Jobs at risk as Cineworld set to temporarily close all 128 sites across the UK including Ely

Ely Cineworld marked its first birthday after inviting film fans to celebrate an incredible first year. PHOTO: Jamie Gray (Image: Jamie Gray)

Closure of the six-screen cinema – the city’s first major cinema since the closure of the Rex Theatre – comes in the wake of the release date of the new Bond movie once more being postponed. Up to 30 people work at Cineworld Ely.

Cinema chain Cineworld is set to close all its UK sites in the coming weeks.

As first reported in The Sunday Times, bosses will write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to tell them that cinema has become “unviable” as studios keep putting back blockbuster releases.

The closure of its 128 sites across the country will put up to 5,500 jobs at risk.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, officially opened the new Cineworld in Ely PHOTO: Mike Rouse (Image: Archant)

In July, the Government promised a package of more than £1.5 billion to help the arts and culture industries forced to shut down earlier this year because of the pandemic.

Cineworld had reopened most of its cinemas in July when lockdown measures were eased across the country.

Daniel Craig’s final outing as spy James Bond will not hit big screens until next April, it was announced on Friday.

No Time To Die was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was first pushed back to November because of the pandemic.

A statement on the film’s official Twitter account said: “We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing NO TIME TO DIE next year.”