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Grab the popcorn! Two York cinemas will reopen this week

City Screen in York. Photograph: YorkMix

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The legend over the door says: ‘This too shall pass. Back soon folks.’

More than four months on, City Screen will reopen this Friday, 31 July.

It is part of the Picturehouse chain, which had already announced that its cinemas would begin to open their doors from the end of this month.

And now a Picturehouse spokeswoman has confirmed to YorkMix that City Screen off Coney Street will be among the first to open.

“All three screens will be open,” she said. “Cafes and restaurants in our cinemas won’t be open when we first open but they’ll be opening soon.

“Food, snacks and drink will still be able to be purchased.”

Film listings should be on the website by tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

Meanwhile Cineworld York at Monks Cross, part of the same group, is also opening on Friday.

You can already book tickets for films, including The Empire Strikes Back and Proxima, on the website.

Safety measures

The City Screen’s café is still empty. Photograph: YorkMix

Here are some of the safety measures planned for City Screen:

  • Film screenings will have staggered start times to allow for safe entry and exit of the cinema. 
  • We are implementing new allocated seating in our screens to ensure a safe distance between customers from different households. 
  • Hand sanitiser stations have been set up at each cinema for customers and employees to use. 
  • A further cleaning programme will to clean and sanitise the high touch points within the cinema.  This will be undertaken by a trained team.
  • All employees will receive specific Covid-19 training and PPE will be provided to where the risk assessment has deemed it necessary, in line with government requirements. 
  • We have added protective screens at our kiosk areas where social distancing cannot be maintained. 
  • Contactless payments are encouraged. 

Cinemagoers are welcome to wear face masks, but they are not compulsory.

Read more about the safety measures here.

And you can read about the similar Cineworld safety measures here.

There is no date yet for Vue York to reopen. And Everyman, which has opened cinemas elsewhere in the UK – including in Leeds and Harrogate – has not confirmed a reopening date for the Blossom Street venue.