This is when every ODEON cinema in Scotland will reopen - and what they'll look like inside

The UK’s largest cinema chain, ODEON, has announced when its theatres in Scotland will reopen.

The company was forced to close its outlets after the nationwide lockdown was imposed in March.

Now it says it will reopen its Scottish theatres on Wednesday, July 15, as part of a phased restart across the UK beginning on July 4.

The UK’s largest cinema chain, ODEON, has announced when its theatres in Scotland will reopen.

ODEON bosses say they worked with the UK Cinema Association and UK Government to introduce enhanced health and safety measures to each of their cinemas.

New rules

When each cinema reopens, customers will be able to book tickets online, and contactless ticket checks and till payments for food and drinks will reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

ODEON will also offer a range of pre-packaged food and drinks including a bottled drink, Butterkist popcorn, and a bag of sweets to improve speed of service.

Limited seats will be on sale for each screening to ensure social distancing between parties, and contactless transactions and ticket checks will be part of the additional health & safety measures.

There will be limited seats on sale for each show and guaranteed unoccupied seats between guests to meet social distancing requirements, while still allowing family groups and social bubbles to sit together.

Show start times will be staggered to reduce queues, with safe queuing measures in place such as floor markings and cinema host support.

Newly serviced air conditioning will deliver fresh air into all screens.

Staff will be trained in “enhanced cleaning”, and will be equipped with PPE, including face coverings and gloves.

Show start times will be staggered to reduce queues, with safe queuing measures in place such as floor markings and cinema host support.

Wednesday 15 July

Tickets will go on sale from 25 June for film screenings at these cinemas, which will open on July 15:

ODEON Luxe Glasgow Quay, ODEON Dunfermline, ODEON Luxe Dundee, ODEON Luxe East Kilbride, ODEON Braehead, ODEON Edinburgh Fort Kinnaird, ODEON Luxe Edinburgh West, and ODEON Kilmarnock.

A spokesperson for ODEON said that cinemas not on this list “are either undergoing construction and refurbishment work, or under review with regard to delivering safety measures in line with government guidelines.”

ODEON will also offer a range of pre-packaged food and drinks including a bottled drink, Butterkist popcorn, and a bag of sweets to improve speed of service.

“We can’t wait to welcome guests back to the big screen”

Carol Welch, Managing Director UK & IRE said: “We are excited to confirm that from 4 July, our UK cinemas will begin reopening.

“We’ve carefully planned every step of our guest journey and put safety measures in place that will enable our highly trained colleagues to provide a controlled and safer cinema experience for all our guests.

“New measures include social distancing in our auditoriums and foyers, additional cleaning regimes, and a request to book tickets online prior to arrival.

“We would like to thank our colleagues and guests for their patience during this period, and we can’t wait to welcome guests back to big screen entertainment and a safer cinema experience.”

A message from the Editor:

Staff will be trained in “enhanced cleaning”, and will be equipped with PPE, including face coverings and gloves.

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