterAsger Flygare, CEO of Scandinavian exhibitor Nordisk Film Cinemas, has penned an impassioned letter calling for the industry to support theaters by releasing fresh product, claiming the demand is there from audiences.Flygare pointed to the green shoots of recovery emerging from the Danish film industry, using the example of Thomas Vinterberg’s Mads Mikkelsen-starring pic Druk (English title Another Round), which was released locally on September 24.The film

LONDON -- Books about a Haitian revolutionary, The Beatles and the brain are finalists for Britain’s leading nonfiction literary award.Contenders announced Thursday for the 50,000-pound ($65,000) Baillie Gifford Prize include Sudhir Hazareesingh’s “Black Spartacus,” a biography of Toussaint Louverture, who led a slave uprising that sparked Haitian independence in the 18th century; Craig Brown’s “One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time” and Matthew Cobb’s “The Idea of the Brain."Also on the

A new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches will skip cinemas and go straight to on demand services, it has been announced.

Boris Johnson with a plea to “save cinemas to avert job losses and a cultural blackout”.Last week, it was confirmed that the cinema chain would temporarily suspend its operations in the US and UK amid the COVID-19 pandemic, putting thousands of jobs – including 5,500 in Britain – at risk.Cineworld’s CEO Mooky Greidinger has written to Johnson urging him to reinstate the furlough scheme that benefitted the company’s employees during the previous closure earlier this year.The UK government is

Tom Grater International Film ReporterVue has become the latest major UK exhibitor to announce it is making changes to its operating hours in response to ongoing COVID-related challenges.The chain will begin closing 21 of its 87 sites on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

coronavirus continues to hit the film industry.21 of the chain’s 87 cinemas across the country will now open from Friday to Monday only in an attempt to reduce costs incurred by delays to high-profile films.Vue are the latest UK cinema chain to announce drastic changes to its operations.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorWith Cineworld and Picturehouse cinemas temporarily closed in the UK from this past Friday, Cineworld Group CEO Mooky Greidinger has written to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking the government to reinstate the furlough program that benefited employees under the exhibition giant’s previous COVID-imposed closure, while also suggesting other measures to aid the industry.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorBonjour, and congratulations on making it to Friday. As usual, International Insider is here to bookend your week with some must-reads and analysis from recent days.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorEXCLUSIVE: Vue International CEO and founder Tim Richards wants to avoid “the nuclear option” of temporarily closing his cinemas in the UK and other overseas markets amid recent shifts to the landscape.

decided to temporarily close 536 Regal cinemas in the US and 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse venues in the UK. The chain cited the delay of the new James Bond flick for its decision, as the majority of blockbusters slated for 2020 have been pushed into next year. There are 500 fewer theaters open in the US since the pandemic began, as movie houses in major markets like New York and Los Angeles remain closed.

Cineworld will be closing all of its screens from Thursday (October 8) across the UK and the US indefinitely, in light of a number of delayed titles including the new James Bond film No Time To Die.“We were delighted to start reopening our cinemas back in July, and are committed to keeping them open,” Showcase Cinemas UK General Manager Mark Barlow said in a statement.

Following the confirmation that Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld will be temporarily closing its theaters across both the U.S. and U.K., fellow British exhibition giant Odeon is making similar moves.

Cineworld will be closing all its UK and US venues.The chain confirmed earlier today (October 5) that it would “temporarily” shut its cinemas, putting 45,000 jobs at risk – including 5,500 in the UK – amid the coronavirus pandemic.Reacting to the news, Johnson told the press (via Metro): “Obviously we hope to reduce, to keep the numbers of people who lose their jobs down as much as we can, but clearly there are going to be tough times ahead.“That’s why we’ve already invested £190billion in

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorEXCLUSIVE: Cineworld Group, the world’s second biggest exhibition chain, today announced plans to temporarily close its Regal movie theaters in the U.S. and its Cineworld and Picturehouse sites in the UK as coronavirus wreaks havoc with the industry.

coronavirus pandemic.

with the company tweeting yesterday (October 4) that “a final decision has not yet been reached” on whether to continue operating.In an announcement to the City this morning (October 5), Cineworld confirmed that it had now decided to temporarily suspend its operations — putting 45,000 jobs, including 5,500 in the UK, at risk.“Cineworld confirms that it will be temporarily suspending operations at all of its 536 Regal theatres in the US and its 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse theatres in the UK

cinemas in the UK and US, bosses confirmed. It comes after a number of huge blockbuster release dates were delayed, in a bid to secure bigger audiences.

according to the Sunday Times.It is believed that the company plans to reopen its cinemas next year but 5,500 staff will be asked to accept redundancy, with the possibility of rejoining when locations can open again.The decision is thought to have been at least partially driven by the delay in the latest 007 blockbuster, which was set to be released this spring but will now not be hitting the screens until April 2021.Bosses at Cineworld are expected to write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and