Coronavirus: Odeon shuts all cinemas 'until further notice'
17 March 2020, 10:44
Odeon has shut all its cinemas until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The cinema giant said it has shut all its locations "following government guidelines."
In a statement, the chain said: "Following government guidelines Odeon cinemas are shut until further notice.
"If you have pre-booked tickets online, these will be refunded automatically.
"For any specific questions, please contact our Guest Services Centre. We look forward to welcoming you back soon."
The BFI Southbank is also shut, effective immediately.
In a statement, the cinema said: "It is with great regret that, due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, and following Government’s updated advice on 16 March, we have taken the decision to close BFI Southbank effective immediately, and all forthcoming events and screenings are now cancelled or postponed.
"Our priority is first and foremost the health of our staff and of our audiences and visitors to BFI Southbank.
"Our teams work incredibly hard on developing our programmes, and the decision to close the venue and cancel all events has not been taken lightly, particularly as the financial implications on us as a charity are considerable.
"Please be assured that all ticket holders for cancelled events have options on refunds and we will be contacting people in due course.
"However, by not requesting a refund you would be making an exceptionally generous and much appreciated charitable donation to the BFI during these unprecedented times.
"We will update regularly on the situation and look forward to welcoming you back to the BFI soon."
