Cinemas across the UK are temporarily closing down due to coronavirus

The UK’s three biggest cinema chains have announced that they will be closing their doors in co-operation with the country’s social distancing efforts.

The news comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised the public to avoid gatherings, while stopping short of ordering businesses themselves to close.

Here’s everything you need to know about the cinema closures.

Which cinemas are closing?

Most of the UK's movie theatres will soon be shut, with each of the major chains having now announced their temporary closure.

The country's biggest cinema chain, Cineworld, announced on Tuesday 17 March that their venues (more than 100 in total) will all be shutting their doors.

A statement from the company said, “We are committed to providing safe and healthy environments for our employees and guests and have therefore made the difficult decision to close our cinemas in UK and Ireland until further notice.”

Cineworld’s Irish cinemas will close on 17 March, with the rest of its UK venues shutting down the following day. As the business also owns the Picturehouse chain of boutique-style cinemas, these will all be closing as well.