Cineworld Unlimited: cinema chain announces changes to Unlimited membership - here's how it works

Cineworld has announced changes to its Unlimited service ahead of the reopening of cinemas in the UK.

Cinerma theatres in England are due to open their doors again on May 17, coinciding with stage three of lockdown easing.

But before you take in some big screen action you should be aware of some subtle tweaks which have been made to Unlimited membership.

Here’s what you need to know before you reach for the popcorn.

What changes have been made to Cineworld Unlimited?

On the cinema chain’s official website they explained the following changes had been made:

There are different prices based on four Groups, each Group including a number of Cineworld Cinemas

- “The price of your Unlimited Membership will depend on which Group your local Cineworld falls into”

- “You can use your Unlimited card at all cinemas that fall into the same Group as your local Cineworld”

- “All existing and new members have the option to upgrade to a higher Group in order to use their Unlimited card at more cinemas”

Apart from these changes “all other benefits remain the same” explains Cineworld.

What group is my cinema in?

There are four separate cinema groups, with Group 1 cinemas paying the lowest amount per month to watch films on a regular basis.

The groups are divided as follows:

Group 1 (£9.99 a month): Aberdeen; Aberdeen Union Square; Aldershot; Bedford; Bolton; Bradford; Bristol; Cardiff; Hull; Plymouth; Runcorn; Stoke on Trent; Weymouth

Group 2 (£15.99 a month): Birmingham Broad Street; Boldon Tyne and Wear; Bracknell; Brighton; Broughton; Burton On Trent; Bury St Edmunds; Castleford; Chesterfield; Chichester; Dalton Park; Didcot; Didsbury; Dover; Dundee; Eastbourne; The Beacon; Edinburgh; Ely; Falkirk; London - Feltham; Glasgow Parkhead; Glasgow Renfrew Street; Glasgow Silverburn; Gloucester Quay; Harlow Harvey Centre; Harlow Queensgate; Haverhill; High Wycombe; Hinckley; Huntingdon; London - Ilford; Ipswich; Isle of Wight; Jersey; Leeds; Leigh; Llandudno; Loughborough; Luton; Middlesbrough; Newcastle; Newport Spytty Park; Northampton; Nottingham; Poole; Rochester; Rugby; Runcorn; Shrewsbury; Solihull; Speke; St Helens; St Neots; Swindon Regent Circus; Swindon Shaw Ridge; Telford; Wakefield; Warrington; Watford; London - West India Quay; Whiteley; Witney; Wolverhampton; London - Wood Green; Yate; Yeovil; York

Group 3 (£18.40 a month): Ashford; Basildon; London - Bexleyheath; Birmingham NEC; Braintree; Cheltenham; Crawley; London - Enfield; London - O2 Greenwich; Hemel Hempstead; Milton Keynes; Rushden Lakes; London - South Ruislip; Stevenage; London - Wandsworth; London - Wembley

Group 4 (£20.90 a month): London Leicester Square

What films will be showing when cinemas open?

Luckily, after a period in which many cinemas turned to re-runs to fill their schedules, there’ll be an array of films for cinephiles to enjoy from next month, including:

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (May 17): Horror series favourite ‘Saw’ will return to the big screen in a reboot featuring Chris Rock, starring as a detective on the hunt for sadistic serial killer, Jigsaw.

Nomadland (May 17): This award-winning film starring Frances McDormand follows a woman in her sixties who embarks on a roadtrip across the American West after losing everything she has in the recession.

The Courier (May 17): Already released in the US, this Cold War thriller stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a salesman-turned-spy who races against time to end the Cuban missile crisis.

Sound of Metal (May 17): In a role that earned him an Oscar nomination, Riz Ahmed plays a heavy metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing.

Peter Rabbit 2 (May 21): For kids, Peter Rabbit’s sequel film hopes to be showing from May 21, starring actor James Corden as the voice of Peter.

Cruella (May 28): This long-anticipated live action Disney film explores the origin story of the enchantingly villainous Cruella de Vil, starring Emma Stone in the lead role.

Conjuring 3: the devil made me do it (May 28): The third in the popular Conjuring series is set for release in May, following paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they take on the case of a murder suspect claiming he was possessed by a devil.