Is Cineworld closing down? Full list of cinemas in UK and Ireland

Here's what the chain has said...

a close up of the Cineworld logo on one of their cinemas
(Image credit: Future/Getty)

Here's the latest on whether Cineworld cinemas will be closing in the UK and beyond in 2023.

It's been a bleak start to 2023, thanks to the announcement of M&S store closures, B&M stores closing and Argos stores shutting down, while some Foot Locker stores are closing in the US. Retailers aren't the only ones struggling amidst the current cost-of-living crisis, with banks like Nationwide and HSBC set to close branches. Then there's the sorry news that some Wetherspoons pubs will be shutting down too, as the British hospitality chain puts many up for sale.

It seems that no sector is safe, especially if new media reports are to be believed. Several national and regional newspapers have suggested that Cineworld's ongoing financial problems could see their cinemas closing down in the UK and Ireland. We've shared what Cineworld have said in light of reports and the full list of cinemas the movie theatre owns presently. 

Is Cineworld closing down?

British media outlets have reported that Cineworld cinemas across the UK are at risk of closing as the company looks for a buyer, after falling into administration. However, Cineworld have clarified on Twitter that they have "no plans to close any cinemas".

Distressed moviegoers contacted the cinema chain online following reports of possible closures. "Please be reassured that we expect business will continue as usual for all of our cinemas," they replied to one Twitter user. Whilst in another tweet, Cineworld stated that there was "no truth to these rumours".

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Whilst Cineworld have denied reports online, the company have yet to share a official statement confirming the future of their cinemas in the UK. 

Cinewold Group Plc filed for Bankruptcy in the US in September 2022, and since this date have shut 23 of their US sites. The company have also confirmed that they are looking for a buyer amid ongoing financial re-structuring. 

According to the Mirror, the movie theatre giant has been approached by a “number” of potential clients interested in a takeover. The company has expressed interest in offers made for buying the group as a whole, rather than individual assets.

A spokesperson for Cineworld said: "The company has now received non-binding proposals from a number of potential transaction counterparties for some or all of the group’s business."

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Though Cineworld have shared on Twitter that no cinema closures are imminent, Bloomsberg UK reports differently. In January 2023, a legal adviser told the publication that Cineworld Group Plc does have plans to close more branches. They share that Cineworld is currently "renegotiating its theater leases with landlords" in London. Elsewhere in the UK, the cinema chain will "consider more closures of venues that aren’t turning a profit".

Cineworld owns 478 cinemas globally, employing around 28,000 workers in ten countries. In the UK and Ireland, Cineworld has 129 cinemas.

Full list of Cineworld cinemas in the UK and Ireland

  1. Cineworld Queens Links, Aberdeen
  2. Cineworld Union Square, Aberdeen
  3. Cineworld Aldershot
  4. Cineworld Ashford
  5. Cineworld Ashton-under-Lyne
  6. Cineworld Barnsley
  7. Cineworld Basildon
  8. Cineworld Bedford
  9. Cineworld Belfast
  10. Cineworld Broad Street, Birmingham
  11. Cineworld NEC, Birmingham
  12. Cineworld Boldon Tyne and Wear
  13. Cineworld Bolton
  14. Cineworld Bracknell
  15. Cineworld Bradford
  16. Cineworld Braintree
  17. Cineworld Brighton
  18. Cineworld Bristol
  19. Cineworld Broughton
  20. Cineworld Burton upon Trent
  21. Cineworld Bury St Edmunds
  22. Cineworld Cardiff
  23. Cineworld Castleford
  24. Cineworld Cheltenham
  25. Cineworld Chesterfield
  26. Cineworld Chichester
  27. Cineworld Crawley
  28. Cineworld Dalton Park
  29. Cineworld Didcot
  30. Cineworld Didsbury
  31. Cineworld Dover
  32. Cineworld Dundee
  33. Cineworld Eastbourne
  34. Cineworld Edinburgh
  35. Cineworld Ely
  36. Cineworld Falkirk
  37. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow
  38. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow
  39. Cineworld Silverburn, Glasgow
  40. Cineworld Gloucester Quays
  41. Cineworld Harlow - Harvey Centre
  42. Cineworld Harlow - Queensgate
  43. Cineworld Haverhill
  44. Cineworld Hemel Hempstead
  45. Cineworld High Wycombe
  46. Cineworld Hinckley
  47. Cineworld Hull
  48. Cineworld Huntingdon
  49. Cineworld Ipswich
  50. Cineworld Leeds
  51. Cineworld Leigh
  52. Cineworld Llandudno
  53. Cineworld Bexleyheath, London
  54. Cineworld Enfield, London
  55. Cineworld Feltham, London
  56. Cineworld Hounslow, London
  57. Cineworld Ilford, London
  58. Cineworld Leicester Square, London
  59. Cineworld South Ruislip, London
  60. Cineworld The O2 Greenwich, London
  61. Cineworld Wandsworth, London
  62. Cineworld Wembley, London
  63. Cineworld West India Quay, London
  64. Cineworld Wood Green, London
  65. Cineworld Loughborough
  66. Cineworld Luton
  67. Cineworld Middlesbrough
  68. Cineworld Milton Keynes
  69. Cineworld Newcastle upon Tyne
  70. Cineworld Friars Walk, Newport
  71. Cineworld Isle of Wight, Newport
  72. Cineworld Spytty Park, Newport
  73. Cineworld Northampton
  74. Cineworld Nottingham
  75. Cineworld Plymouth
  76. Cineworld Poole
  77. Cineworld Rochester
  78. Cineworld Rugby
  79. Cineworld Runcorn
  80. Cineworld Rushden Lakes
  81. Cineworld Sheffield
  82. Cineworld Shrewsbury
  83. Cineworld Solihull
  84. Cineworld Speke
  85. Cineworld Stevenage
  86. Cineworld St Helens
  87. Cineworld St Neots
  88. Cineworld Stoke-on-Trent
  89. Cineworld Regent Circus, Swindon
  90. Cineworld Shaw Ridge, Swindon
  91. Cineworld Telford
  92. Cineworld Wakefield
  93. Cineworld Warrington
  94. Cineworld Watford
  95. Cineworld Weston-super-Mare
  96. Cineworld Weymouth
  97. Cineworld Whiteley
  98. Cineworld Witney
  99. Cineworld Wolverhampton
  100. Cineworld Yate
  101. Cineworld Yeovil
  102. Cineworld York
  103. Cineworld Dublin

Does Cineworld own Picturehouse cinemas?

Yes, Cineworld also operates a further 26 cinemas in the UK that make-up the Picturehouse brand. The company bought the art house cinema chain for £47.3 million in December 2021.

At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation from Cineworld on whether Picturehouse cinemas are at risk of closing at present.

At the time of the takeover, Stephen Wiener, ex-chief executive of Cineworld said: "This acquisition gives us an opportunity to accelerate our growth by reaching new audiences in a high value and growing part of the market."

Picturehouse cinemas prioritise showing independent and foreign movies that may not be airing in mainstream cinemas.

Picturehouse cinemas in the UK - full list

  1. Picturehouse Ashford
  2. Little Theatre Cinema, Bath
  3. Duke of York’s, Brighton
  4. Duke’s at Komedia, Brighton
  5. Arts, Cambridge
  6. Cameo, Edinburgh
  7. Picturehouse Exeter
  8. Regal, Henley-on-Thames
  9. Fact, Liverpool
  10. Picturehouse Bromley, London
  11. Picturehouse Clapham, London
  12. Picturehouse Crouch End, London
  13. Picturehouse East Dulwich, London
  14. Picturehouse Finsbury Park, London
  15. Picturehouse Fulham Road, London
  16. Picturehouse Greenwich, London
  17. Picturehouse Hackey, London
  18. Picturehouse Central, London
  19. Ritzy - Brixton, London
  20. Picturehouse Stratford, London
  21. The Gate, London
  22. Picturehouse West Norwood, London
  23. Cinema City, Norwich
  24. Phoenix, Oxford
  25. Harbour Lights, Southampton
  26. City Screen, York

Why did Cineworld file for administration?

Cineworld filed for bankruptcy protection in America in September 2022. According to Bloomsberg UK, the company was seeking help to pay off "nearly $9 billion of debt and leases accumulated as part of an acquisition spree".

It's understood that the company's debt increased during the pandemic, when cinemas were forced to shut during multiple, government imposed, UK-wide lockdowns. 

"The pandemic was an incredibly difficult time for our business, with the enforced closure of cinemas and a huge disruption to film schedules that has led us to this point," Cineworld's current chief executive Mooky Greidinger said in September 2022.

Greidinger also assured that the bankruptcy filing is "part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our financial position" which will "create a more resilient capital structure and effective business".

"Our goal remains to further accelerate our strategy so we can grow our position as the 'best place to watch a movie'."

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Emily Stedman
Features Editor

Emily Stedman is the former Features Editor for GoodTo covering all things TV, entertainment, royal, lifestyle, health and wellbeing. Boasting an encyclopaedic knowledge on all things TV, celebrity and royals, career highlights include working at HELLO! Magazine and as a royal researcher to Diana biographer Andrew Morton on his book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess. In her spare time, Emily can be found eating her way around London, swimming at her local Lido or curled up on the sofa binging the next best Netflix show.