Cineworld today said it plans to start reopening cinemas across the UK in July - including its popular Barcode branch in Plymouth.
But it comes on the same day the owner of the Bretonside leisure complex British Land announces a loss of £1billion.
The huge landowner also owns a huge slice of Plymouth city centre including the House of Fraser and Debenhams blocks.
Cineworld today said it believes lockdown rules will be eased after July 4, allowing it to begin operating again.
It said re-openings will start with the Chris Nolan movie Tenet and immediately after that with Mulan, a new Disney adventure movie, reports The Mirror.
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A spokesman said: "Subject to this and confirmation of the schedule for film releases, Cineworld anticipates the reopening of all of its cinemas in July.
"Cineworld has put in place procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable cinema experience for its employees and customers."
Drake Circus and the Barcode have been closed, apart from a handful of essential retailers, during the pandemic crisis.
But even before the Covid-19 crisis, British Land company figures showed losses up to the end of the last financial year deepen to an eye-watering £1.114billion from a deficit of £320million a year earlier.
Now a three-month release from rental obligations for small shops, restaurants, cafes and other leisure businesses has lost British Land £2million in rent.
British Land does, however, claim a “resilient” underlying profit, which excluded exceptional circumstances, of £306million, although this is down from £340million in 2019.
Chris Grigg, chief executive, said: "Like businesses around the world, in recent months our focus has been on responding to the unprecedented challenges brought about by Covid-19.
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“We have acted quickly and effectively to support our customers, partners and local communities and to protect the long term value of our business.
“Throughout this time, the safety and wellbeing of our team has been our key priority.
“Now, more than ever, we are benefiting from their expertise and experience and across our business, they have demonstrated their commitment, resilience and good humour for which I and the board are extremely grateful.
Cineworld is the world’s second largest cinema chain, with 9,518 screens across 790 sites in 11 countries: the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Israel, Hungary, Czechia, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
The group’s primary brands are Regal (in the US), Cineworld and Picturehouse (in the UK & Ireland), Cinema City (throughout Europe) and Yes Planet (in Israel).
As of March 2018, Cineworld was the leading cinema operator in the UK by box office market share, based on revenue, with 99 cinemas and over 1,017 screens, including Ireland’s single largest multiplex by screens and customer base.
Cineworld Glasgow Renfrew Street is the tallest cinema in the world and the busiest, by customer base, in the UK. The Cineworld site with the greatest number of screens is located at Valley Centertainment in Sheffield, which has 20.
It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
In March 2020, Cineworld and all other cinemas in the UK closed until further notice due to the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak.
