Advanced Television

Cineworld confirms reopening; Warner Bros deal

March 23, 2021

By Nik Roseveare

Cineworld, the world’s second-largest cinema chain, has announced it will reopen cinemas across the US in April, and UK cinemas will follow suit when lockdown restrictions are lifted in May.

Cineworld has also announced that it has struck an exclusivity deal with Warner Bros studio.

In the UK, Cineworld will have exclusive rights to Warner Bros titles for 31 days (which could potentially rise to 45 days for films that sell a certain number of tickets) before they are released in homes via PVoD. This will include titles such as Godzilla vs Kong, Dune, Mortal Kombat, Space Jam: A New Legacy and The Matrix 4.


A 45 day window will also be offered in US Cineworld’s Regal cinemas, although it won’t come into play until next year as Warner Bros has already announced that all of its 2021 movies will premiere on US streaming platform, HBO Max.

All 127 Cineworld cinemas in the UK have been shut for around sixth months. They were already strugging as a result of the pandemic, and the postponement of the latest James Bond movie forced its hand to shutter – although lockdown restrictions that were soon back in place would have sealed the same fate regardless.

Under current roadmap guidance, UK cinemas can reopen on May 17th.

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