RE: 42 cinemas to share £650,0009 Oct 2020 14:02
Forty-three cinemas will share £650,000 from a support fund aimed at helping the venues through the coronavirus pandemic.
The movie theatres are receiving the funding as part of the Government's previously announced £30m fund to help independent cinemas.
The first tranche of support has gone to venues across England in locations including Gloucester, London, Whitley Bay, Plymouth, Rochdale, Wakefield and Sheffield.
The grants come at a time of turmoil for the cinema sector, with a number of studios delaying the release of blockbuster films because of lower audiences during the coronavirus pandemic.
The second postponement of the new James Bond film No Time To Die this week saw Cineworld closing all of its UK cinemas, putting thousands of jobs at risk, while the Odeon chain said it would be closing a number of its sites during the week.
Mr Dowden said: "We all enjoyed the escapism of a good film during lockdown, but nothing beats the experience of the big screen.
"This first wave of emergency funding will help dozens of independent cinemas around the country, preserving their unique character and history for future generations."
He added that the public need to "play their part" in helping the sector.
JamJar Cinema in Whitley Bay is one of the venues to be given a grant.
Founder and chairman Dan Ellis said: “We know how important we are to the town, how much we matter to local residents, businesses, the night-time economy and the visitors to Whitley Bay.
“As a venue with a regional reach we’re doing everything we can to keep offering a diverse, eclectic and safe cinema-going experience. With support from the Cultural Recovery Fund it may not be our usual tagline “Cinema As It Should Be” but instead “Cinema As Safe As It Can Be”.