Cineworld set to close all sites in UK and Ireland

Cineworld is set to close its UK sites (Mike Egerton/PA)

Cineworld is set to close all of its cinemas in Ireland and the UK due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The chain owns 128 cinemas, including Cineworld on Parnell Street in Dublin.

The closures come as the release of the latest James Bond film was further delayed from November to spring 2021, the PA news agency understands.

The Sunday Times reports that 5,500 jobs are at risk if the chain shuts its screens.

The stated that bosses will write to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to tell them that cinema has become “unviable” as studios keep putting back blockbuster releases.

Daniel Craig’s final outing as spy James Bond will not hit big screens until next April, it was announced on Friday.

No Time To Die was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was first pushed back to November as a result of the pandemic.

A statement on the film’s official Twitter account said: “We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing NO TIME TO DIE next year.”