Milton Keynes Odeon announces re-opening date and new safety measures

Odeon Milton Keynes Stadium will be one of the first ten cinemas to re-open on July 4, with new measures in place to deliver a safer cinema experience.

The new Odeon safer cinema experience has been carefully designed to meet Government guidelines and to give Odeon guests and colleagues confidence and reassurance.

Tickets will be on sale today (June 25) for big screen classics at the cinema at Milton Keynes Stadium, which will open on July 4.

Odeon Milton Keynes Stadium is among the first ten Odeon cinemas to welcome guests back to big screen entertainment, alongside the return of cinema classics, Coke, Popcorn and Nachos served with Odeon’s famous cheese sauce, and partner Costa Coffee stores open for takeaway coffee and cake

To ensure guests can enjoy the Odeon safer cinema experience in the most controlled environment, Odeon has worked with the UK Cinema Association and UK Government to introduce enhanced health and safety measures to each site.

These safety measures include:

Safer Buying

- Contactless experience, including booking online and contactless ticket checks in cinema and contactless till payments for purchasing food and drinks

- Range of ‘Grab & Go’ pre-packaged food and drinks including a bottled drink, Butterkist popcorn and a bag of sweets to improve speed of service

A Safer Space

- Limited seats on sale for each show and guaranteed unoccupied seats between guests to meet social distancing requirements, whilst enabling family groups and social bubbles to sit together

- Staggered show start times to reduce queues, with safe queuing measures in place such as floor markings and cinema host support

- Newly serviced air conditioning that ensures fresh air is delivered into all screens

Enhanced cleaning by well-trained teams

- More frequent cleaning routines on all high contact areas of the cinema guest journey

- Guest sanitiser stations offering complimentary sanitising gels and wipes

- Teams diligently trained on safety and hygiene measures, equipped with PPE, including face coverings and gloves

Carol Welch, Managing Director UK & IRE, said: “We are excited to confirm that from 4 July, our UK cinemas will begin reopening.

"We’ve carefully planned every step of our guest journey and put safety measures in place that will enable our highly trained colleagues to provide a controlled and safer cinema experience for all our guests.

"New measures include social distancing in our auditoriums and foyers, additional cleaning regimes, and a request to book tickets online prior to arrival.

"We would like to thank our colleagues and guests for their patience during this period, and we can’t wait to welcome guests back to big screen entertainment and a safer cinema experience.”

Following three months of small screen home entertainment, virtual quizzes and endless remote scrolling, film fans can once again book tickets for the big screen from 25 June.

A mix of recent and remastered classics will be screened at Odeon following the reopening including 1917, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, re-released and remastered in 4k for its 40th anniversary, Sonic the Hedgehog and Onwards, Little Women, Bad Boys for Life, Dirty Dancing and The Greatest Showman.

Summer’s big blockbusters are also just around the corner, beginning with Mulan and Tenet at the end of July alongside other new releases including Dreambuilders and Unhinged.

Film fans craving the big screen experience can purchase tickets from 25 June online.