Editing Cineworld (section)

=== Closure during the COVID-19 pandemic ===
{{See also|Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema}}
On 17 March 2020, Cineworld and all other cinema companies in the UK temporarily closed all their UK cinemas due to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 March 2020 |title=Coronavirus: Odeon, Vue and Cineworld shut UK cinemas |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51925490 |access-date=30 May 2020 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Some 800 staff at Cineworld Group PLC wrote to chief executive Moshe Greidinger requesting their jobs back after many were made redundant "with immediate effect". Employees with over three years of service were told they would be retained with 40% of their salary or average pay. The letter said the move would leave many of the affected unable to afford essentials such as housing and food.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 March 2020 |title=Protests at UK cinemas' treatment of staff after coronavirus shutdown |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/23/protests-at-cinema-chains-treatment-of-staff-coronavirus |access-date=25 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 March 2020 |title=Cineworld Staff Demand Jobs Back Following Covid-19 Layoffs |url=https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1584949148333580000/press-cineworld-staff-demand-jobs-back-following-covid-19-layoffs.aspx |access-date=25 March 2020 |website=Morning Star |archive-date=25 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325124241/https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1584949148333580000/press-cineworld-staff-demand-jobs-back-following-covid-19-layoffs.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> In late May 2020, Cineworld announced it planned to reopen all its UK cinemas in July.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sweney |first=Mark |date=28 May 2020 |title=Cineworld plans to reopen all UK cinemas in July |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/28/cineworld-plans-reopen-all-uk-cinemas-in-july |access-date=30 May 2020 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> On 14 August 2020, it announced a new reopening schedule, in which their Welsh cinemas would open on 14 August, whereas their Irish, Scottish and Jersey screens would open on 26 August. Their English cinemas had been open since 31 July.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cineworld are Reopening 31st July {{!}} Cineworld cinemas |url=https://www.cineworld.co.uk/static/en/uk/blog/cineworld-cinemas-reopening-safety-measures-coronavirus-covid-19 |access-date=18 August 2020 |website=www.cineworld.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

In May 2020, [[Alicja Kornasiewicz]] became chair, having been a non-executive director since May 2015.<ref name="Cineworld board" /> On 5 October 2020, Cineworld announced the indefinite re-closure of all owned cinemas in the UK, Ireland, and United States from 8 October, citing the delay of major tentpole Hollywood films due to the wider [[impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema]], and its continued inability to reopen cinemas in the key U.S. market of New York (which CEO [[Mooky Greidinger]] cited as having resulted in the delays). The decision followed the delay of the [[James Bond]] film ''[[No Time to Die]]'' from November 2020 to 2 April 2021. Greidinger said the delay was the "last straw" for Cineworld following a string of other film delays and cancellations.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|date=5 October 2020|title=Cineworld Boss Mooky Greidinger Says Decision To Close U.S. & UK Cinemas Was Spurred By NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's "Inflexibility"|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/cineworld-regal-cinema-closures-mooky-greidinger-interview-andrew-cuomo-covid-1234591216/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123200631/https://deadline.com/2020/10/cineworld-regal-cinema-closures-mooky-greidinger-interview-andrew-cuomo-covid-1234591216/|archive-date=23 November 2020|access-date=8 October 2020|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> Cineworld said that its decision would affect 45,000 workers, 5,500 of them in the UK, and 20,000 in the US.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|date=5 October 2020|title=Cineworld Boss Mooky Greidinger Says Decision To Close U.S. & UK Cinemas Was Spurred By NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's "Inflexibility"|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/cineworld-regal-cinema-closures-mooky-greidinger-interview-andrew-cuomo-covid-1234591216/|access-date=5 October 2020|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hancock |first=Alice |date=5 October 2020 |title=Cineworld shares plunge as chain shuts all UK and US screens |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/1545e213-3d92-47e0-ac1b-7d92d39c92b1 |access-date=5 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Cineworld to close all sites in UK and Ireland|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/cineworld-to-close-all-sites-in-uk-and-ireland-1.4371652|access-date=6 October 2020|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> Later that month, it hired [[FTI Consulting]], [[Houlihan Lokey]], and [[AlixPartners]] to help refinance the company's $8 billion debt.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cineworld screens AlixPartners for talks on $8bn debt pile|url=https://news.sky.com/story/cineworld-screens-alixpartners-for-talks-on-8bn-debt-pile-12111026|access-date=12 October 2021|website=Sky News|language=en}}</ref>

Greidinger said that Cineworld would reopen the cinemas once there was a "solid lineup of releases" ahead. He also said that its Central European operations would remain active on a case-by-case basis, as they have a stronger dependency on domestic productions than Hollywood productions.<ref name=":3" /> Cineworld cinemas reopened in May 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cineworld.co.uk/static/en/uk/blog/cineworld-re-opening-must-see-movies-big-screen|title=Cineworld re-opening: your must-see movies on the big screen|date=12 May 2021|access-date=14 January 2021}}</ref>