Vue International
{{Short description|British multinational cinema company}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Vue Entertainment International Limited
| logo = Logo Vue.png
| logo_size = 200px
| type = Private
| founder = Tim Richards CBE (CEO)
| key_people = {{ubl||Tim Richards CBE (Founder, CEO)|Alison Cornwell (CFO)|Katrina Cliffe (Acting Co–chairman)}} Matt Eyre (COO)
| num_locations = 225 {{small|(as of 2025)}}
| divisions = {{ubl|CinemaxX|Multikino|The Space Cinema|Vue UK and Ireland|Vue Nederland}}
| subsid = Vue Lumière
| area_served = 8 European countries
| owner = The Bickes Capital LTD
Barings LLC
Farallon Capital
| foundation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1999}} (as Spean Bridge Cinemas)
{{Start date and age|df=yes|2003|5|13}} (as Vue)
| location = {{ubl|
| Registered office:
St Helier, Jersey
| Corporate headquarters:
London, England, UK}}
| homepage = {{nowrap|{{URL|https://www.vue-international.com}}}}
}}
Vue International ({{IPAc-en|v|j|uː}} {{respell|vew}}, like "view"), is a multinational cinema holding company headquartered in London, England, and registered in St Helier, Jersey. It operates in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark as Vue, with international operations in Germany (as CinemaxX); Italy (as The Space Cinema); Poland and Lithuania (Multikino); Netherlands (Vue Netherlands).
History
=Foundation=
File:Vue Cinema, The Oracle, Reading.jpg in Reading, England]]
File:Vue Cinema, Cardigan Fields, Kirkstall Road, Leeds - geograph.org.uk - 197088.jpg
The company was founded in 1999 as Spean Bridge Cinemas by Stewart Blair, a former executive of United Artists Theatres and Tim Richards, a former executive of Warner Bros. International Theatres. It was named after a holiday to the Scottish Highland village of the same name by Blair.{{cite web |url=https://www.scotsman.com/business/sbc-cinemas-mooted-reel-cine-uk-2454506 |title=SBC Cinemas mooted to reel in Cine-UK |website=www.scotsman.com|date=June 2003 }}
=2000s=
File:Vue Cinema Wood Green London.jpg
The first cinema to open was under The Circuit Cinema brand in Livingston, Scotland, on 5 October 2000.{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/27096 |title=Vue Livingston in Livingston, GB - Cinema Treasures |website=cinematreasures.org}} The company was later renamed as SBC International Cinemas and opened cinemas in Faro, Portugal (closed in 2014) and Taipei, Taiwan (still operating as SBC).[https://web.archive.org/web/20151017070837/http://www.filmjournal.com/content/entrepreneurial-vue-tim-richards-reflects-early-days-and-moving-forward Entrepreneurial Vue: Tim Richards reflects on early days and moving forward] Film Journal International. 21 June 2013.
In May 2003, SBC bought Warner Village Cinemas from its owners, Village Roadshow and Warner Bros., for £250 million. At the time, SBC owned four cinemas, and Warner Village Cinemas owned 36.{{cite news |title=Deal marks the end for Warner Village |first=Richard |last=Wray |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/may/14/film.filmnews |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 May 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013}} In April 2005, the chain acquired the Ster Century chain from Aurora Entertainment; this included the highest grossing cinema in the United Kingdom or Ireland at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland.{{cite press release |title=Vue Entertainment Purchases Ster Century UK & Ireland |url=http://www.bvlp.com/press-announcements-events/vue-entertainment-purchases-ster-century-uk-ireland/ |publisher=BV Investment Partners |date=April 2005 |access-date=10 June 2013 |last=Murray |first=Adam |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519184653/http://www.bvlp.com/press-announcements-events/vue-entertainment-purchases-ster-century-uk-ireland/ |archive-date=19 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}
On 20 June 2006, Vue's executive team completed a management buyout of the company with the backing of Bank of Scotland Corporate; the management team retaining a 51% stake. Also, as part of the buyout, 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 November 2010.{{Cite news |date=8 November 2010 |title=Doughty Hanson buys Vue cinema chain |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-doughty-vue-idUKLNE6A702720101108 |access-date=22 July 2021}}
=2010s=
Vue bought the company, Apollo, in May 2012, retaining 14 new sites across the United Kingdom, making it the third largest cinema company in the United Kingdom, behind Odeon and Cineworld.{{cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee2be098-9ac1-11e1-94d7-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2VqJcz9t7 |title=Vue acquires rival Apollo for £20m |date=10 May 2012 |newspaper=Financial Times |access-date=10 June 2013}}
In May 2013, Vue Entertainment acquired Multikino, the Polish cinema operator owning thirty cinemas with almost 250 screens in Poland and Baltic countries.{{cite web |url=http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/uks-vue-entertainment-buys-polish-152510033.html%23ahflkasjhdflakd |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616034858/http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/uks-vue-entertainment-buys-polish-152510033.html%23ahflkasjhdflakd |archive-date=16 June 2013 |url-status=dead |title=UK's Vue Entertainment buys Polish cinema chain Multikino - Yahoo! Finance UK}}
In June 2013, Doughty Hanson & Co announced it had sold Vue to the Canadian pension funds Alberta Investment Management Corporation and OMERS for £935 million.{{Cite web |title= Doughty Hanson sells Vue cinema chain in £935m deal| date= June 2013 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f7183114-d19f-11e2-9336-00144feab7de |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=Financial Times| url-access=subscription}}
In November 2014, Vue International acquired The Space Cinema in Italy.{{cite web |date=10 April 2018 |title=Vista Cinema Enters Italy; Completes Rollout of The Space Cinema, Owned by Vue International |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180410006322/en/Vista-Cinema-Enters-Italy-Completes-Rollout-of-The-Space-Cinema-Owned-by-Vue-International |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=www.businesswire.com}}
In March 2015, Vue announced it would build the United Kingdom's first eSports arena in cooperation with Gfinity, costing £350,000.{{cite news |title=Can Professional Video Gaming Take UK We Visit Opening Night First Esports Arena Find Out |url=https://www.cityam.com/212874/can-professional-video-gaming-take-uk-we-visit-opening-night-first-esports-arena-find-out |publisher=CityAM}} The Fulham Broadway cinema was converted into a six hundred seat 'Gfinity Arena,' to host e gaming events {{cite web |title=Vue Gfinity Esports |date=18 February 2015 |url=https://www.engadget.com/2015/02/18/vue-gfinity-esports |publisher=Engadget}}
In August 2015, Vue International acquired JT Bioscopen, the second-largest cinema chain in the Netherlands, bringing Vue's number of sites to over 200.{{cite web |title=Vue International Acquires Second Largest Chain in the Netherlands |url=http://corporate.myvue.com/news/article/title/vue-international-acquires-second-largest-cinema-chain-in-the-netherlands |publisher=Corporate Vue}}
In June 2018, Vue acquired the Irish operator Showtime Cinemas, adding a further two cinemas to their estate in the United Kingdom and Ireland, now totalling 89 cinemas.{{cite web |url=https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/319503/showtime-chain-to-acquire-seven-screen-cinema-in-limerick.html |title=Showtime: Chain to acquire seven-screen cinema in Limerick |website=www.limerickleader.ie|date=20 June 2018 }}
=2020–present=
In March 2020, Vue temporarily closed its cinemas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that it would "remain closed until further notice".{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51925490 |title=Coronavirus: Odeon, Vue and Cineworld shut UK cinemas |date=17 March 2020 |access-date=31 October 2020 |website=bbc.com}} Though numerous lockdowns affected a brief reopening in mid-2020, eventually, all cinemas reopened in May 2021, with COVID restrictions in force until spring 2022.
On 18 May 2020, Vue announced that it would close its single Multikino site in Riga, Latvia, after operating for almost 10 years.{{cite web|last=Balčus|first=Zane|title=Cinema Splendid Palace Reopens In Riga But Multikino Latvia Ceases Operations - FilmNewEurope.com|url=https://www.filmneweurope.com/news/latvia-news/item/119995-cinema-splendid-palace-reopens-in-riga-but-multikino-latvia-ceases-operations|access-date=22 July 2021|website=www.filmneweurope.com}}
In January 2023, Vue International Group completed a restructuring which resulted in a change in the consolidating entity from Vue International Bidco plc (a UK incorporated company) to Vue Entertainment International Limited (a Jersey incorporated company).https://vue-international.com/investor-relations/reports/2023/125-veil-annual-report-and-financial-statements-fy23/file
In January 2024, the company concluded the sale of its operations in Taiwan, resulting in a reduction of 1 cinema site.https://vue-international.com/investor-relations/reports/2023/125-veil-annual-report-and-financial-statements-fy23/file
Locations
Vue International operates 225 sites and almost 2,000 screens across 8 countries.{{Cite web|title=Our Markets - Vue International|url=http://vue-international.com/markets/our-markets|access-date=20 September 2023|website=vue-international.com}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
| scope="col"| Country
! scope="col"| Operating brand ! scope="col"| No. of cinemas ! scope="col"| No. of screens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom and Ireland | Vue UK & Ireland | 92 | 876 |
| Germany | CinemaxX | 30 | 257 |
| Denmark | Vue Danmark & CinemaxX | 3 | 33 |
| Italy | The Space Cinema | 35 | 349 |
| Poland and Lithuania | Multikino | 45 | 320 |
| Netherlands | Vue Nederland | 20 | 133 |
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Official website|https://www.vue-international.com}}
- [https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0838499D:LN Vue International Bidco PLC] on Bloomberg L.P.
{{Major UK Cinema Chains}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Cinema chains in the United Kingdom
Category:Cinema chains in the Republic of Ireland
Category:British companies established in 1999
Category:Entertainment companies established in 1999
Category:2010 mergers and acquisitions