Cineworld to shut cinemas in UK, Ireland as coronavirus crisis deepens

(Reuters) - Cineworld Group <CINE.L> and Picturehouse plan to close its movie theatres in the UK from Wednesday and in Ireland from Tuesday until further notice, due to the virus outbreak.

The move follows a government directive asking people to avoid visiting pubs, restaurants and cinemas following the pandemic.

Cineworld, the world's second-largest cinema operator, joins Cineplex <CGX.TO> and AMC Entertainment <AMC.N> in temporarily shutting down its theatres.

Shares in Cineworld, which has also closed its Regal Cinemas in the United States, were down 27.5% at 27.18 pence by 1311 GMT.

(Reporting by Tanishaa Nadkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)