Cineworld Dublin undergoes works as it plans June reopening

Cineworld Dublin has said it hopes to reopen its doors to customers next month following its successful return to business in the UK this week.

The facility is the biggest cinema in Ireland, with four floors and 17 screens. It is located on Parnell Street in Dublin city.

Cineworld is the world’s second-largest cinema chain and this week said that more than 97 per cent of its US cinemas have resumed operations, while most of its screens in the rest of the world were expected to reopen by the end of the month.

Measures

Its cinema in Dublin was forced to close in March 2020 when sweeping public health measures designed to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic were announced.

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There has been some confusion as to when cinemas will be allowed to reopen. It had seemed they would be allowed to reopen on June 7th, which is the next date when restrictions are set to be eased further. This was listed on the Government’s website, but that information was subsequently updated to remove cinemas from that list.

Currently, the Government website says: “A number of higher-risk activities will be considered at the end of June for later in the year including preparation for the safe reopening of cinemas and theatres in June subject to public health advice.”

In a statement to The Irish Times on Tuesday, Cineworld said it was pressing ahead with plans to reopen on that basis. “We hope to resume operations at Cineworld Dublin in June, in line with Government guidance,” said a spokeswoman. “During the closure our construction teams were busy refurbishing the site, updating a number of the screens as well as the main foyer.

Date

Last week, Irish cinemas again called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin for a reopening date, saying the industry, which employs 2,000 people, “is at breaking point” and that, to have “any chance of surviving and recovering”, it needs to know “without delay” when it can reopen.

Mark Anderson, a director of Omniplex Cinema Group, who has liaised with the Government on behalf of the sector, said cinemas had presented “more compelling evidence from global sources identifying cinema as a safe indoor activity”.

The pandemic has shattered the finances of Cineworld, which reported a $3 billion (€2.45bn) loss for 2020. Its owner, Regal, was forced to shut most of its nearly 800 theatres, temporarily leaving 45,000 people out of work. It suffered a pre-tax loss of $3.01 billion last year, its first ever loss as a listed company, compared to a profit of $212.3 million a year earlier.

The group said on Monday that its UK cinemas pulled in more people than expected during its opening weekend, helped by Sony Pictures’ animated adventure comedy Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.