Empire Cinemas

Empire Cinemas is a multiplex cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It is a sister company of the Irish cinema chain Ward Anderson.

In 2005 both Odeon and the UK operations of UCI (also owners of thefilmworks brand) were taken over by Terra Firma Capital Partners who planned to merge the businesses under the "Odeon" brand. As part of this merger they were required by the Office of Fair Trading to divest eleven of their cinemas. At the same time Cineworld tookover the UK and Republic of Ireland operations of UGC who began merging them into their existing "Cineworld" brand and were required by the Office of Fair Trading to divest six of their UK cinemas.Empire Cinemas acquired both groups of available cinemas and began to rebrand them all as "Empire Cinemas". The London flagship site, from which the company takes its name is the Empire, Leicester Square.

By the end of 2006, Empire Cinemas had planned to operate 142 screens across the United Kingdom. [http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=39&storycode=3070885]

Some of the Cinemas are planned to have Costa Coffee Shops in them. [http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=39&storycode=3070885]

In 2007 they started selling tickets online also having a new website.Fact|date=June 2007

Current Empire Cinema locations

* Basildon (formerly UCI) 12 Screen
* Birmingham (formerly Cineworld) 13 Screen
* Bishop's Stortford (formerly Cineworld) 6 Screen
* Bromley (formerly Odeon) 4 Screen
* Clydebank (formerly UCI) 10 Screen
* Hemel Hempstead (formerly Odeon) 8 Screen
* High Wycombe (formerly UCI/thefilmworks) 6 Screen
* Leicester Square (formerly UCI) 5 Screen
* Newcastle upon Tyne (formerly Odeon) 12 Screen
* Poole (formerly UCI) 10 Screen
* Slough (formerly UGC/Cineworld) 10 Screen
* Sunderland (formerly Cineworld) 12 Screen
* Sutton (formerly Odeon/UCI) 6 Screen
* Sutton Coldfield (formerly Odeon) 4 Screen
* Swindon (formerly Cineworld) 12 Screen
* Wigan (formerly UGC/Cinewold) 11 Screen

Former Empire Cinema locations

* Ealing (formerly UGC/Cineworld) 3 Screen - Closed pending redevelopment on 07 September 2008 [http://www.empirecinemas.co.uk/images/ealing_web_banner2.jpg]

External links

* [http://www.empirecinemas.co.uk Empire Cinemas]