Cineworld confirms exact date when stars will be back on Northampton's big screens

Cineworld has named the date when movies will start rolling again at its Sixfields multiplex.

Boris Johnson gave the go ahead of indoor entertainment venues, including cinemas, to open again from next Monday (May 17) — some for the first time in 15 months.

So the bosses at Cineworld decided film fans won't mind waiting just two more days until WEDNESDAY for their first bucket of popcorn in front of the big screen.

A spokesman said: "We are excited to announce that our cinemas in England will re-open on May 19!

"At Cineworld our main priority remains the safety of our customers and employees. We of course follow all instructions and regulations of the local authorities and current government guidelines and regulations.

"So we wanted to allow a couple of extra days between government announcements and our re-opening for staff training and to get our cinemas up and running again, ready to welcome movie lovers back to Cineworld."

The first big new release to test appetites for the big-screen experience will be Peter Rabbit 2, voiced by stars including James Corden and Margot Robbie, which opens on 21 May.

Disney's 101 Dalmatians 'prequel' Cruella, starring La La Land Oscar winner Emma Stone as the evil puppy murderer, follows on May 21.

More big dates later this year include the long-awaited releases of Fast & Furious 9, Top Gun: Maverick and Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond — probably — in No Time to Die all of which were pushed back from 2020.

In common with other picture houses large and small, Cineworld has put a number of safety measures in place including social distancing, staggered film start and end times, and hand-sanitising stations.

Allocated seating has been adopted in screens to ensure social distancing is maintained between customers from different households while watching films while start and end times will be staggered to allow customers to get in and out without crossing paths.

Additional cleaning time has also been added between films

All customers are required to wear a face covering while inside cinemas which can only be removed while consuming food and drink

Full list of Cineworld's new releases expected in 2021:—

■ May – Nomadland, Peter Rabbit 2, Cruella, The Conjuring 3, The Devil Made Me Do It

■ June — A Quiet Place: Part II, The Father, In The Heights.

■ July — Black Widow, Fast & Furious 9, Jungle Cruise.

■ August — The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Candyman.

■ September – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, No Time To Die.

■ October – Halloween Kills, Last Night In Soho.

■ November – Eternals, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Top Gun: Maverick.

■ December — West Side Story, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The King's Man, The Matrix 4.