BOTH OF TOWN’S CINEMAS TO CLOSE

Cineworld and Picture house will stay shut until spring

Ashford is facing a double blow as its two cinemas close today (Thursday) - and won’t reopen until the spring.

Cineworld - which runs the Eureka Leisure Park site and owns the Picturehouse brand - announced on Monday it would temporarily shut all of its sites for six months as it has been hit by delays in the release of bigbudget films.

It comes as the new James Bond film, No Time To Die, has been delayed again and is now due for release in April next year.

Elwick Place’s Picturehouse is the anchor tenant for the £75m leisure complex scheme, while Eureka Park’s Cineworld is currently being extended to include IMAX and 4DX screens.

But now, with 5,500 jobs at risk as a result of the closures, there is concern for the long-term future of both sites.

Ashford MP Damian Green told the Kentish Express: “It’s a real blow - we were delighted when they added Picturehouse to the existing one at Eureka Park but it’s obviously an international problem and not just a national one as they are also closing their American sites.

“It’s a sign of how important it is to get past the current stage of Covid as soon as possible.

“If they are closed for only six months that’s one thing, but if they close permanently that will be a huge blow for the town.

“Their intention is obviously to reopen as it’s their business, but they know no better than anyone else how quickly we’ll get back to near-normal.

“They also don’t know when studios will release their big blockbusters.

“I don’t understand why they are waiting and waiting to release the new Bond film, because the longer they postpone the fewer cinemas there will be to even show it.”

Ashford Borough Council - which owns the Elwick Place complex - echoed these views, with a spokesman saying: “This

is very disappointing news although we recognise that this is a national commercial decision made by the company.

“We will be in discussions with them on how best we can support their business and those

staff affected by the announcement.

“We welcome their statement that the move is intended as a temporary closure and the council hopes to see them reopening again as soon as possible.”

The six-screen Picturehouse cinema at Elwick Place opened in December 2018 but will now stay shut until next year

Ashford’s empty Cineworld on the Eureka Leisure Park pictured during the Covid-19 lockdown