Village Cinemas
Parent Australian Theatres | | |
Website | VillageCinemas.com.au |
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Village Cinemas is an Australian-based multinational
Since 2003, its Australian sites became a joint venture between
The Village Cinemas brand also operates in various forms within some international markets, either as a joint venture with Village Roadshow, or under
History
Foundation
The company origins of Village Roadshow and Village Cinemas came in 1954 from the foundation in one of Australia's first drive-in theatre operations in
Kirby rapidly expanded Village Drive-In Pty Limited through the late 1950s, with the circuit opening in the Melbourne suburbs of
Joining Roc Kirby in the company's expansion were his sons, Robert and John, who helped out by serving popcorn and soft drinks, and Graham Burke, who commenced with the company in 1960 sweeping floors at one of its theatres. Burke later became integral to the business, joining the Kirbys in Village Roadshow's expansion beyond exhibition. In 1967, the company entered the film distribution side, founding Roadshow Distributors. That operation later grew into Australia's largest, while also adding film production to its portfolio during the 1970s.[1]
The advent of
Village Roadshow responded to another expanding trend, that of the
Amalgamations
In 1988, Village Roadshow sold two-thirds in Village Cinemas and entered into an equal
In 1995, Village Roadshow added a new retail format from the creation of joint-venture, Village Nine Leisure, with
International expansion
With the company being led by John and Robert Kirby (who alternated in the chairman's position) and Graham Burke, who undertook the managing director's position, Village Roadshow began expanding its cinemas overseas in the 1990s. This saw
In February 1997, Village Cinemas and Warner Bros. partnered again to open Australia's first 24-hour cinema in Melbourne's new
In October 1998, the Cinema Europa concept was introduced when three auditoriums were added to the Village Cinemas in The Jam Factory, closely followed by another three screens in Village Southland. As with Gold Class, this type of cinema would later be rolled out across other Village Cinemas in Melbourne before expanding overseas.[12][15]
In August 1999, it was announced that the Village Force and Village Rialto cinema chains in
Yet, the international market remained the company's clear priority as growth opportunities within its home market remained limited. Graham Burke told the Herald Sun, "We will be a worldwide entertainment giant – if we are not already – in five years." By the end of 2000, the Village Cinemas brand had entered a number of new foreign markets, including Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.[1]
In early 2001, Village Roadshow's swift international cinema expansion had not convinced investors, and amid falling profits and a floundering share price, the public company was forced to abandon its ambition of establishing a global cinema empire. The company began exiting a number of foreign markets, with plans to drop back to just ten of its more profitable country markets. Village Roadshow also began shedding a number of its other non-core operations at the time while giving greater focus to its film distribution and production arms which included more major co-productions with Warner Bros.[1]
In late 2001, the company continued its international rationalisation, selling off its Swiss and Hungarian theatres. Germany and France followed, and, by the end of 2002, the company had sold off its cinema businesses in Malaysia, India, and Thailand as well. Not all the company's cinema businesses were in regression, however, as the company added extra theatres to its existing chains in the Czech Republic, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom that year.[1]
In early 2003, Burke and the Kirby brothers admitted that they saw Village Roadshow's future chiefly in film production, particularly given the seemingly saturated status of the exhibition market.[1] That year, Warner Bros. sold their 33.3% share in the Australian Multiplex Joint Venture back to Village Roadshow and Amalgamated Holdings Limited who increased their stakes to 50/50, forming Australian Theatres, the overall owner of Village Cinemas and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle (Event Cinemas would be later introduced outside Village's Vic/Tas markets in 2009).[2][3]
In November 2005, Village Roadshow and their New Zealand cinema partner
In 2007, Village Roadshow sold its Warner Village Cinema operations in Italy, its two cinemas in Austria, and disposed of its 25% interest in the
In October 2008, the company entered the United States exhibition market by opening the first Village Roadshow Gold Class cinema in the wealthy Chicago suburb of South Barrington, followed by a second at Redmond, Washington. Local joint venture partners, Crescent Entertainment and the Alabama Pension Fund, owned a combined 40% stake in the new business with Village owning the majority. The company signed up a total of 12 sites across the US, all in up-market shopping areas, including New York City and Seattle, with plans to grow to about 40 complexes within three to five years. Like Gold Class cinemas in other countries, the US chain was targeting affluent movie goers willing to pay $US35 ($A43) a ticket for bigger chairs and the chance to order alcohol and gourmet food with their film. The only difference with the American chain saw its Gold Class screens located as stand-alone cinemas, while other international markets have theirs form part of the actual Village Cinema multiplexes. managing director, Graham Burke, commented on luxury movie watching as a new concept for America, "we will be the first mover in that market." Yet, he added a reassurance for shareholders, "Australia is the 51st state, the culture is very similar and it's worked so well in Australia." Village Roadshow Gold Class was headquartered in Burbank, California and led by CEO, Kirk Senior.[29][30][31][32]
In October 2009, local
In September 2010, the company sold its majority stake in the six-theatre Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas LLC (Gold Class USA) to iPic Entertainment's new subsidiary, iPic-Gold Class Entertainment LLC, with Village retaining a 30% interest. Village Roadshow released a statement, admitting to shareholders; "The financial performance of the Gold Class USA cinemas has been disappointing from the outset." Over the next year, the new owners rebranded the chain to iPic Theaters, reduced ticket prices, added extra seating, outsourced restaurant services, and added extra locations while closing others.[36][37][38][39]
In February 2013, all four Tasmanian Village Cinemas joined Australian Theatres after the long-standing joint venture between Village Roadshow and
In June 2017, Village Roadshow's 50% stake in Golden Village was set to be acquired by Singapore-based media mini-conglomerate MM2 Asia.[42] However, mm2's bid to acquire 50% of Golden Village cinema chain fell through as Village Roadshow failed to secure the approval of Golden Screen (also known as Orange Sky Golden Harvest), the other joint venture partner.[43] Instead, in October 2017, Orange Sky Golden Harvest purchased the Village Roadshow's 50% stake, therefore having full ownership of Golden Village.[44] It is unknown whether the Village name will be dropped from Golden Village as a result of the acquisition.
The chain was forced to temporarily close all cinemas across the country in early 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is set to reopen at the end of June.
Current sites
Australia
Within its home market, the Village Cinemas brand only operates in
Victoria:
- Westfield Airport West(Village 8 Airport West)
- Century City Walk (Village 10 Century City)
- Westfield Doncaster (Village 9 Doncaster)
- Coburg North(Village Drive-In 3)
- Crown (Village 14 Crown)
- Westfield Fountain Gate (Village 14 Fountain Gate) (screen number increased from 10 to 14 in November 2013 to accommodate 3 Gold Class auditoriums and an additional Vmax screen)[46]
- Camberwell (Rivoli Cinemas 8) (operated by Village Cinemas but branded separately)
- Werribee Plaza(Werribee 10 Cinemas) (operated by Village Cinemas but branded separately)
- Karingal Hub Shopping Centre (Village 10 Karingal)
- Jam Factory (Village 15 Jam Factory)
- Westfield Knox (Village 15 Knox)
- Westfield Southland (Village 16 Southland) (includes an Intencity)
- Sunshine Marketplace (Village 20 Sunshine Megaplex) (includes an Intencity)
- Geelong (Village 11 Geelong)
- Shepparton (Village 4 Shepparton)
- Westfield Plenty Valley
Tasmania:
- Eastlands Shopping Centre (Village 4 Eastlands)
- Glenorchy (Village 4 Glenorchy)
- Hobart central business district (Village 7 Hobart) (includes an Intencity)
- Launceston (Village 4 Launceston) (includes an Intencity)
Affiliate cinemas
Village Cinemas also has film and product output arrangements with affiliate (partner) cinemas at regional sites that are independently owned and operated. Except the cinemas at Warrnambool and Bendigo – they are joint ventures between Village Roadshow and other businesses.[45] The Peninsula Cinemas Group is also wholly owned by Village Roadshow Executive chairman, Robert Kirby, and his immediate family. All these sites are branded independently of Village, but Bendigo Cinemas carry many of Village's looks, including the interior of the building and staff uniforms.[47]
- Albury (Regent Cinemas 9) (includes an Intencity)
- Bendigo (Bendigo 7 Cinemas) (Known locally as Bendigo Cinemas)
- Warragul (Warragul Cinema Centre 3) (part of the Peninsula Cinemas Group)
- Sorrento (Sorrento Athenaeum Cinemas 3) (part of the Peninsula Cinemas Group)
- Rosebud (Rosebud Cinemas 5) (part of the Peninsula Cinemas Group)
- Warrnambool (Capitol Cinema Centre 3)
Argentina
Within Argentina, Village Cines was a joint venture between Southern Screens Entertainment II and Blue Ridge, based in the United States, and operated the brand under license from 2005 to 2018. Cinépolis is the new joint venture since 2018 based in Mexico.
- Recoleta (Village Recoleta)
- Caballito (Village 9 Caballito)
- Pilar(Village 8 Pilar)
- Avellaneda (Village 16 Avellaneda)
- Rosario(Village 13 Rosario)
- Mendoza Plaza (Village 10 Mendoza Plaza)
- Neuquén(Village 6 Neuquén)
- Arena Maipú (Village Arena Maipú)
- Merlo, Buenos Aires (Village Cines Merlo)
- Luján, Buenos Aires (Village Cines Luján)
Greece
Within
- Agios Ioannis Renti (Village 20 Renti)
- The Mall Athens (Village World 14 The Mall)
- Mediterranean Cosmos (Village World 11 Mediterranean Cosmos)
- Athens Metro Mall, Aghios Dimitrios (Village 5 Aghios Dimitrios)
- Pangrati (Village 5 Pangrati)
- Volos (Village 4 Volos)
Fiji
Within Fiji, Damodar Village Cinemas is a joint venture between Australian-based, Amalgamated Holdings Limited, and the Fijian-based, Damodar Brothers, who operate the existing two-cinema chain under licence since 2010. However, the joint venture will debut the Vmax and Gold Class concepts in late-2013 when a new Damodar Event Cinema multiplex opens in Damodar City, Suva.[25][49][50]
-
The eight-screen, heritage registered, free standing Rivoli Cinemas in Camberwell
-
The ten-screen, free standing Werribee 10 Cinemas withinWerribee Plaza
-
A sixteen-screen, integrated Village Cinema within Westfield Southland
-
A seven-screen, free standing Village Cinema within theHobart central business district.
Concept screens
Gold Class
Gold Class cinemas, a luxury cinema format, is provided at a number of Village locations within wealthier areas in Australia, Singapore, Argentina, and Greece. It also operates under
All Gold Class Cinemas are operated in separate areas within regular Village Cinema complexes; whilst the former United States' Village Roadshow Gold Class chain were completely separate complexes between 2008 and 2010. The Gold Class format is also provided at many Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle sites and one regional Australian affiliate cinema. Village-branded Gold Class Cinemas are located at:
In Australia:
- Century City Walk (Gold Class Century City) (2 auditoriums)
- Crown (Gold Class Crown) (6 auditoriums)
- Westfield Doncaster (Gold Class Doncaster) (3 auditoriums)
- Westfield Fountain Gate (Gold Class Fountain Gate) (3 auditoriums)
- Geelong (Gold Class Geelong) (2 auditoriums)
- Hobart central business district(Gold Class Hobart) (3 auditoriums)
- Albury (Regent Cinemas Gold Class) (1 auditorium)
- Jam Factory (Gold Class Jam Factory) (4 auditoriums)
- Karingal Hub Shopping Centre (Gold Class Karingal) (3 auditoriums)
- Westfield Knox (Gold Class Knox) (2 auditoriums)
- Westfield Southland (Gold Class Southland) (3 auditoriums)
- Sunshine Marketplace (Gold Class Sunshine) (3 auditoriums)
- Camberwell (Rivoli Cinemas Gold Class) (2 auditoriums)
In Singapore:
- VivoCity (Gold Class VivoCity) (3 auditoriums)
- Katong (Gold Class Katong) (2 auditoriums)
- Grand World City (Gold Class Grand) (1 auditorium)
- Suntec City (Gold Class Suntec City) (3 auditoriums)
In Argentina:
- Arena Maipú (Gold Class Arena Maipú) (2 auditoriums)
In Greece:
- The Mall Athens (Gold Class The Mall) (2 auditoriums)
- Palaio Faliro (Gold Class Faliro) (2 auditoriums)
In the Czech Republic:
- Anděl (CineStar Gold Class) (2 auditoriums)
In India:
- Gold Class Saket)[16]
- Ambience Mall (Gold Class Gurgaon)[16]
- Gold Class Koramangala)[16]
- Gold Class Kurla)[16]
Cinema Europa
Cinema Europa auditoriums are located in separate areas within regular Village Cinema complexes in
- Westfield Knox (Cinema Europa Knox) (2 auditoriums)
- Westfield Southland (Cinema Europa Southland) (4 auditoriums)
- VivoCity (Cinema Europa VivoCity) (1 auditorium)
- The Mall Athens (Cinema Europa The Mall) (2 auditoriums)
- Palaio Faliro (Cinema Europa Faliro) (1 auditorium)
- Ambience Mall (Cinema Europa Gurgaon)[16]
Vmax
Vmax cinemas feature enhanced film display, picture quality and digital sound. The screens at Vmax are all of width 22 metres or greater (the largest being 28 metres at Westfield Knox) and are placed in large auditoriums which feature larger seats, stadium seating and wider armrests. Some locations also feature Dolby Atmos. The Vmax format is also provided at many Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle sites. Village Vmax locations are:
- Karingal Hub Shopping Centre (Vmax Karingal) (1 auditorium)
- Westfield Knox (Vmax Knox) (1 auditorium, 28m screen)
- Westfield Southland (Vmax Southland) (2 auditoriums)
- Westfield Doncaster (Vmax Doncaster) (1 auditorium, 22m screen)
- Westfield Fountain Gate (Vmax Fountain Gate) (2 auditoriums)
- Village Cinemas Hobart (1 auditorium)
- Crown Casino (Vmax Crown) (Features Dolby Atmos)
- VivoCity (GVmax VivoCity) (1 auditorium, 22.4m screen)
- The Mall Athens (Vmax The Mall) (1 auditorium)
- Palaio Faliro (Vmax Faliro) (1 auditorium)
- Mediterranean Cosmos (Vmax Mediterranean Cosmos) (1 auditorium)
Coburg Drive-In
The
Digital 3D
In early 2011 Village Cinemas Australia converted all of their auditoriums and cinemas to Digital Projectors, seeing traditional film and prints become extinct. The installation of these projectors means that all auditoriums are now
Vjunior
Vjunior is a movie theatre by Village Cinemas made for children, which includes a slide and a play area.
VPremium
There are VPremium auditoriums at the following sites:
- Hobart (2 auditoriums)
- Jam Factory
- Southland
- Geelong
4DX
On 27 October 2017, the first 4DX screen owned by Village was opened. 4DX allows a motion picture presentation to be augmented with environmental effects such as seat motion, wind, rain, fog, lights, and scents along with the standard video and audio. As such, theatres must be specially designed for and equipped with 4DX technology.
There are 4DX screens at the following sites:
- Century City
Partnerships
In April 2015, BMW Australia and Village Gold Class Cinemas, in joint venture with AHL, announced a partnership where BMW Australia was named as the presenting partner for Village Gold Class Cinemas. The partnership includes a co-branding agreement across Village Gold Class assets.[51]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Village Roadshow Ltd. History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Village Roadshow Group: Landmarks". Ketupa.net. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d "AHL and Greater Union: Chronology". Ketupa.net. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ "Village City Centre 4 Cinemas". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ "Village Cinema Centre Melbourne Opening – Australian Ad 1986". YouTube. Retrieved 29 September 2013.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ Ziffer, Daniel (28 August 2006). "City gives cinemas the flick". The Age. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ "206 Bourke Street". LAS Group. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ a b c "Village Roadshow Limited / Village Drive-In Pty Ltd / Village Theatres Limited". Flinders University. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- ^ "Village Airport West". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- ^ "About Intencity – Intencity". intencity.com.au.
- ^ "Skycity Cinemas: About Us". Double B Studios. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ a b c "1999 Annual Report" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. July 1999. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Village Crown Centre 14". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Cinema in Australia" (PDF). Swinburne University of Technology. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Village Jam Factory". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "PVR Cinemas". MallsMarket.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ "Village Force and Hoyts announce NZ cinema merger" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. 23 August 1999. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Village Force and Hoyts unwind New Zealand alliance" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. 7 September 2000. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- Scoop Independent News. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Skycity Entertainment Group. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Village Cinemas Argentina – Village Roadshow Limited US Legal Claims Settled" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Newbery, Charles (1 November 2005). "U.S. funds pluck Argentine exhibitor". Variety. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Batlle, Diego (7 December 2005). "More multiplex cinemas planned for Argentina". Screen Daily. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ a b "AHL buys into Damodar". Fiji Times. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ Hartley, Simon (8 January 2010). "SkyCity sells NZ, Fiji cinema interests for $61 million". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ "The New Village Roadshow – Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. July 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Chairman's Address to 2007 Annual General Meeting" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. 29 November 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Launch of Premium Luxury Cinemas in the United States Announced by Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas". Business Wire. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Showalter, Kathy (May 2008). "Village Roadshow Cinemas Offer a Luxury Movie Experience – For a Price" (PDF). SCT. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Friedman, Josh (2 September 2008). "The film? So-so, but oh, those duck tacos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Demco: Village Group". Demco Group. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ "Village Cinemas enters Romanian market with 2012 Iași opening". Romania-Insider.com. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ "EUR 265 million Palas Iași opens its doors". IliasPapageorgiadis.ro. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ "Gold Class Cinemas USA Restructure" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Swift, Brendan (21 September 2010). "Village Roadshow plans to sell Gold Class USA cinemas". IF. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Gustafson, Jeanne (10 June 2011). "Gold Class Cinemas at Redmond Town Center Relaunches as iPic Theatres". Redmond Patch. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Sisk, Amy (24 June 2011). "iPic Theaters offers new seating, services". Redmond Reporter. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Appendix 4E – Preliminary Final Report" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "The rise and fall of Edmund Rouse" (PDF). University of Queensland. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "MM2 Pays $133 Million for 50% Stake in Singapore's Golden Village Cinema Chain". Variety. 13 June 2017.
- ^ "mm2's bid to acquire 50% of Golden Village cinema chain falls through". The Straits Times. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Hong Kong shareholder buys remaining Golden Village Singapore stake after blocking mm2's bid". 2 October 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Village Roadshow Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Village Roadshow Limited. July 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ "Anthony Byrne MP Press Release: Village Gold Class Cinemas Coming to Westfield Fountain Gate". Anthony Byrne MP. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ Kinesis Interactive Design. "Bendigo Cinemas: About Us". bendigocinemas.com.au.
- ^ "Antenna Group acquires cinema chain Village Roadshow Operations, Greece". Antenna Group. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Damodar Brothers". MyFijiGuide.com. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ "New Shopping Centre to open in Suva". Indian Newslink. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ "BMW does partnership with Gold Class Cinemas". Mumbrella. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.