The Films (Exhibition Periods) Order 1996

• Citation: S.I. 1996/3140
• Sections: 3

Section 1

This Order may be cited as the Films (Exhibition Periods) Order 1996 and shall come into force on 1st March 1997.

Section 2

(1) In this Order—

“cinema” means any premises in the United Kingdom which are used for the exhibition of films and which require a licence or consent for that purpose under section 1 or 2 of the Cinemas Act 1985 ;

“the day of general release”, in relation to any film, shall mean—

the first day on which the film is exhibited in 5 or more cinemas on the same day, or

the day on which the total number of cinemas in which the film has been exhibited exceeds 9,

whichever shall first occur;

“distributor” means a person carrying on the business of supplying films to exhibitors for exhibition;

“exhibition” means exhibition to the public but does not include an exhibition free of charge to all members of the audience and “exhibited” shall be construed accordingly;

“exhibitor” means a person carrying on the business of exhibiting films; and

“film” means any record, however made, capable of being used as a means of showing a sequence of visual images as a moving picture;

(2) If an exhibition of a film begins but is not completed on any day, the film shall be treated, for the purposes of this Order, as having been exhibited on the day on which the exhibition begins.

Section 3

It shall be unlawful for a distributor to require, as a condition of the supply of a film to an exhibitor for exhibition in a cinema on or after the day of general release of that film, that the exhibitor should exhibit the film for a period longer than—

(a) in the case of the exhibition of a film for a period commencing within six weeks of the day of general release of the film, two weeks; or

(b) in any other case, one week.