Huge numbers of cinemas across the UK and Ireland are shutting down due to the coronavirus.

Major chains, including Odeon, Cineworld and Picturehouse, as well as BFI Southbank, the screening complex operated by the British Film Institute, have announced they are closing their doors with largely immediate effect.

Cineworld, the UK and Ireland’s largest chain by market share with over 90 venues, said in a statement: “We are committed to providing safe and healthy environments for our employees and guests and have therefore made the difficult decision to close our cinemas in UK and Ireland until further notice.” Its venues in Ireland are due to shut today, and its UK sites on Wednesday.

Odeon, who has the UK’s second largest market share, posted a statement on social media saying: “Following government guidelines Odeon cinemas are closed until further notice.” Vue cinemas also followed suit, saying in a statement: “In line with the UK Government’s latest public health advice we will be closing all our 91 cinemas in the UK & Ireland from today, March 17, until further notice. As you would expect, we are also doing our part by putting employment policies in place so that our staff are protected and are not penalised financially.”

Smaller arthouse chains are also closing. Everyman, which operates over 30 high end cinemas across the UK, announced on social media that its venues would close for two weeks. Picturehouse, which has 25 cinemas and programmes a further 40, is owned by Cineworld and will follow suit. Curzon, with 12 venues, issued a statement saying they would close their cinemas at the “end of play” on Wednesday.

BFI Southbank, located in London, said in a statement: “It is with great regret that, due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, and following Government’s updated advice on 16 March, we have taken the decision to close BFI Southbank effective immediately, and all forthcoming events and screenings are now cancelled or postponed.”

A number of independent cinemas, such as Home in Manchester, the Watershed in Bristol and Glasgow Film Theatre have also announced their closure, while other venues, such as the Broadway in Nottingham and the Showroom in Sheffield, currently remain open with limited capacity.

Phil Clapp, chief executive of UK Cinema Association, the trade organisation for cinema operators, said: “The priority now is to ensure that the thousands who work in the sector, many of them young people, are helped during what will be an exceptionally challenging period for them, and that cinema venues across the country are supported to overcome what for many will represent an unprecedented challenge to their existence.”

Box office figures for last weekend in UK cinemas slumped noticeably but not disastrously in the face of increasing warnings over the spread of coronavirus. Figures released by media agency Comscore show that cinemas took just over £6m from Friday to Sunday, compared to £10.3m the weekend before, a decline of just over 40%.

Much of the cinemas’ activity is expected to move on to streaming platforms, with such films as The Hunt and The Invisible Man launching earlier than customary on Sky Cinema, and Curzon concentrating its efforts on its home entertainment platform Curzon Home Cinema, where most of its cinema releases have been released simultaneously for some years.