British cinema chain Odeon will shut a quarter of its cinemas during the week as audiences fail to show up.
About 30 of the cinema’s 120 branches across the UK and Ireland will move to a weekend-only model from Friday with a lack of Hollywood blockbusters blamed for stripped-back film schedules.
The news comes after cinema giant Cineworld shut all of its cinemas in the UK and US, affecting about 45,000 workers, because the big screen had become "like a grocery shop without food".
UK work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey suggested Cineworld staff who lose their jobs should consider becoming care workers.
“In terms of the sort of help we can provide, it may be that people who are used to doing customer service, aspects of hospitality, we can actually draw out those skills and make them consider a role in social care,” she told LBC.
Odeon's decision came after the release of the next James Bond instalment No Time to Die - tipped to be the UK's highest-grossing film this year - was pushed back to April 2 next year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to return to cinemas, saying he would "encourage people to go out to the cinema, enjoy themselves and support" the industry.
Odeon blamed the lack of any new movies to show on the big screen for shutting its outlets during the week.
The company said: “We look forward to reopening full-time when the big blockbusters return.
"But in the meantime, we promise to bring you a great choice of big-screen films to enjoy at the weekends."
Vue is also reportedly considering the temporary closure of some of its venues.
Cineworld boss Mooky Greidinger said cinemagoers were simply staying away because there were no new releases and he felt like he had no choice but to close.
He said Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thriller Tenet was the only major release this year.
Fast & The Furious and Marvel's Black Widow have also been held back by Hollywood studios for release after coronavirus restrictions are loosened.
“We didn't have the goods,” Mr Greidinger told Sky News.
"After the Tenet release, which was really the most significant movie that was released at the end of August and early September, movies continued to move on schedule.
"[But there] was an issue in the US market because some markets there, mainly New York, did not open, the studios hesitated and kept on postponing the movies.”
He added: “We are like a grocery shop with no food. We had to take this decision”
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
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