Bluewater's Cinema de Lux is set to open this weekend with a raft of new safety measures and a collection of classic films.

The cinema at the shopping centre in Greenhithe will open from Saturday, July 4, managers have said, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement yesterday that cinemas could reopen, along with restaurants, cafes, bars and bingo halls.

Limited numbers will be allowed in and strict new measures will accompany the reopening, including booking tickets online with a confirmation email being scanned from customers' smartphones on arrival, or using self service ticket collection machines.

Visitors will be encouraged to wear face coverings and there will be hand sanitising stations throughout the cinema, while tills will have perspex shields and contactless payments will be encouraged.

After each screening, staff will carry out a thorough cleaning regime, which includes a new anti-viral fogging machine that eliminates airborne viruses on contact, and will be used on every seat in every screen between shows and at the end of each day. Each auditorium will also have a new air purifying system installed.

Filmgoers will need to order their food and drink in advance and collect from a designated pick up section.

To welcome back cinemagoers, Showcase Cinemas will be screening classic films for £5 a ticket ahead of the release of Disney’s Mulan and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet later this summer.

UK general manager Mark Barlow said: “We are all really excited about welcoming film fans back to Showcase Cinemas.

“We’ve been busy preparing for our re-opening by making all our sites as 'Showcase Safe' as possible for the comfort of both staff and guests, which has always been our top priority.

“There are some fantastic films to be released in 2020 and we can’t wait to see people enjoying movies back on the big screen. We’ve also brought some classic hits and recent favourites back to remind everyone just how great it is to see them in the cinema.”

There are showings of movies from the 80s through to earlier this year on offer during the day.

They include classics such as Back to the Future, The Sound of Music, Pulp Fiction, The Shining, The Shawkshank Redemption and Terminator 2: Judgement Day through to more recent releases including 1917, Bohemian Rhapsody, Dunkirk, IT, Jumanji: The Next Level, Little Women, Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy and La La Land.

For younger visitors there will be Despicable Me, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Paddington and Paw Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue. To book, click here.

Showcase Cinemas has also released a video showing its Be Showcase Safe protocols.

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