Giant movie chain might shut in U.S.

One of the largest movie theater conglomerates in the world may temporarily shut down its cinemas in the U.S. and U.K. as moviegoers continue to stay home due to coronavirus fears.

Cineworld said Sunday was considering closing its theaters down indefinitely in the coming weeks, which would put up to 5,500 people out of work. The company owns more than 5000 RRegall CiCinema theaters stateside, behind just AMC, and about 150 in the United Kingdom.

“Although cinemas opened in July and have been able to deliver a safe and enjoyable experience, without major new titles then we understand we aren’t able to get as many people out of the home as we’d like,” head of the U.K. Cinema Association Phil Clapp told BBC Radio 5.

Movie theaters are struggling again after James Cameron’s “Tenet” failed to draw a significant audience.

The news comes just two days after the opening of the upcoming James Bond movie, “No Time to Die” (inset), was delayed from Nov. 20 to April 2 — the second time it’s been pushed back.

“We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing ‘ No Time To Die’ next year,” MGM said in a statement Friday.

Major 2020 releases including “Black Widow,” “In The Heights,” “West Side Story” and “Top Gun: Maverick” have all been delayed to next year, although “Wonder Woman: 1984,” “Soul” and “Dune” are still on this year’s calendar.

Other movies like “Mulan” and “Hamilton” have shifted to video on demand or streaming services and skipped theaters entirely.

Theaters in Los Angeles and New York, two of the biggest markets, still remain closed due to coronavirus shutdowns. it