Vue Cinemas
 | |
| Private | |
| Founded | May 2003 |
| Founder |
Timothy Richards (CEO) Alan McNair (CFO) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Owner |
OMERS Alberta Investment Management Corporation |
| Slogan |
The Future of Cinema (2003 – 2015) Big Screen Entertainment (2015 – present) |
| Website |
www |
Vue Entertainment (stylised as vue), formerly SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company operating in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 by the acquisition of Warner Village Cinemas by SBC and the subsequent rebranding of the business as Vue. As of 2013 the company has 80 cinemas in the UK, making it the third largest cinema chain in the country, with 755 screens.[1] The company's flagship site is Vue West End, the former Warner Village cinema in Leicester Square.
The company expanded through a number of acquisitions, including the Ster Century chain, Apollo Cinemas and Multikino. In June 2006, Vue's executive team completed a management buy-out with the backing of Bank of Scotland Corporate,[2] taking a 51% stake in the business and buying the four remaining Warner Village sites it had been operating under contract from Village Roadshow. The company was bought by the private equity firm Doughty Hanson & Co in 2010.[3]
In 2013, Doughty Hanson & Co announced the sale of the company to the Canadian firms OMERS and Alberta Investment Management Corporation for £935 million.[4]
Inside Vue Magazine
When Vue first opened more than a decade ago, the company published its first-ever free monthly magazine based upon reviews and other future listing of various films. Up until now, hundreds of thousands of issues have been collected by customers. The magazine has been restocked every first Friday of every month up until April 2016.
History
The company was formed in 2003 when SBC bought Warner Village Cinemas from Warner Bros. for £250 million. At the time, SBC owned four cinemas, and Warner Village Cinemas owned 36.[5]
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.[6]
On 20 June 2006, Vue's executive team completed a management buy-out of the company with the backing of Bank of Scotland Corporate; the management team retaining a 51% stake.[2] Also, as part of the buy-out, Vue took full ownership of the four Village sites it had been operating under contract from Village Roadshow. The private equity firm Doughty Hanson & Co acquired Vue in 2010.[3]
Vue bought the company Apollo in 2012, retaining 14 new sites across the UK, making it the third largest cinema company in the UK behind Odeon and Cineworld.[7]
By 2013, it was reported that Vue had increased to the size of 143 cinemas.[8] In May 2013, Vue Entertainment acquired Multikino, the Polish cinema operator owning 30 cinemas with almost 250 screens in Poland and Baltic countries.[9]
In June 2013, Doughty Hanson & Co announced it had sold Vue to the Canadian pension fund OMERS and Alberta Investment Management Corporation for £935 million.[4]
In 2015, Vue International (Vue) acquired JT Bioscopen (“JT”) the second largest cinema chain in the Netherlands, bringing a number of total sites to over 200.[10]
In November 2015, Vue changed its slogan from The Future of Cinema to Big Screen Entertainment, due to new lease funding. Also around this time, Vue Cheshire Oaks & Leeds both had been upgraded to be the first two cinemas to have IMAX screens.
In January 2016, it was revealed that Vue Cinemas would show Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight as normal, but would have a 10-minute intermission in between, as the film is more than 3-and-a-half hours long.
In March 2016, Vue designed promotive t-shirts for the thriller film London Has Fallen. The shirts were worn by cinema staff during the preview and official release of London Has Fallen on 1 March.
In May 2016, the company designed primitive t-shirts for the upcoming Fox/Marvel film, X-Men: Apocalypse on May 18. They were worn from May 1, 2016.
Facilities
Vue's multiplexes vary in size from 4 to 30 screens and as a result the staffing of each site is slightly different. Each cinema is run by the management team. This team will consist of one general manager (GM) assisted by between 2 and 5 other members of the management team, depending on the size and complexity of the site. The general manager has general control of the running of the cinema at site level, while assisted by the other members of the management team. Team Leaders act as duty managers and are responsible for the operational running of a cinema on a shift basis. Customer Assistants serve guests throughout the cinema and report to the management team.
In addition to this, all cinemas have a dedicated projection team and a mascot, responsible for the running of the "box" and the maintenance of the projection and sound equipment. The projection department is structured much like the rest of the cinema. The Technical Manager has overall responsibility, supported by a Senior Projectionist. They are accompanied by a team of 2 to 4 full or part-time projection staff, some of which can also share duties with the standard operation of the cinema. However, all Vue sites are now fully digital, and therefore ran by the management team, or Technical Manager.
Vue completed the rollout of the Vista Entertainment Solutions integrated Point of Sale software to every site in 2006.[11] Prior to this the majority of Vue cinemas ran the WaBITS ticketing system, developed in-house in London by Warner Bros. International Cinemas. This was an internal system used in all former Warner Village cinemas until 2007, when the division responsible for development was closed owing to the sale of the remaining joint venture cinema chains. WaBTIS continues to be used in Japan by Warner Mycal Cinemas who now own the rights to the system.
The new system enables customers to buy tickets at any retail point in the cinema, as well as online through the company website. Vue were the first major cinema operator in the UK to implement this "single point of sale" concept. Some cinemas (including those in Aberdeen, Accrington, Birkenhead, Blackburn, Bury The Rock, Camberley, Cardiff, Carmarthen, Carlisle, Cwmbran, Eastleigh, Hull Princes Quay, Lancaster, The Leeds Light, Hartlepool, Merthyr Tydfil, Harrow, Northampton and Swansea) have no dedicated box office, meaning that all transactions are carried out at retail stands.
In 2015 Vue cinemas opened in Farnborough [12] and planning permission has been approved for an eight-screen venue on Elizabeth Street and Westcott Way in Corby.[13]
Vue cinema built the first UK's eSports arena in cooperation with Gfinity, costing £350,000.[14] The Fulham Broadway cinema was converted into a 600 seat 'Gfinity Arena,' to host e-gaming events [15]
Venues
United Kingdom
| Location | Screens | Sound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound | approx. 1531 seats |
| Accrington | 4 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 849 seats |
| Altrincham | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound | approx. 897 seats |
| Barrow | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 951 seats |
| Basingstoke Festival Place | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 2166 seats |
| Bicester | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 854 seats |
| Birkenhead | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1756 seats |
| Birmingham | 25 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 5128 seats |
| Bolton | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme | approx. 2477 seats |
| Bristol Cribbs Causeway | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme | approx. 2470 seats |
| Bristol Longwell Green | 13 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 2686 seats |
| Bury The Rock | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme, 4K | approx. 1690 seats |
| Camberley | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1839 seats |
| Cambridge | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1724 seats |
| Cardiff | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1600 seats |
| Carlisle | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1647 seats |
| Carmarthen | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 900 seats |
| Cheshire Oaks | 16 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, IMAX | approx. 3390 seats |
| Cleveleys | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1066 seats |
| Cramlington | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme | |
| Croydon Grant's | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1778 seats |
| Croydon Purley Way | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1996 seats |
| Cwmbran | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1179 seats |
| Dagenham | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1724 seats |
| Doncaster | 11 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound | approx. 1386 seats |
| Eastleigh | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1578 seats |
| Edinburgh Ocean Terminal | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 2602 seats |
| Edinburgh Omni Centre | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 2188 seats |
| Exeter | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1044 seats |
| Farnborough | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 921 seats |
| Gateshead Trinity Square | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | |
| Glasgow Fort | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1900 seats |
| Halifax | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound | approx. 1400 seats |
| Hamilton | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1478 seats |
| Hartlepool | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1773 seats |
| Hull Princes Quay | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1694 seats |
| Inverness | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1758 seats |
| Lancaster | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D | approx. 1574 seats |
| Leamington Spa | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 898 seats |
| Leeds Kirkstall Road | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K, IMAX | approx. 1886 seats |
| Leeds The Light | 14 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2834 seats |
| Leicester | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2391 seats |
| Livingston | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1645 seats |
| London - Acton | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2332 seats |
| London - Finchley Road (O2 Centre) | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1710 seats |
| London - Fulham Broadway | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2252 seats |
| London - Harrow | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1808 seats |
| London - Islington | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme | approx. 1753 seats |
| London - North Finchley | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2102 seats |
| London - Piccadilly | 5 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 481 seats |
| London - Shepherd's Bush | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2557 seats |
| London - Leicester Square | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2471 seats |
| London - Westfield London | 17 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme | approx. 3000 seats |
| London - Westfield Stratford City | 20 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme | approx. 2600 seats |
| London - Wood Green | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1742 seats |
| Manchester Lowry | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2087 seats |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1212 seats |
| Newbury | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 973 seats |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1976 seats |
| Northampton | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound | approx. 2547 seats |
| Norwich | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1800 seats |
| Oxford | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1712 seats |
| Plymouth | 15 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, VueXtreme, 4K | approx. 3315 seats |
| Portsmouth | 14 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 3203 seats |
| Preston | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1848 seats |
| Reading | 11 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1840 seats |
| Redditch | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1172 seats |
| Rhyl | 5 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 601 seats |
| Romford | 16 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 3715 seats |
| Scunthorpe | 7 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1500 seats. |
| Sheffield | 11 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1953 seats. |
| Southport | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1403 seats. |
| Staines | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 2126 seats. |
| Stirling | 8 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1061 seats. |
| Stroud | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 796 seats. |
| Swansea | 12 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1762 seats. |
| Thurrock | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1322 seats. |
| Torbay | 9 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1638 seats. |
| Watford | 11 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1844 seats. |
| Westwood Cross, Thanet | 10 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K | approx. 1644 seats. |
| Worcester | 6 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K |
Republic of Ireland
| Location | Screens | Sound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 14 | Digital Dolby Surround Sound, 3D, 4K |
References
- ↑ About Vue Cinema
- 1 2 Clarity Partners: Vue Entertainment Announces Management Buyout
- 1 2 Doughty Hanson buys Vue cinemas
- 1 2 "Vue Cinemas sold in £935m deal". BBC News. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ Richard Wray (14 May 2003). "Deal marks the end for Warner Village". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ Murray, Adam (April 2005). "Vue Entertainment Purchases Ster Century UK & Ireland" (Press release). BV Investment Partners. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ "Vue acquires rival Apollo for £20m". Financial Times. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ "Who Owns Britains Cinema Chains". DenofGeek.
- ↑ Vue Entertainment buys Polish Multikino
- ↑ "Vue International Acquires Second Largest Chain in the Netherlands". Corporate Vue.
- ↑ Vista Case Study: Vue Entertainment
- ↑ "Long awaited Vue cinema finally opens in Farnborough". GetHampshire.
- ↑ "Vue-Cinema Gets Green Light in Corby". Northants Telegraph.
- ↑ "Can Professional Video Gaming Take UK We Visit Opening Night First Esports Arena Find Out". CityAM.
- ↑ "Vue Gfinity Esports". Engadget.