A cinema in Norwich could be open as early as mid-July its boss has revealed. Tim Richards, chief executive of the Vue Cinemas chain, said he is “hopeful” that cinemas could be open by July 17.

Vue has a site in Norwich’s Castle Quarter.

Mr Richards said the chain is working with the government to illustrate it can reopen safely.

MORE: Five things set to transform the office after lockdown He said: “We are trying to demonstrate that we are not like sporting fixtures or music concerts. We can actually control how many people go into our cinema at any given time. We have the ability to schedule our films separately and we have the ability to control entrances and exits for customers.

“We have operating systems in place today which allow social distancing and cocooning within the cinema for couples, individuals or families who want to watch a movie.”

The chain said it has learned significantly from the impact of the Sars outbreak on its Taiwanese operations between 2002 and 2004.

Mr Richards said the chain is prepared for “every possible eventuality, ranging from social distancing to restricted access”.

He said there will be a “demand like we’ve never seen before” for cinemas when they are reopened, highlighting the releases of Tenet, Minions, Mulan and the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die, later this year.