After announcing the closure of its cinema sites earlier this week, Village Cinemas has today confirmed that it has successfully partnered with both ALDI and Woolworths Group to provide temporary casual employment to its casual and part time team members.

The redeployment efforts from these companies has provided over 30,000 casual job opportunities throughout Australia, including opportunities for placement of the Village Cinemas team of around 2,000 employees across Victoria and Tasmania.

Kirk Edwards, CEO of Village Entertainment, said he was immensely proud of the team’s efforts to relocate staff to these organisations.

“Our passionate staff are our greatest asset and during this unprecedented time, the instability of their employment was a reality that was difficult to comprehend. The temporary redeployment program brings great relief to our staff and the initiative is something we are immensely proud of. We thank ALDI and Woolworths Group again for their incredible support.

“Of course, when Village Cinemas reopens, we are very much looking forward to welcoming back all of our wonderful and valued team members to our world,” Edwards said.

Already planning for their reopening, Village Cinemas is preparing for a big return with an incredible schedule of blockbuster releases that had been postponed to late 2020.

Films include: No Time to Die; Mulan; Black Widow; Soul; Jungle Cruise and West Side Story.

While the global business climate has entered uncertain times, Village Cinemas is looking to the industry’s history and resilience when faced with adversaries. Michael Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Association of Cinema Operators, claimed the film and cinema industry has faced many challenges over the years from World Wars and economic depressions, to the introduction of TV, streaming services and piracy.

“Through these challenges, the cinema industry has not just survived, but thrived for one simple reason: the cinema experience is unique.

“This pandemic is unprecedented in its scale and impact but this too shall pass – and when it is safe to reopen and populate our cinemas, there will be a raft of excellent films for our patrons to enjoy,” Hawkins said.

While the business acknowledges that it can be difficult to plan in this ever-changing climate, it remains positive that once reopened through the support of key stakeholders and passionate customers, the film and cinema industry will together deliver one of the strongest release schedules to date. When considering the future of a business established over half a century ago, Kirk Edwards said that Village Cinemas is committed to returning stronger than ever.

“The development of our new and highly anticipated site at M-City in Clayton is testament to the growth opportunities in the Victorian market. This six-screen MCity project, with an investment of $12.4m, will allow employment for over 100 local staff,” Edwards said.