WORK is still continuing at the planned new six-screen Picturehouse cinema for Chester city centre, despite the news the firm's owners are in financial trouble.

Cheshire West and Chester Council said the Picturehouse venue is currently being fitted out by contractors, and there is no sign work has tailed off at the present time.

It comes as Picturehouse owners Cineworld have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, following a difficult time for cinemas in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.

Cinemas were closed for much of the lockdown periods, with audiences switching to home streaming services during that time.

Given that many box-office films will have slowed or halted productions during the lockdowns as well, it has meant that 2022 has been a quieter time for big releases than usual, with the relied upon candidates failing to tempt enough people to watch movies on the big screen.

As a result, there is a question mark over the future of Picturehouse's Chester base before the curtains have even opened on the first screening.

Cheshire West and Chester Council commercial director Graham Pink said: "These decisions are a lot bigger than a single site in Chester.

"We are monitoring the situation closely, but the cinema is really well advanced – carpets are going down – and there is no sign of any decision of the contractors being taken anywhere else.

"It would be remiss of us, however, not to be thinking about contingency plans. We have a contract with Picturehouse, and we will not divulge what we will do or not do.

"At the moment, they are, as a business, very excited to be in Chester and want to work very closely with Storyhouse to provide something very special for the city."

It is planned for Picturehouse to open along with the rest of the Northgate Development in late autumn, with 750 seats spread over six screens.

The movie offering would complement that of Storyhouse in the city centre, which has one cinema screen.