An Eat Out to Help Out-style scheme could be launched to help kickstart the entertainment industry.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he would be interested in helping the entertainment industry recover with a similar scheme at the right time.

The Eat Out to Help Out initiative saw diners receive 50 per cent off their bill if they ate out at a restaurant or bar from Monday to Wednesday throughout August.

It was to help give the hospitality industry a boost after being shutdown from late March to early July due to the nationwide lockdown.

Speaking in an interview after his Tory conference speech, Mr Sunak again again defended the cut-price meals scheme from claims it could have added to the spread of coronavirus.

Asked whether something similar could be used to help the ailing entertainment sector, he said: “Lots of ideas have been put to me and I think there’s an appropriate time to deploy interventions like that.

“It might not be the right time to deploy an intervention like that but I’m very sympathetic to the idea, at the appropriate time, we should be doing what we can to drive our recovery.”

The entertainment industry could end up being one of the most affected industries as theatres remain closed and pilot performances cancelled as coronavirus cases continue to soar.

Mr Suank’s comments also came as Cineworld announced it was to temporarily close all of its 101 sites across the country.

The news came after the studios behind the James Bond franchise delayed the release of new film No Time To Die for the second time due to Covid-19.