Cinema chain may soon close its Boise-area movie theaters again as films are delayed

The chain that owns the Treasure Valley’s Edwards theaters is consider closing them again, along with the rest of its theaters in the U.S. and Britain.

Cineworld Group PLC, based in London, said Sunday it is “considering the temporary closure of our U.K. and U.S. cinemas, but a final decision has not yet been reached.”

The disclosure follows the second postponement of the new James Bond film. That has left a big hole in theaters’ schedules.

Cineworld owns 543 Regal cinemas in the U.S. The second-largest theater chain in the U.S., Regal operates Edwards 21 Cinemas & Imax at the Boise Spectrum, Edwards 9 in downtown Boise, and Edwards Nampa Gateway and Edwards Nampa Spectrum in Nampa.

“Once a decision has been made we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can,” Cineworld said.

The statement came after the Sunday Times in London reported that Cineworld’s U.K. and Ireland theaters will shut indefinitely in the coming weeks, putting up to 5,500 people out of work.

The newspaper and other outlets reported that Cineworld plans to write to U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden saying cinema has become “unviable” as studios postpone blockbuster releases because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff said they had not been informed or consulted about closures.

“If these reports are true, then the first people Cineworld should be informing are their staff who will suffer as a result -- not the Sunday newspapers,” said Philippa Childs, head of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union in the United Kingdom.

“The stark reality is that without new releases, it is unlikely that footfall will increase to a level that makes opening financially viable,” Childs said.

Edwards and other theaters in the Treasure Valley closed in mid-March as the pandemic swept into Idaho. They reopened in August with now-familiar virus-safety requirements such as masks and social distancing. Some screens have been showing old movies at discount prices.

Cinemas remain closed in New York and Los Angeles, two of North America’s biggest markets.

Producers said last week that the 25th James Bond thriller, “No Time to Die,” due to open in November, is being delayed until April 2021 because of the effect of the pandemic on theatrical business. It was originally scheduled to open last April.

Other major studios have made similar decisions over the past few weeks. Universal has delayed “Candyman” to next year, and the Walt Disney Co. has postponed a handful of major movies to 2021, including Marvel’s “Black Widow” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”

Statesman Business Editor David Staats contributed.

This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 11:22 AM.