The government has confirmed that the earliest cinemas will be reopening in 2021 across England will be in May.
As promised, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been outlining his plan for the removal of lockdown restrictions in the UK. It’s, as had been widely teased in newspapers, a staggered removal of those restrictions. And as part and parcel of his announcement comes the news that the earliest cinemas can open in the UK will be on May 17th. They will have been closed for half a year by that point.
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Cinemas are listed in the third step of lockdown easing, and the announcement pins the opening of ‘indoor entertainment and attractions’ – cinemas very much include – to five weeks after the introduction of step two. On the current timescales, that’s a mid-May date, but also leaving the wiggle room to delay if needed.
The one exception is drive-in cinemas, which will be allowed to operate from April 12th.
Separate announcements are pending for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Expect the UK cinema release schedule to start taking shape again over the coming weeks…
