Cineworld Group plc filing for bankruptcy

Cineworld Group plc filing for bankruptcy

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FourWheelDrift

Original Poster:

89,455 posts

290 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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"The Wall Street Journal reports that the Cineworld Group - the second largest cinema business in the world - is preparing to file for bankruptcy "

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak/status/1560602430...

Cineworld Group plc is a British entertainment conglomerate based in London, England. It is the world's second-largest cinema chain, with 9,518 screens across 790 sites in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States

Rufus Stone

7,720 posts

62 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Combination of covid restrictions and increased streaming?

valiant

11,194 posts

166 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Lack of blockbusters is another reason I heard.

anonymous-user

60 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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I think it is mainly down to the fact there just aren't any films worth watching at the moment. The only film we have seen at the cinema since Covid began is Top Gun 2 and that was a film that was made pre Covid.

Other than that there has not been a single thing that I have wanted to see. I actually looked into us going to the cinema this Saturday, but looking through the films I think we will just do something else instead.

gregs656

11,226 posts

187 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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That’s a big one. They never recovered from COVID.

valiant

11,194 posts

166 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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^^ To be honest we go to the cinema pretty often but we try to avoid the big chains as much as possible for the reasons above.

Thankfully a Curzon opened up a few years back and the experience is so much better. Decent seats that recline, good legroom, smaller screen capacity and a decent bar. Yes, it cost about £2-£3 more per ticket but it’s a price worth paying to avoid the above.

Everyman cinemas are also very good and have all the big movies as well as showing a range of indie stuff that you simply wouldn’t see in an Odeon or similar.

menousername

2,136 posts

148 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Could be wrong but I think its the usual load up the debt draw down the dividends

They were banking on a few blockbusters post Covid that I guess never brought in enough.

Agree with above generally a not very pleasant experience. Although I believe for a long time the true source of income has been the food and drinks not the tickets themselves

Wonder if a prepackaged insolvency buy out is on the cards


bitchstewie

54,595 posts

216 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Just had a quick look at my local Odeon and it's £15 for a ticket to see Top Gun Maverick and it seems pricing is variable depending on the movie.

So £15 to see one film or £7.99 for a month pass to Disney Plus and they wonder why they're struggling scratchchin

Eric Mc

122,710 posts

271 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Bankruptcy or Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection? Two very different things.

Panamax

4,843 posts

40 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Picture this.

You're a cinema owning landlord and CineWorld, your tenant, goes bust. What's your next trick??

Looks an uncomfortable position to me.

CraigyMc

16,887 posts

242 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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menousername said:
Could be wrong but I think its the usual load up the debt draw down the dividends

They were banking on a few blockbusters post Covid that I guess never brought in enough.

Agree with above generally a not very pleasant experience. Although I believe for a long time the true source of income has been the food and drinks not the tickets themselves

Wonder if a prepackaged insolvency buy out is on the cards
This.

They were refitting cinemas in lockdown...

Zumbruk

7,848 posts

266 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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At home I have a 65" screen, a comfy chair, whatever snacks/drinks I want, I can stop the movie when I want them (or a pee), the sound isn't too loud, I can have the subtitles on because of sh!tty modern mixing (and my old ears), I can watch whatever movie I want, at a time of my choosing, I can skip the (increasing common) dull bits, I can wind back to rewatch bits I didn't understand, there's no-one talking/eating/having sex/playing with their phone (IoW doing anything other than watching the movie), I don't have to drive (so I can have a drink) or pay to park.

Why the fk would I go to a cinema?

Cineworld gambled that the customers would come back after COVID. They lost.

Petrus1983

9,474 posts

168 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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I’m not sure they gambled - there’s just nothing to watch. I wanted to go to the cinema (Cineworld ironically) last night and ended up just watching Top Gun again. As for the price - the ticket was £5.99 and I took my own drinks in (they don’t serve beers) but did pay £5.50 for the popcorn, by choice.

gregs656

11,226 posts

187 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Zumbruk said:
At home I have a 65" screen, a comfy chair, whatever snacks/drinks I want, I can stop the movie when I want them (or a pee), the sound isn't too loud, I can have the subtitles on because of sh!tty modern mixing (and my old ears), I can watch whatever movie I want, at a time of my choosing, I can skip the (increasing common) dull bits, I can wind back to rewatch bits I didn't understand, there's no-one talking/eating/having sex/playing with their phone (IoW doing anything other than watching the movie), I don't have to drive (so I can have a drink) or pay to park.

Why the fk would I go to a cinema?

Cineworld gambled that the customers would come back after COVID. They lost.
Prior to the pandemic cinema attendance was increasing.

I’ve probably been to 6 or 7 films in the cinema this year, though haven’t been for the last few weeks as there isn’t much out.

Panamax

4,843 posts

40 months

Friday 19th August 2022
quotequote all
Zumbruk said:
I can have the subtitles on because of sh!tty modern mixing
This, and this

Zumbruk said:
there's no-one talking/eating/having sex/playing with their phone

Saweep

6,625 posts

192 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Petrus1983 said:
I’m not sure they gambled - there’s just nothing to watch. I wanted to go to the cinema (Cineworld ironically) last night and ended up just watching Top Gun again. As for the price - the ticket was £5.99 and I took my own drinks in (they don’t serve beers) but did pay £5.50 for the popcorn, by choice.
I can't remember the last time I went to the cinema; however, I like to think I keep my ears to the ground generally.

Other than Top Gun and the last James Bond, I can't think of a single movie that has been hotly anticipated by the masses.

Roderick Spode

3,386 posts

55 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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I haven't been to the cinema in 20 years. Just had a quick look at our small local cinema, and it's wall to wall uninspiring dross - derivative "action" movies and kids cartoons. The only two films I'd have the slightest interest in seeing are re-showings of Star Trek - The Motion Picture & Wrath of Khan. But I have them on DVD anyway.

Timothy Bucktu

15,600 posts

206 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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To add to the above...my TV and sound system is almost as good as going to the Cinema, with the added bonus that I don't have to endure crisp packets, hands rustling in popcorn buckets, morons talking and morons, and the general public.

bitchstewie

54,595 posts

216 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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Respectfully perhaps you (and I) aren't their target demographic?

Panamax

4,843 posts

40 months

Friday 19th August 2022
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bhstewie said:
Respectfully perhaps you (and I) aren't their target demographic?
More likely their target demographic doesn't represent a viable market.