Cineworld with two York cinemas to file for administration

The world’s second-largest cinema chain said it will apply for administration for the London-listed company in July, which will see shares in the firm suspended.

But it stressed the move will not impact the British operations for the holding company, with cinemas continuing to remain open as usual.

It has 128 cinemas across the UK and Ireland.

These include Cineworld York, which is part of the city's Community Stadium at Monks Cross and opened on December 13 2019.

Flashback to Shaun Jones, VP of operations at Cineworld in York with general manager, Nick Bashford back in 2019 (Image: Jamie Gray)

It has an Imax screen and features 13 state-of-the-art screens including VIP viewing screens, with a lounge, complimentary dining and luxury reclining seats.

The firm also owns the Picturehouse chain in the UK, which in York runs City Screen in Coney Street.

Cineworld filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US last year after being weighed down by its mammoth debts and weaker-than-hoped audience numbers.

The group is moving forward with plans to restructure its roughly five billion US dollars (£3.9 billion) debt pile to allow it to exit bankruptcy.

City Screen York (Image: Newsquest)

It aims to reduce debts by around 4.53 billion US dollars (£3.6 billion) with a plan to raise 800 million US dollars (£628 million) through a rights offering, while also securing 1.46 billion US dollars (£1.1 billion) of new debt financing.

The restructuring plan is set to wipe out shareholders in the cinema chain in order to support its lenders and creditors.

Cineworld said: “Cineworld continues to operate its global business and cinemas as usual without interruption and this will not be affected by the entry of Cineworld Group plc into administration.

“The group and its brands around the world – including Regal, Cinema City, Picturehouse and Planet – are continuing to welcome customers to cinemas as usual.

Read next:

• Labour 'big gun' Reeves pledges 'fresh start' for Selby & Ainsty at campaign launch
• SOS call to York landlords: 'We need more homes for Ukrainian families'
• York hospice boss urges government to step in before it’s too late

“The group continues to honour the terms of all existing customer membership programmes, including Regal Unlimited and Regal Crown Club in the United States and Cineworld Unlimited in the UK.”

The company’s shares have already plummeted by almost 99 per cent over the past five years, after being hit hard by the pandemic which forced it to close some of its sites.

In April, the group also scrapped plans to sell its businesses outside the UK, US and Ireland after potential bidders failed to meet the value desired by Cineworld’s lenders.

It hopes to emerge from bankruptcy protection in July after receiving backing for its overhaul from most of its lenders.