Cineworld swings to loss in H1
Cineworld, the world’s second-biggest cinema operator, warned yesterday that it might need to raise more money if movie theatres shut again from fresh pandemic curbs after it swung to a $1.64 billion firsthalf loss.
The Regal cinema owner, which counts United States as its largest market, said it was in talks with lenders to avoid an impending loan default, and flagged survival risks as studios delay major releases and people stay away from movie theatres.
“If governments were to strengthen restrictions on social gathering..., it would have a negative impact on our financial performance,” the British company said.
New curbs could be a major setback after Cineworld reopened 561 out of 778 sites, highlighted the strong performance of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, and said it was looking forward to other big releases.
“Two more big name films, West Side Story and Black Widow, have been pushed back to 2021,” AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould said. “There isn’t anything out now or coming very soon that will really make people want to take the risk of sitting in a room with a load of strangers.”
The world’s largest cinema chain AMC Entertainment and Universal Pictures have agreed the studio’s movies would be made available to US audiences at home after three weekends in cinemas.
Cineworld boss Mooky Greidinger, however, said his company would stick with the traditional script.
“Our policy regarding the theatrical window remains unchanged as an important part of our business model, and we will continue to only show movies that respect it,” he said in a statement.
A model agreed by AMC and Universal could easily be replicated across the industry, eToro analyst Adam Vettese said. “Cineworld will have to either go on a charm offensive with other studios or make sure this shift does not result in lost revenues.’’
The landscape could be further changed by a US ruling last month which allows movie studios to own cinemas.
Another challenge for Cineworld is its tussle with Canada’s Cineplex, suing the British group for damages after it scrapped a $1.65 billion takeover.
Cineworld has made a counter-claim against Cineplex.