Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has made an impassioned appeal to the audiences to help cinema houses survive after they were shut in many parts of the world because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The filmmaking business has been severely affected by the outbreak, with many upcoming releases now being postponed and several movie productions coming to a halt.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Nolan, whose next film Tenet — starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Dimple Kapadia among others — was scheduled to open worldwide in July, said theatres are a “vital part of social life” and a source of employment to many people.

“These are places of joyful mingling where workers serve up stories and treats to the crowds that come to enjoy an evening out with friends and family. As a filmmaker, my work can never be complete without those workers and the audiences they welcome,” he said.

Nolan added that the audiences hardly think about the people working in theatres as they mostly worry about the “stars, the studios, the glamour”.

“But the movie business is about everybody: the people working the concession stands, running the equipment, taking tickets, booking movies, selling advertising and cleaning bathrooms in local theatres. Regular people, many paid hourly wages rather than a salary, earn a living running the most affordable and democratic of our community gathering places.”

He said the theatrical experience has always reinforced a popular belief that “we’re all in this together”.

“In addition to the help theatre employees need, the theatrical exhibition community needs strategic and forward-thinking partnership from the studios. The past few weeks have been a reminder, if we needed one, that there are parts of life that are far more important than going to the movies.