Battle to keep big screens and popcorn

British cinema chains are fighting off the threat from streaming giants with a string of blockbuster hits
Alien: Covenant and other hits are proving lucrative for UK cinemas
Alien: Covenant and other hits are proving lucrative for UK cinemas
MARK ROGERS

Chest-bursting aliens and a talking raccoon have made it a good week for Tim Richards, chief executive of Vue Entertainment. Two of the summer’s early blockbusters, Alien: Covenant and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, have delivered on their box office hype, raking in £8.4m in the UK last weekend as Hollywood toasts yet more success for its sci-fi hits.

“The last 115 years of cinema has proven we are inherently social beings and enjoy being in the company of others,” says Richards. “There will always be a demand for people to leave their homes and spend a few hours enjoying an incredible story.”

He is sitting in the foyer of what he says is Britain’s top-grossing cinema, the Vue at Westfield shopping centre in