As a second wave of COVID-19 is racing across Europe, cinemas across the continent are once again shutting down.
Italy, the first country in Europe to close cinemas in February due to the pandemic and which re-opened them in June, is closing them again from this week.
Spain has introduced a nationwide curfew from 11pm-6am, while France is extending a 9pm-6am one that covers around 70% of the population.
In France, cinemas will also be required to close early. The local industry had been doing increasingly well, snagging 5.5 million admissions in September (around 50% of the business it was doing last year).
Europe reported more than 1.3 million new cases this past week, its highest single week count yet. The measures are being seen as an attempt to avoid full-scale lockdowns that could hurt the economy.
Even in countries where they remain open though, rising infection numbers are expected to negatively impact box office.
Source: THR
