CINEMA bosses in south Cumbria have called on members of the public to support their local screens with the industry facing difficult times.

It comes after Cineworld announced it would be temporarily closing its venues in the UK and the US, affecting tens of thousands of jobs.

Charles Morris, managing director of Northern Morris Cinemas, which incorporates the Roxy Cinema in Ulverston, said his business could be facing a ‘rethink’ if he was not successful in applying for grant money.

He said the main threats to the Roxy were the lack of ‘blockbuster’ films and ‘people’s continued reluctance to come in’.

“It’s odd really, because if you walk around Ulverston on a Friday or Saturday night, people seem to be jostling to get into the pubs, but they still seem to be a bit reticent about coming into the cinema,” he said.

“We’re getting by, but we are putting in for grants the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport are offering and a lot depends on whether we get one of those.

“If we get a grant of a suitable size, then we should be able to weather the storm, but if we don’t then we’ll have to have a rethink.

“We would have to consider our options if we don’t get the grants we’re applying for.”

Dorothy Smith, managing director of Zeffirellis in Ambleside, said the cinema was in a ‘privileged’ position as it had two restaurants to supplement its income.

Mrs Smith said the restaurants were ‘doing very well’, attributing this to the number of ‘staycationers’ visiting the area.

However, she called on members of the public to turn out and support their local screens, saying distributors were currently cautious about releasing films due to reduced capacities and audiences.

“The more cinemas do close, the less likelihood there is of new content coming out onto the big screen,” she said.

“We’re in a very enviable position compared to a lot of cinemas, because we have the restaurants as well, so the two things go together.

“If I was an independent cinema without the restaurants, I dread to think how it would be at the moment, because it’s a dire situation.”

Mrs Smith said: “People need to go and support their local cinemas.

“There’s a lot of good British films out at the moment, which we’re screening.

“That doesn’t just support us, that supports the industry as a whole.”