Places: Cinema - Chains

History

Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners. Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch. Odeon publicists have claimed that the name of the cinemas was derived from his motto, "Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation", but it had been used for cinemas in France and Italy in the 1920s, and the name is ultimately derived from Ancient Greek. The name "Nickelodeon" was coined in 1905 and was widely used to describe small movie theatres in the United States during that era.

By 1930, "Odeon" was a household name and the cinemas known for their maritime-inspired Art Deco architecture. This style was first used in 1930 on the cinema at Perry Barr in Birmingham, which was bought by Deutsch to expand the chain. He liked the style so much that he commissioned the architect, Harry Weedon, to design his future buildings. George Coles was also one of their principal architects, remodelling a partially complete assembly hall in Portslade and designing his first purpose-built cinema in Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, Kent which opened on 22 October 1934 and closed on 22 October 1960. It is presently a bingo club in the Mecca chain. It featured central linear lighting, a feature that became characteristic of his work.

Each Odeon cinema had a character different from most other cinemas in the UK, often having a unique and spectacular interior. They also ran their own advertising company, called Rank Screen Advertising, in competition with the UK market leader Pearl & Dean, which it eventually overtook. A smaller number of Odeon cinemas opened in the post-war years (Odeon Marble Arch and Odeon Elephant & Castle being notable instances), but many single-screen cinemas either closed, sub-divided into smaller screens or were converted into other uses, such as bingo. The flagship cinema, the Odeon Leicester Square, is one of the largest cinemas in Great Britain and host to most of London's West End film premières, retaining its large screen and circle & stalls layout.

Controversy

In 2008, Odeon made a controversial move by refusing to screen Rambo (film) on any of its UK screens, blaming it on "commercial differences". In 2010 Odeon and a couple of other multiplex cinema chains attempted to boycott Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010 film), but after negotiations with Disney, Odeon and the other cinema chains backed down.

History

Vue Entertainment (stylised as vue), formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats, including the rebranded flagship Warner Village cinema in Leicester Square. In April 2005 the chain acquired the Ster Century chain from Aurora Entertainment; this included the highest grossing cinema in the UK or Ireland at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland.

History

Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of the single largest multiplex by screens and customer base in Ireland. Cineworld Glasgow Renfrew Street is the tallest cinema in the world and the busiest, by customer base, in the UK. Based on the number of screens, the biggest Cineworld cinema is at Valley Centertainment in Sheffield with 20 screens.

Subscription service

Cineworld offers a subscription service using a membership card - the "Unlimited Card" - which provides subscribers with unlimited entrance for a set price per month. It is the only type of cinema subscription service available in the UK, Ireland and Jersey. The card has a minimum subscription period of 12 months. Admission to 3D features incurs an additional fee of £1.50, and does not include the cost of 3D glasses. Tickets can only be acquired using the unlimited card on the day of the film is to be shown. During the summer of 2011, new customers who signed up to the unlimited card would receive the 13th month of subscription free.

Controversy

Cineworld is the only cinema chain in the United Kingdom to operate a 'strict no food and drink policy'[9] on items that have been bought elsewhere. In 2008, a customer was thrown out of a Cineworld cinema after being searched by a security guard who found a bag of sweets.Consequently customers have to buy food and drink at the cinema despite price of food and drink items have been found to be four times higher than elsewhere at Cineworld.

In 2011, falling cinema revenue was attributed to fewer purchases of food and drink due to pricing being so extortionately high, that cinema goers cannot afford it. Other criticism towards the chain is it's unwavering support of 3D technology and in some sites it has been noted that for a whole week there is no option of 2D versions of films, forcing customers who either cannot or don't want to watch 3D films being forced to avoid screenings. Due to the general public starting to turn it's back on 3D films because of the huge price of tickets and general poor quality of 3D technology,  commentators have voiced concerns that Cineworld jumped on the 3D bandwagon too soon.