THE ENTERTAINMENT industry has been further hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Cinema chains Odeon, Cineworld and Picturehouse are shutting all their UK screens amid the global COVID-19 crisis.

The move comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised people to avoid public venues.

Cinema UK, which represents the industry, said: “Most UK cinema sites” would close in the coming days following the government advice.

Theatres in London’s West End and around the UK have already closed, and many concerts have been called off.

Recently Showcase Cinemas introduced a range of health and safety measures across its cinemas to help protect customers and staff from the spread of COVID-19.

The plan was to have additional space between guests within all its locations, to keep its cinemas clean and to discourage anyone with health concerns from coming to its cinemas.

As the health crisis escalated, film-goers were reluctant to frequent cinemas with UK and Ireland box office takings down by 50 per cent.