Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson has urged US movie-goers to stay away from cinemas during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

• Read more: Unscripted telly and sci-fi escapism: how COVID-19 will change the future of film and TV

Last week, Derrickson took to Twitter to tell people not to go and see Christopher Nolan’s new film Tenet. “Don’t go see Tenet or any other movie in a theater,” he wrote. “There, I said it.”

He added: “Speaking to my fellow Americans of course.”

Reiterating his point, Derrickson this week shared an AC Club article titled: “Please don’t go to a movie theater,” quoting an expert who says: “It’s just about the last thing I’d do right now.”

https://t.co/ltJsZcptTi

— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) August 26, 2020

Earlier this month, the US surpassed five million coronavirus cases – a quarter of worldwide cases.

Meanwhile, experts have warned people about the risks of attending cinemas during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, stating that “no scenario” is safe.

Dr. Anne W. Rimoin and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, both infectious disease epidemiologists whose research focuses on emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), have said that going to the cinema is the “last thing” they’d do right now, especially because people should be “avoiding indoor areas.”

In the UK, Vue is reportedly on the verge of being awarded a fresh funding buffer to help it survive the impact of coronavirus on its business.

The cinema chain, which operates 90 cinemas in the UK and employs approximately 9,000 staff across Europe, is on course to secure the funding days after reopening some of its UK multiplexes.