Coronavirus: Event Cinemas to close all movie theatres from today

All movie theatres are to be shut down because of the ongoing coronavirus situation in New Zealand.

Event Cinemas has announced that all its theatres, including the Embassy Theatre in Wellington and Rialto Cinemas, will be closed temporarily from today until further notice.

Event Cinemas NZ spokeswoman, Carmen Switzer, said: "The impact of coronavirus is unprecedented and we could no longer guarantee the safety and well-being of our staff and customers - which has always been our first priority.

All Event Cinemas are to close from today due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. Image / Google

"We are committed to working openly and honestly with our people during this time; supporting them in the best way we can."

It was not yet clear when cinemas would be re-opened.

However, Switzer said they were looking forward to re-opening at some point with a strong blockbuster film line-up and returning to employing staff in local communities it operated theatres in.

Anyone who purchased tickets during the closure period will be given an automatic refund and an email, she said.

The announcement comes after the same move was made by other countries - including US, which has shut down movie theatre chains around the country.