VUE Cheshire Oaks will reopen next month, with safety being its main attraction.

The cinema chain is welcoming back customers as part of a phased reopening plan, with tickets going on sale from Thursday, July 30.

Vue Cheshire Oaks will be one of ten Vue Cinemas across the UK reopening its doors to the public on Friday, August 7.

The cinema is operating under new measures, with safeguarding of customers and staff front of mind.

Brodie Lyons, general manager at Vue Cheshire Oaks, said: “We’re really pleased to be preparing to reopen our cinema once again and we look forward to welcoming film fans back soon.

“We’ve been working hard to ensure our site here in Cheshire meets safety protocols in line with the latest government guidance.”

Film fans can look forward to enjoying the big screen experience at Vue Cheshire Oaks, with the reassurance of knowing their safety is front of mind. Vue has focused on five key areas to ensure customers can enjoy the cinema as safely at possible:

Online booking is encouraged to make visits as contactless as possible. Tickets can be accessed on smartphones and will be scanned before entering the screen. Booking online allows you to skip the queue and is now the cheapest way to book tickets at the site.

Enhanced cleaning protocols and Employee PPE are in place. This includes disinfecting every screen between each screening and hand sanitiser stations available throughout venues. Staff will be equipped with PPE to protect themselves and customers.

Physical distancing meeting government guidelines has been built into the booking system so that customers in one booking are automatically seated apart from others.

Reduced touch points at venues through foyers and into screens. Entrances and screen doors will also be open to let customers walk through before and after screenings. Contactless payments up to the value of £45 and Apple Pay and Google Pay will be accepted and encouraged at till points.

Staggered film times will be implemented to maintain physical distancing and reduce the number of people at any one time in foyers and corridors

The specific measures implemented will vary depending on the Vue venue, but they will always be clearly signposted at the entrances and throughout the building, and will be in line with government and public health guidance.

All customers will be required to take part in the Test and Trace initiative to help keep themselves and others safe.

Vue’s team will have two full days of extensive training ahead of reopening on these protocols.

On hand will be the newly established safety team ready to welcome customers back in, explain the new procedures and answer any questions.

Brodie added: “We want film-lovers across the region and in surrounding areas to know that the quality of our viewing experience remains unchanged and we continue to offer the best audio and picture quality in big screen entertainment.

“There’s a lot to look forward to on the big screen this year, including the hotly anticipated releases of Wonder Woman 1984 and The King’s Man, as well as filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster, Tenet.

"A number of ‘customer favourite’ films will also be back on the big screen where they belong including the Harry Potter series; Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back; and a collection from Nolan’s catalogue including Batman Begins, Inception and Dunkirk.”

Vue believes cinema has a vital role to play in providing escapism from everyday life: it has done for more than 100 years and it will again now.

Independent academic research carried out by Vue in 2019 with UCL shows the great social and mental benefits that the experience of escaping in a great film at the cinema can have.

Tickets will be available at www.myvue.com. For more information on the safety measures being implemented, customers can visit www.myvue.com/staysafe