PRESSURE is mounting on the government to support jobs in the entertainment sector after Cineworld confirmed today that it is to temporarily close all its venues by Friday.  

The cinema chain will shut 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse theatres in Britain and 536 Regal theatres in the United States, affecting 45,000 jobs — 5,500 of them in Britain. 

The decision was blamed on the delay to a number of blockbusters, including the latest James Bond film, which have had their release put back until next year. 

Speaking on Sky News, Cineworld chief executive Mooky Greidinger said: “From a liquidity point of view, we were bleeding much bigger amounts when we are open than when we are closed … we would be like a grocery shop with no food. We had to take this decision.”

News of the closures reached employees through a leak in the Sunday Times at the weekend.

Cineworld staff told the Morning Star that learning of major job losses via the press was “horrible” and an “insult.” 

Entertainment workers’ union Bectu blamed the closures on “short-sighted” decisions by big studios to postpone major film releases “in the hope of making extra money further down the line.” 

The Labour Party criticised the government for not offering specific help to the cinema industry.  

Shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens said: “The failure of ministers to recognise the value of shut-down businesses, which now includes many cinemas, means they are consigning thousands of workers to the scrapheap.”

Former Labour frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey warned that the Tories’ new jobs support scheme “doesn’t go far enough to help those in the creative, events and hospitality sector.

“The Chancellor needs to address this before it is too late,” she added. 

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey insisted that there had been “a lot of support in order to try and keep people in jobs.”