Vue and Odeon have confirmed plans to reopen some of their cinemas in line with the government's lockdown roadmap.
Vue's Printworks IMAX cinema is set to reopen on May 17 on the first day that indoor venues are expected to be able to welcome back customers.
A number of Odeon's larger sites will also reopen on this date - including their cinema at the Trafford Centre, in Oldham, and the site in Rochdale.
Vue has said they will be screening well-loved classics, a selection of theatre and sport screenings, along with a line-up of hotly anticipated new releases.
These include blockbusters such as Peter Rabbit 2, The Unholy, The Conjuring Part II, Sir Alex: Never Give In and Hey Duggee.
Event cinema such as the Champions League and Europa League Finals in partnership with BT Sport; as well as three years’ worth of new releases coming to the big screen within the next 18 months, such as the new James Bond film No Time to Die, Top Gun: Maverick, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Fast & Furious 9.
Over at Odeon, screenings are also listed as No Time To Die; Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway; and also the latest instalment of the long-running Fast & Furious franchise.
Rules will be in place at the venues to ensure social distancing, therefore screens will be running at a lower capacity.
Odeon bosses said empty seats will be implemented between groups of guests, with staggered start times to reduce queues in foyers.
Customers will also be encouraged to book tickets online and order pre-packaged food and drink, while cash payments will no longer be allowed.
Hand sanitiser and gels will be available throughout the cinemas and each screen will undergo more rigorous cleaning between shows, the company added.
Cinema-goers will also have to wear a face covering although they will be allowed to remove them to eat or drink snacks, and masks will not be needed when sat in Odeon’s Costa outlets.
The chain pointed out that recent research from MetrixLab suggests strong pent-up demand for cinema in the UK, with a recent survey showing 59 per cent of people say cinema is one of the activities they miss the most – the highest level during the entire pandemic.
