Cineworld to close six more branches taking total to 11 – see full list and whether your local is affected

Cineworld today confirmed it will shut six more cinemas across Britain taking the total to 11 after the chain confirmed the completion of restructuring plans.

The six sites to close are located in Castleford in West Yorkshire; Leigh in Greater Manchester; Middlesbrough, Northampton and Poole and Weymouth in Dorset.

It comes after the organisation said in July that it planned on closing six sites – five of which were at Glasgow Parkhead, Bedford, Loughborough, Yate and Swindon Circus.

The other one was in Hinckley, Leicestershire, but this was saved in October when a deal was agreed with the council, which owns the building in which it is based.

The chain revealed the fresh closure plans today after formally completing a plan it launched in the summer to shore up its finances. The impact on jobs is unknown.

It comes amid a busy period for the film industry before Christmas, with a recent major releases including Wicked, Gladiator II, Paddington In Peru and Moana 2. 

Cineworld International president Javier Sotomayor said: ‘The successful completion of our restructuring plan, achieved with the crucial support of our landlords, protects thousands of jobs across the UK and provides us with the financial stability to continue investing in delivering extraordinary experiences for our valued customers.

‘This milestone sets the stage for a brighter future, enabling Cineworld to continue sharing joy in communities across the UK for many years to come.’

The company said its restructuring has meant it could ‘address unsustainable operating costs, achieving its key objectives with cost saving initiatives including the reduction of rents to market level at several UK sites, resulting in significant savings’.

Cineworld has been struggling since Covid as audiences have failed to return to previous levels

Cineworld also claimed to have ‘bolstered its financial position, gaining access to additional funding, including £40million in liquidity’, adding that it was set to ‘invest up to £35million in capital expenditures, focusing on the refurbishment and enhancement of existing cinemas’.

The move will leave Cineworld with 90 cinemas across the UK. 

The business, which is part of the world’s second-largest cinema chain, has been struggling since the pandemic as audiences have failed to return to previous levels.

Cineworld has therefore looked at shutting some cinemas as part of the restructuring plans in a move designed to return the business to profitability.

The company, which also owns Picturehouse, entered administration in July 2023 – struggling with debt estimated to be almost £4billion.

It had been trying to find a buyer for some or all of its sites but, after failing to do so, announced plans in July to close six sites it deemed ‘commercially unviable’.

At the time, PR representatives of the company denied media speculation that they had identified more sites for closure than the six listed.

They also said Cineworld had begun a consultation process with employees at the six affected sites and would offer redeployment to as many of them as possible at sites nearby.

In September, four companies which form part of Cineworld – Cine-UK Ltd, Cineworld Cinemas Ltd, Cineworld Cinema Properties Ltd and Cineworld Estates Ltd – had restructuring plans approved by a High Court judge.

The approval meant that £16million of new equity funding from the companies’ indirect parent firm was released to fund their immediate financial needs, with further funds of up to £35million also made available.

Cineworld entered administration in July 2023 – struggling with debt estimated at nearly £4bn

Cineworld at Glasgow Parkhead was among the sites for which closure was announced in July

Mr Justice Miles approved the restructuring, stating in a written judgment that ‘the court should exercise its discretion in favour of sanctioning the plans’.

The court in London previously heard that the four companies, which run 101 sites and employ 4,401 staff, form part of a wider group which operates cinemas in 10 countries, including the US under the Regal Cinemas brand.

But their barrister, Tom Smith KC, told the court that they are ‘presently unprofitable’ after being ‘severely adversely impacted’ by the Covid-19 pandemic and strikes by screen actors and writers last year.

Mr Smith said the US arm of the chain had provided the UK firms with around $65million (£51million) to allow it to keep trading up to the end of June this year, with rent costing £19million also paid for on the condition that the company would undergo a restructuring.

The barrister added that the US arm had also agreed to pay £16.7million in rent due for the three months up to the end of September as there was ‘no prospect of raising the money from anywhere else’.

Mr Justice Miles also dismissed a bid by the landlords of four sites, the Crown Estate and UK Commercial Property (UKCP), to get an injunction blocking the companies from renegotiating the leases of the sites.