North Oxford’s Phoenix Picturehouse has announced it would temporarily be closing its doors.
The retro cinema on Walton Street in Jericho announced its closure last week, as its owner Cineworld said it would close all of its cinemas nationwide, including the other 25 Picturehouses owned by the chain.
In a statement on its website, the cinema said “At present, there is no set date for re-opening, however, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will communicate any updates once film studios are able to bring their major film releases back to the big screen.
“We will also continue to follow government and health authority guidelines to ensure that upon reopening, the health and safety of our staff and customers remains our priority.
“We cannot reiterate enough how difficult this decision was, and how devastated we are to be in this position. We did everything in our power to support the safe, sustainable re-openings of our cinemas, and we are very grateful to our employees who adapted quickly to their new roles so that our cinemas adhered to the government guidelines to ensure that our customers had a safe and enjoyable experience with us.
“We are sorry that many of you heard the news through the press before we had the opportunity to contact you directly.
“We’re so grateful for the support of all our customers over the last few months; your loyalty to and passion for cinema is invaluable. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as possible to enjoy a full slate of films on the big screen.”
The retro Jericho cinema held its last viewing on Friday.
