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Odeon Cinemas

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Odeon Cinemas Limited
Formerly
  • Robfax Limited (October–November 1984)[1]
  • Rank Theatres Limited (1984–1992)[1]
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1928;96 years ago(1928)
FounderOscar Deutsch
HeadquartersLondon,England,UK
Number of locations
122 (United Kingdom)
11 (Ireland)
Area served
United Kingdom,IrelandandNorway
Key people
Mark Way (Group chief executive officer)
ParentOdeon Cinemas Group
Websiteodeon.co.uk
odeoncinemas.ie

Odeon Cinemas Limited,[1]trading asOdeon(stylised inall caps), is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway, which along withUCI CinemasandNordic Cinema Groupis part of theOdeon Cinemas Groupsubsidiary ofAMC Theatres.It uses the famous name of the Odeon cinema circuit first introduced in Great Britain in 1930. As of 2016, Odeon is the largest cinemachainin the United Kingdom by market share (although the Irish cinemas were also included within this figure).[2][3][4]

The first Odeon cinema was opened byOscar Deutschin 1928, inBrierley Hill,Staffordshire(nowWest Midlands), England, although initially called "Picture House". The first cinema to use the Odeon brand name was Deutsch's cinema atPerry Barr,Birminghamin 1930. The brand's flagship cinema, theOdeon, Leicester SquareinLondon,opened in 1937. Odeon then became part of theRank Organisationwho continued their ownership of the circuit for a further sixty years. Through a number of sales and acquisitions in the early 2000s the company was purchased byTerra Firma,which merged Odeon and UCI Cinemas to form Odeon UCI Cinemas Group. Most UCI cinemas then took the Odeon brand name in 2006. Terra Firma/UCI sold the company toAMC Theatresin November 2016. Ironically, UCI was originally formed through the merger of AMC UK and Cinema International Corporation in 1989.

History

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Establishment

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One of theformer Odeon cinemas in Leeds,pictured in May 1980. This is now aSports Directbranch.

Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 byOscar Deutsch.Odeon publicists liked to claim that the name of the cinemas was derived from his motto, "Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation",[5]but it had been used for cinemas in France and Italy in the 1920s, and the word is actuallyAncient Greekᾨδεῖον, Ōideion, meaning "a place for singing".[6]The word "Nickelodeon"was coined in 1888 and was widely used to describe small cinemas in the United States starting from 1905.

The first cinema opened by Deutsch was located inBrierley Hill,Staffordshire,England in 1928.[7]The building has long since been demolished, but as of 2006, the formerUCIcinema (built in the 1980s as an AMC multiplex) at theMerry Hill Shopping Centrein Brierley Hill was refurbished as an Odeon cinema. However, its style is more functional than that of original Odeon cinemas.

The first cinema that opened under the Odeon brand was in 1930, located inPerry Barr,Birmingham.[8][9]It was designed byHarry Weedonusing maritime-inspiredArt Decoarchitecture. The frontage was remodelled following damage sustained during theSecond World Warand, having been a bingo hall, has since been converted into a conference venue.

Expansion

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TheOdeon in Leicester Square,London

In 1932, Deutsch acquired more sites and planned the construction of a chain of cinemas; commissioning Weedon to design his future buildings,[10]with five opening in 1933.[11]Each Odeon cinema had a character different from most other cinemas in the UK, often having a unique and spectacular interior.

George Coleswas also one of their principal architects, remodelling a partially complete assembly hall inPortsladeand designing his first purpose-built cinema in Upper Wickham Lane,Welling,Kentwhich opened on 22 October 1934 and closed on 22 October 1960. It is currently a bingo club in the Mecca chain. It featured central linear lighting, a feature that became characteristic of his work. 15 other Odeon cinemas opened in 1934.[11]

In 1935, Deutsch commissioned John Maltby (1910–80), a professional photographer, to photograph every cinema in the Odeon chain at that time. The resulting collection, of internal and external photographs, is held in the public archive ofEnglish Heritageand can be seen online. 13 more Odeon cinemas opened in 1935. The same year,United Artiststook a stake in the company for a nominal sum plus the supply of its films to the chain.[11]UA eventually owned 50% of Odeon Cinema Holdings.[12][13]

In 1936, 35 more Odeons opened and in 1937, theOdeon Leicester Squareopened inLeicester Square, London,which became the chain's flagship cinema. Another 35 Odeons also opened in 1937, with the chain concentrating on bigger cities. They also took over County Cinemas and George Singleton Cinemas in Scotland. Odeon Theatres Limited was formed to consolidate the chain of 250 cinemas into one public company.[11]

In 1938, Deutsch sold an interest in the business toJ. Arthur Rank,who was in the process of forming theRank Organisation.In 1939, they acquired most of the small UK cinema operations ofParamount Pictures,including key sites inBirmingham,Glasgow,Leeds,LiverpoolandNewcastle upon Tyne.[11]

By the time of Deutsch's death in December 1941, the chain had 258 cinemas throughout Britain, including 142 specially built.[14]After his death, his wife sold his shares to Rank, giving Rank control of both Odeon and the rivalGaumont-Britishchain, which theRank Organisationhad acquired earlier in the year.[11]In July 1942, Odeon acquired a second tranche of the Paramount chain, including the Paramount Theatre inTottenham Court Road,later renamed the Odeon Tottenham Court Road.[15]

In 1948, Rank merged the management and booking operations of Odeon and Gaumont.

In 1953, Odeon brought3D films,widescreenandCinemaScopeto the UK. TheOdeon Marble ArchshowedBwana Devilin 3D in March 1953.[16]Later in the year, Odeon showedTonight We Singin widescreen at the Odeon Leicester Square[17]and demonstrated CinemaScope at the Odeon Tottenham Court Road to the trade and to the public withThe Robeat the Odeon Leicester Square.[15][11]

In January 1959, Rank restructured its exhibition operation and combined the best Gaumonts and the best Odeons for a new "Rank" release,[11]while the rest of their cinemas were given a new "National" release. With the continuing decline in attendance and cinema numbers, the National release died on its feet and henceforth there were two release patterns, Rank andABC.There was no reason to perpetuate the Gaumont name, and in towns that lost their Odeon, the Gaumont was usually renamed Odeon within a couple of years of the latter's closure. Even so, the Gaumont name continued to linger until, in January 1987, the last Gaumont, in Doncaster, was renamed Odeon.

A smaller number of Odeon cinemas opened in the post-war years (Odeon Marble Arch and OdeonElephant & Castlebeing notable instances), but many single-screen cinemas either closed, sub-divided into smaller screens or were converted into other uses, such as bingo. In 1965, Odeon opened their firstmultiplexconverting their site inNottinghaminto a twin-screened cinema.[18]In 1989, they built their first multiplex with an 8-screen site inStoke-on-Trent.[11]

International expansion

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In 1944, Rank acquired a 50% interest in a Canadian chain and built Odeon cinemas there. It partnered withHoytsin Australia in 1945 and bought chains in Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa in 1946. By 1956, Rank Odeon had expanded to theWest Indies,British MalayaandCeylonand had an interest in 585 cinemas overseas.[11]In 1957, they opened a cinema in New York City.[19]

Odeon eventually operated a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd., with more than a hundred cinemas in Canada, coast-to-coast. The head office of Odeon Theatres of Canada was inToronto,and later, the north Toronto suburb ofWillowdale.This business was sold in 1978 to the Canadian Theatres chain and became Canadian Odeon Theatres, then was sold again in 1984 toCineplex Corporation,formingCineplex Odeon,then later became known asLoews Cineplex Entertainment.

It also owned fifty per cent of an Australian subsidiary, Greater Union Organisation, based inSydney,with dozens of cinemas across Australia. The Rank Organisation's share of Greater Union Organisation was sold to Amalgamated Holdings Ltd., an Australian company, also in 1984. Greater Union is now known asEvent Cinemas.

Present day

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Since the turn of the century, Odeon has undergone a series of sales after the Rank Group needed cash injections to reduce their debt, firstly toCinvenin February 2000 for £280 million which merged Odeon, with 75 cinemas at the time, with Cinven'sABC Cinemas,which comprised 60 cinemas.[20]In 2004, the chain was purchased byTerra Firmaand merged withUnited Cinemas Internationalto produce the largest cinema chain in Europe.[21]As a condition of the merger (imposed by theOffice of Fair Trading), Odeon'sNewcastle upon Tyne,Sutton Coldfield,Poole,Quinton,Hemel HempsteadandBromleycinemas were sold toEmpire Cinemas.Many smaller, older cinemas such as Odeon Grimsby on Freeman Street were closed to keep market share within legal limits. The remaining UCI cinemas, including Thefilmworks brands, were rebranded as Odeon on 4 November 2005.

An Odeon Cinema at Intu Merry Hill, Brierley Hill, West Midlands

UCI cinemas in Ireland have also joined the Odeon chain, and while they initially retained the UCI brand name, evidence of the merger became apparent, for example when booking tickets by credit card, the name "Odeon" appeared. The Odeon in-house film review magazine,Onscreen,was now also distributed in the UCI cinemas, retaining the Odeon logo font throughout. In August 2007, UCI launched a new Irish website with an identical layout to odeon.co.uk. This website stated that the Irish cinemas were sold to an Irish group, Entertainment Enterprises, in September 2006. This transaction went unreported in the Irish media. It also stated that the cinemas remained part of the Odeon chain under a management contract.Rank/Odeon previously ran cinemas in Ireland (including the flagship, the Savoy Cinema inO'Connell Street) until 1982, when they were purchased byWard Anderson.In April 2008, Entertainment Enterprises announced that it purchased the Irish assets of Storm Cinemas, and as with the existing UCI chain, would be contracting the running of the cinemas to Odeon. On 31 May 2011, Odeon announced that it had bought back the UCI chain in Ireland (including the Storm Cinemas-branded locations) from Entertainment Enterprises.[22]Odeon rebranded all of its Irish cinemas under the Odeon brand during 2012; the first rebranded cinema reopened on 27 March 2012.[23]

In February 2007, the UK became home to Europe's first DCI-compliant fullydigital multiplex cinemaswith the launch of Odeon Hatfield and Odeon Surrey Quays (in London), with a total of 18 digital screens. In 2007 Odeon acquired ten cinemas in Italy.[24]It is now the largest cinema chain in Europe.[25]In March 2012, the Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group under Terra Firma's control reported a £70 million loss for the year 2011, as posted onCompanies House.In 2015, Terra Firma announced that it planned to sell Odeon and UCI Cinemas for around £1 billion.[26]In April 2015, the company agreed to sell its cinemas inGerrards Cross,Esher,Muswell HillandBarnetto its smaller rivalEveryman Cinemasfor £7.1 million.[27]

In July 2016, the company was bought for $921 million by the American companyAMC Theatres,which is owned by Chinese conglomerateWanda Group.The deal received approval from the European Commission on 17 November 2016,[28]and was completed on 30 November 2016.[29]In 2018, AMC Theatres bought Norwegian chain SF Kino and renamed itOdeon Kino.

On 17 March 2020, Odeon closed all of its theatres due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[30]On 11 December 2020, Odeon revealed they were losing $125 million a month due to the closure, and that the emergency funds that had been provided were running out.[31]

On 5 May 2023 Odeon announced the closure on 5 June of five sites, including two of the dwindling number of original Odeons, Ayr and Weston-Super-Mare and also the 1998 10-screen multiplex in Blackpool. There remain six "Oscar Deutsch" Odeons in operation:- Bristol (totally rebuilt internally), Exeter,Harrogate,London Leicester Square, Swiss Cottage and Worcester.

Rank Screen Advertising

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They also ran their own advertising company, calledRank Screen Advertising,in competition with the UK market leaderPearl & Dean,which it eventually overtook. Rank Screen Advertising was later rebranded as Cinema Media before being taken over by Carlton Communications and became Carlton Screen Advertising. In 2008, Odeon, along with rival chainCineworld,bought back the company and today it is known asDigital Cinema Media.

Services

[edit]

The company operates a website andmobile appsforiOSandAndroid,allowing customers to book tickets in advance of performances. They ceased a telephone booking service in 2014. They run their own Guest Service Centre, based in Stoke-on-Trent, sharing the building with the cinema, but operating separately. The company has a support office in Manchester and a smaller office in London.

"Limitless" is a nationwide scheme, which, on a twelve-month contract basis, allows members to see regular (not 3D) screenings as often as they want for a monthly fee.[32]

Odeon offers premium services for customers who are 18 years or older. It provides a fine dining experience and was formerly a gallery offering (this has since closed in all locations), offering a premium service, at six locations.[33]

Controversies

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Refusals to screen certain films

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In 2008, Odeon made a controversial move by refusing to screenRamboon any of its UK screens, blaming it on "commercial differences".[34]In 2010 Odeon proposed a boycott ofTim Burton'sAlice in Wonderlandat its cinemas in the UK,IrelandandItaly,over a plan by Disney to show the film for a shorter period to allow it to release the film on DVD earlier.[35]Following individual negotiations withDisney;Odeon,CineworldandVuereached agreements.[36]

Public customer complaint

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On 24 August 2012, a customer named Matt Pledger posted a complaint on Odeon's Facebook wall about his experience with the cinema, citing high ticket prices, high food prices, inattentive staff, sound bleeding through from the cinema next door, and displaying adverts on how piracy was killing film.[37]The complaint eventually went viral, with over 275,000 'Likes' and over 23,000 comments as of 3 September 2012, as well as receiving attention from the national media,[38][39][40]including a programme feature onBBC Radio 4.[41]

Ban on Universal Pictures films

[edit]

On 29 April 2020, Odeon Cinemas, alongside its parent companyAMC Theatres,announced a ban on all films distributed byUniversal Picturesafter the latter announced that it would skip releasing some films in cinemas and distribute them directly on streaming and on-demand services during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[42]Adam Aron, chief executive of AMC Theatres, said that the ban would apply to all 1,000 outlets worldwide after the coronavirus lockdown.[42]The dispute was resolved in July 2020, with AMC agreeing that Universal could stream films 17 days after theatrical release.[43]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abc"Odeon Cinemas Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".Companies House.10 October 1984.Retrieved21 March2024.
  2. ^Grater, Tom (7 January 2016)."Odeon regains UK market lead from Cineworld".Screen International.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2020.Retrieved26 February2020.
  3. ^Ritman, Alex (26 February 2015)."European Cinema Chain Odeon & UCI to Be Put Up for Sale for $1.55 Billion (Report)".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on 27 January 2020.Retrieved18 February2020.
  4. ^"UK's Cheapest Cinemas Revealed".Vouchify.co.uk.17 August 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2019.Retrieved31 August2019.
  5. ^"Feature: The legacy of Oscar Deutsch's cinemas".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 15 August 2020.Retrieved30 May2020.
  6. ^"Odeon".Oxford English Dictionary.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2020.Retrieved20 December2012.
  7. ^Farley, Keith."The Coming of the 'Talkies' and the 'Super' Cinemas".Wolverhamton History & Heritage Site. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2012.Retrieved20 December2012.
  8. ^Gorst, Thom (1995).The Buildings Around Us.Taylor & Francis.ISBN0-419-19330-8.
  9. ^"20th Century to the present".Digital Handsworth. Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2013.Retrieved20 December2012.
  10. ^"Cinema History For Sale at First Odeon".Birmingham Evening Mail. 11 August 1998. Archived fromthe originalon 5 November 2013.Retrieved20 December2012.
  11. ^abcdefghij"65 Years of Odeon".Variety.8 May 1995. p. 58.
  12. ^"The British Film Industry".The Times.21 January 1948. p. 5.
  13. ^"Arthur Rank Expected to Succeed Deutsch As Head of Odeon Theatres".Variety.10 December 1941. p. 15.
  14. ^Glancey, Jonathan (18 May 2002)."The mogul's monuments: How Oscar Deutsch's Odeon cinemas taught Britain to love modern architecture".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 17 December 2014.Retrieved20 December2012.
  15. ^ab"Odeon Tottenham Court Road".Cinema Treasures.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2017.Retrieved21 June2021.
  16. ^"Odeon Marble Arch".Cinema Treasures.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2012.Retrieved21 June2021.
  17. ^Allen Eyles.Odeon Cinemas 2: From J. Arthur Rank to the Multiplex.2005: British Film Institute Publishing. page 40
  18. ^"Odeon Nottingham".Cinema Treasures.Archivedfrom the original on 24 June 2021.Retrieved21 June2021.
  19. ^"Movieland".Cinema Treasures.Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2014.Retrieved21 June2021.
  20. ^Dawtrey, Adam (28 February 2000). "Odeon and ABC chains to meld".Variety.p. 31.
  21. ^"About Us and Our Cinema History".Odeon Cinemas.Archivedfrom the original on 2 June 2020.Retrieved26 February2020.
  22. ^Lynch, Suzanne (1 June 2011)."Butler brothers sell nine Irish cinemas to Odeon ICI".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2015.Retrieved26 February2020.
  23. ^"About Us and Our Cinema History".Odeon Ireland.Archivedfrom the original on 4 September 2013.Retrieved20 December2012.
  24. ^Mitchell, Wendy (19 June 2007)."UCI Italia buys 10 cinemas from Cinestar Italia".Screen Daily.Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2013.Retrieved20 December2012.
  25. ^Szalai, Georg (15 August 2012)."Odeon UCI Cinemas Second-Quarter Loss Narrows".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on 17 September 2012.Retrieved20 December2012.
  26. ^Johnston, Chris (25 February 2015)."Odeon cinemas set to go on sale for £1bn".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2015.Retrieved25 February2015.
  27. ^Armstrong, Ashley (20 April 2015)."Everyman raises £20m to snap up four cinemas from Odeon".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 25 September 2015.Retrieved28 October2015.
  28. ^"AMC Theatres' Odeon & UCI Acquisition Gets EU Approval".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on 28 November 2016.Retrieved27 November2016.
  29. ^Lieberman, David (30 November 2016)."AMC Theatres Becomes World's No. 1 Chain As Odeon & UCI Deal Closes".Deadline.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2018.Retrieved1 December2016.
  30. ^"Coronavirus: Odeon, Vue and Cineworld shut UK cinemas".BBC News.17 March 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 23 March 2020.Retrieved18 March2020.
  31. ^"Odeon cinema owner warns it's running out of cash".BBC News.11 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2020.Retrieved11 December2020.
  32. ^"Limitless Membership Scheme".Archivedfrom the original on 27 August 2016.Retrieved21 August2016.
  33. ^"ODEON cinemas Gallery".Archivedfrom the original on 23 February 2017.Retrieved22 February2017.
  34. ^Gibson, Owen (7 March 2008)."Not coming to a screen near you".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2013.Retrieved24 October2013.
  35. ^"Alice in Wonderland will not be shown in Odeon cinemas".BBC News.22 February 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2023.Retrieved24 October2013.
  36. ^"Odeon reverses Alice in Wonderland boycott".BBC News.25 February 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2023.Retrieved24 October2013.
  37. ^"Dear Odeon, I went..."Facebook. Archived fromthe originalon 26 February 2022.Retrieved7 November2012.
  38. ^Jones, Alice (31 August 2012)."Alice Jones: Please don't kill the magic of the movies – Commentators – Voices".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 5 September 2012.Retrieved7 November2012.
  39. ^"Odeon Facebook rant goes viral".The Periscope Post. 31 August 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 28 October 2012.Retrieved7 November2012.
  40. ^Vass, Steven (1 September 2012)."The multiplex backlash".Herald Scotland.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2020.Retrieved7 November2012.
  41. ^"BBC Radio 4 – You and Yours, How do you rate your cinema?, Is the cinema value for money?".BBC Radio.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2018.Retrieved7 November2012.
  42. ^abSweny, Mark (29 April 2020)."Odeon bans all Universal Pictures films as studio skips cinema releases".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 29 April 2020.Retrieved29 April2020.
  43. ^"Odeon owner and Universal agree on streaming deal".BBC News.29 July 2020.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Eyles, Allen (2002)Odeon Cinemas; Vol. 1: "Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation".London: Cinema Theatre AssociationISBN0-85170-813-7
  • Eyles, Allen (2005)Odeon Cinemas; Vol. 2: From J. Arthur Rank to the Multiplex.London: Cinema Theatre AssociationISBN1-84457-048-7
[edit]
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