Russell Crowe will be the first major movie star to return to the big screen following lockdown as Hollywood plans to reopen on July 1 with the US release of his latest movie Unhinged.

Solstice Studios, the company which made the road rage thriller, told Sky News that this earlier-than-planned release was boosted by polls showing that film fanatics were itching to return to cinemas and get the entertainment industry rolling again.

The early release of the film comes in stark contrast to the delay or alternative television and streaming site release of a number of films in the last few months.

President of Solstice Studios, Mark Gill, told Sky News: "We are most definitely the canary in the coal mine. 

“We have some reasonable confidence that theatres will be open, but there's a risk,” he added.

He was realistic about the possible negative outcomes that could come from the release and was understanding that measures would have to be taken, adding: "If things go wrong and public health departments need to shut things down, they should and they will."

However, he hoped the film release would offer some essence of normality and a glimmer of hope for the resumption of day-to-day-life.

He said: "This is one of those steps that we all need to take toward getting back to normal."

Almost a million film and TV staff are said to have lost their jobs in Hollywood after all productions were halted when lockdown was introduced in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Talks have allegedly already begun as to how best to safely resume filming as soon as possible.