Empire Cinemas has collapsed into administration, resulting in the immediate loss of 150 jobs. Six cinemas within the chain have closed, while eight more are under threat.
Administrators from BDO stated that the company's business has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
Last month, rival chain Cineworld also fell into administration due to the pandemic and competition from streaming services.
The closed Empire cinemas are located in Bishop's Stortford, Catterick Garrison, Sunderland, Swindon, Walthamstow, and Wigan.
The closures have left Sunderland and Wigan without a main cinema.
On the other hand, the remaining sites in Birmingham, Clydebank, High Wycombe, Ipswich, and Sutton, as well as the two Tivoli-branded venues in Bath and Cheltenham, will continue to operate while administrators search for a buyer.
According to local media reports, employees arrived for work on Friday only to find notes on the windows explaining the closure.
BDO stated that the cinemas employed a total of 437 staff members across England and Scotland.
Gift cards, ticket e-codes, guest passes, and readmission tickets will remain valid at the operational cinema sites. Advanced ticket purchases at the closed sites will be automatically refunded.
Cinema-goers have been expressing their reactions to the closures on social media.
One individual expressed sadness over the closure of the Sunderland branch, but mentioned the high prices of refreshments and changing admission prices as contributing factors.
"It's not just Covid that caused this, especially when there is a cost of living crisis. People simply don't have the money these days."
Empire Cinemas was established in 2005 as a result of mergers between Odeon and UCI, as well as Cineworld and UGC.
Following a ruling by the Office of Fair Trading, both newly formed groups were required to divest a number of their cinemas, providing an opportunity for Empire Cinemas to be created.
Prior to the closure of the six cinemas on Friday, the chain operated 129 screens, including IMAX and IMPACT screens. Photo by Secretlondon at English Wikipedia.