A Brighton cinema complex has closed until further notice in response to the government’s guidance on the response to the coronavirus.
But Cineworld, at Brighton Marina, the Duke of York’s, at Preston Circus, and Duke’s at Komedia, in Gardner Street, are staying open today and tonight.
From tomorrow (Wednesday 18 March) they will join the Odeon, in West Street, in an indefinite shutdown.
Yesterday the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues.”
The Odeon website said: “Following government guidelines, Odeon cinemas are closed until further notice.
“If you have pre-booked tickets online, these will be refunded automatically.
“For any specific questions, please contact our guest services centre.
“We look forward to welcoming you back soon.”
Last week Cineworld chief executive Mooky Greidinger said: “We are closely monitoring the evolution of covid-19 and, so far, we have seen minimal impact on our business.
“However, there can be no certainty on its future impact on our activities, hence we are taking measures to ensure that we are prepared for all possible eventualities.
“Should conditions relating to covid-19 continue or worsen, we have measures at our disposal to reduce the impact on our business.”
Today Mr Greidinger said: “At Cineworld and Picturehouse, we are committed to providing safe and healthy environments for our employees and guests and have therefore made the difficult decision to close our cinemas in UK and Ireland until further notice.
“We deeply value our cinema-loving customers and have no doubt we will be serving everyone again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters and the best of independent films and content.”
