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Russo brothers say reopening cinemas is "high-risk situation"

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Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have said that reopening cinemas at the moment is a “high-risk situation”.

Cinemas around the world have recently begun to reopen a few months after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Those in England will be allowed to reopen from July 4 provided they are “COVID secure”, while cinemas in Scotland will be allowed to open from July 15. Plans for Northern Ireland and Wales are yet to be confirmed, while in the US cinemas are reopening on a state-by-state basis.

However, speaking on their Russo Bros Pizza Film School series, the brothers highlighted the risks of opening cinemas at the moment.

“Everyone has a different threshold for risk it seems in the country right now,” Joe said. “I think that really depends on what your threshold for risk is. But certainly being in an enclosed space is a high-risk situation.

“So there’s the question of whether we want that to happen, which we do, but whether that’s practical and safe and whether we could recommend it, which I don’t think we could. Just from the way I’m approaching the pandemic with my family is being very conservative about it.

He suggested that it will likely be “a year or two” before things start to return to normal.

“I am as desperate for the theatrical experience as you are, and also in general, it’s worn on people in different ways the limitations of what we’ve been living through,” Anthony admitted.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo.

“But I do think at the end of the day, where are you going to put the risk? There are more immediate places to put the risk in terms of human connection than a theatre full of strangers, unfortunately.”

He added: “Unfortunately I don’t see myself getting into a theatre in the foreseeable future.”







Odeon are the latest cinema to confirm they will be back from July 4, with the chain opening 10 of its cinemas across England. However, new social distancing rules will include a staggered film schedule and fewer available seats.

Meanwhile, last month a survey by the Independent Cinema Office revealed that more than 200 independent venues felt unable to reopen with social distancing measures in place.

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