Lobby group warns that cinemas are ‘at brink of collapse’

State worked with industry figures to hammer out safe opening protocols after intense pressure from sector during second lockdown

Mark Anderson, chief executive of Omniplex Cinemas, who largely led the campaign, specifically warned that the “rural cinema is under threat of extinction” in Ireland

The biggest cinema operators in Ireland have issued a series of warnings to the government about the financial health of the sector as part of a large behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign, the Business Post can reveal.

Senior figures in the Irish cinema sector coordinated a lobbying campaign in October and November in a bid to secure government approval for cinemas to operate when pandemic-related restrictions were eased in December.

Mark Anderson, chief executive of Omniplex Cinemas, ...