U.K.’s Largest Cinema Chain Odeon to Reopen From July 4

Manori Ravindran
·5 min read

Click here to read the full article.

The U.K.’s largest cinema chain will be first out the gate when movie theaters are allowed to reopen on July 4.

The AMC Theatres-owned business has said it will open 10 of its cinemas in England on July 4 itself with “comprehensive” new measures in place to ensure audience safety. Other major chains such as Vue and Cineworld will begin reopening only from July 10.

More from Variety

A further 88 U.K. cinemas — including most of the major London Odeon branches — will reopen by July 16.

The cinema operator has drawn up a number of safety measures, including limited tickets for each show and a guarantee of unoccupied seats, while still allowing families and social bubbles to sit together; staggered show starts to reduce queueing; newly serviced air conditioning; frequent cleaning routines on all high contact areas; sanitizer stations offering complimentary sanitizing gels and wipes; and teams trained on safety and hygiene measures, equipped with PPE, including masks and gloves.

It appears Odeon audiences are not yet required to wear masks. In the U.K., masks are only mandatory on public transit and in hospitals, but the requirement is quickly becoming a point of contention, with Cineworld staff petitioning management earlier this week to make face coverings a necessity among audiences, in addition to staff.

An Odeon spokesperson told Variety that the business is awaiting “detailed government guidelines” for the cinema industry, and what they require of mask-wearing inside movie theaters. While these measures are expected Thursday, it is believed that guidance on face coverings for audiences won’t form part of the initial guidelines.

Odeon audiences can begin booking tickets from Thursday. Films that will be screened upon reopening include Oscar winner “1917,” a 4K remastering of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,” news of which was first revealed by Variety, “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Little Women” and “Bad Boys for Life.” Later in July, the chain has lined up new releases “Mulan,” “Tenet,” “Dreambuilders” and “Unhinged.”

Odeon branches in Trafford Centre, Birmingham Broadway Plaza and Epsom will be among the first 10 cinemas to reopen, while cinemas in Liverpool, Kingston and Leicester Square will open on July 16.

Carol Welch, managing director for the U.K. and IRE, said: “We’ve carefully planned every step of our guest journey and put safety measures in place that will enable our highly trained colleagues to provide a controlled and safer cinema experience for all our guests.

“New measures include social distancing in our auditoriums and foyers, additional cleaning regimes, and a request to book tickets online prior to arrival. We would like to thank our colleagues and guests for their patience during this period, and we can’t wait to welcome guests back to big screen entertainment and a safer cinema experience.”

Reopening dates:

Saturday, July 4 (tickets on sale from June 25)
1. ODEON Trafford Centre
2. ODEON Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza
3. ODEON Luxe Epsom
4. ODEON Norwich
5. ODEON Milton Keynes Stadium
6. ODEON Bournemouth BH2
7. ODEON Luxe Lee Valley
8. ODEON Luxe Warrington
9. ODEON Port Solent
10. ODEON Luxe Durham

Friday, July 10 (tickets on sale from June 25)
1. ODEON Liverpool ONE
2. ODEON Metrocentre
3. ODEON Silverlink
4. ODEON Guildford
5. ODEON Luxe Liverpool Switch Island
6. ODEON Chatham
7. ODEON Luxe Telford
8. ODEON Luxe Tamworth
9. ODEON Luxe Maidenhead
10. ODEON Luxe Derby
11. ODEON Luxe Leicester
12. ODEON Mansfield
13. ODEON Luxe Hull
14. ODEON Tunbridge Wells
15. ODEON Luxe Bromborough
16. ODEON Beckenham
17. ODEON Luxe Stafford

Monday, July 13 (tickets on sale from June 25)
1. ODEON Luxe Aylesbury
2. ODEON Brighton
3. ODEON Colchester
4. ODEON Hatfield
5. ODEON Coventry
6. ODEON Kettering
7. ODEON Kingston
8. ODEON Luxe Leeds Thorpe
9. ODEON Luxe Leeds-Bradford
10. ODEON Luxe Leicester Square
11. ODEON Lincoln
12. ODEON Luxe Nuneaton
13. ODEON Trowbridge
14. ODEON Rochdale
15. ODEON Chelmsford
16. ODEON Surrey Quays
17. ODEON Taunton
18. ODEON Birmingham New Street
19. ODEON Blackpool
20. ODEON Camden
21. ODEON Northwich Baron Quays
22. ODEON West Brom
23. ODEON Greenwich
24. ODEON Hereford
25. ODEON Huddersfield
26. ODEON Orpington
27. ODEON Salisbury
28. ODEON Covent Garden
29. ODEON Uxbridge
30. ODEON Wimbledon
31. ODEON Oxford George Street

Wednesday, July 15 (tickets on sale from June 25)
1. ODEON Luxe Glasgow Quay
2. ODEON Dunfermline
3. ODEON Luxe Dundee
4. ODEON Luxe East Kilbride
5. ODEON Braehead
6. ODEON Edinburgh Fort Kinnaird
7. ODEON Luxe Edinburgh West
8. ODEON Kilmarnock

Thursday, July 16 (tickets on sale from June 25)
1. ODEON Luxe & Dine Islington
2. ODEON Oldham
3. ODEON Oxford Magdalen Street
4. ODEON Preston
5. ODEON Richmond
6. ODEON Southampton
7. ODEON Stoke
8. ODEON Streatham
9. ODEON Luxe Swiss Cottage
10. ODEON Bath
11. ODEON Dudley
12. ODEON Worcester
13. ODEON Southend
14. ODEON Great Northern
15. ODEON Andover
16. ODEON Banbury
17. ODEON Basingstoke
18. ODEON Bristol
19. ODEON Tottenham Court Road
20. ODEON Luxe Darlington
21. ODEON Dorchester
22. ODEON Exeter
23. ODEON Harrogate
24. ODEON Hastings
25. ODEON Loughborough
26. ODEON Newark
27. ODEON Crewe
28. ODEON Luxe Putney
29. ODEON Luxe Sheffield
30. ODEON South Woodford
31. ODEON Swadlincote
32. ODEON Luxe Haymarket

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.