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Omniplex Cinemas is a cinema chain which started in the Republic of Ireland in 1991. Following this they expanded to Derry in Northern Ireland in 1993. In late 2023, it entered the markets in England and Scotland by acquiring the former Empire Cinemas after their bankruptcy.

It is operated by Paul Anderson. It operates cinemas throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. In 2013, Omniplex began a €14.5m investment and renovation in a number of its cinemas including the rolling out across Ireland of its large screen format OmniplexMAXX.

Omniplex owns 43 cinemas, with 21 cinemas in the Republic of Ireland and 22 cinemas in the United Kingdom.

Company history

The Anderson family have a long history in the film and cinema business dating back to 1948 when Kevin Anderson (Paul Anderson's father now retired) first started a film distribution business. The first films acquired were The Hills of Donegal and The Rose of Tralee, which were distributed to cinemas across Ireland.

The first cinema was purchased in Lucan in 1955. The Andersons continued to acquire, redevelop and sell cinemas across Ireland over the subsequent decades. Their biggest acquisition came when they bought the Rank Cinemas portfolio in 1988, which included Dublin's flagship Savoy cinema and The Screen cinema, which the Andersons jointly owned as part of the Dublin Cinema Group until 2013.

The first cinema to be branded an Omniplex was in Santry (now IMC). Since then, Omniplex has expanded in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This includes the 13 screen Cork Omniplex which opened in 2005 and the Rathmines Omniplex which completed in 2014 following a 15-year campaign to open cinemas in The Swan SC, which the Andersons acquired in 1999.

The company announced the acquisition of the Quayside cinema in Balbriggan, which was bought from NAMA and refurbished at a cost of €1.5m.

As well as screening films, Omniplex cinemas also show live events that are broadcast from around the world. This includes weekly live show from New York's Met Opera, The Bolshoi Ballet and music concerts.

Omniplex are reported to sell 5.5m cinema tickets per year.

In 2023, Omniplex opened a concept cinema in CastleCourt, Belfast under the name The Avenue.

On 4 December 2023, Omniplex announced it had entered Great Britain, with the acquisition of the Empire Cinemas chain, which had previously entered administration in July. Omniplex would later acquire more cinemas in Sunderland and Wigan.

Acquiring of the Gaiety Cinema Group

In May 2015 it was announced that Omniplex had bought the Gaiety Cinema Group (GCG) in an €8m deal. GCG owned two cinemas in Sligo and Arklow, in the Bridgewater Shopping Centre

OmniplexMAXX

The OmniplexMAXX is the next generation of giant format cinemas screens being rolled out across Omniplex's cinemas. This includes the OmniplexMAXX in Antrim which, at 23 metres wide, is Ireland's widest cinema screen. Other OmniplexMAXX screens have opened in Mahon, Cork, in 2013 Limerick, Banbridge, Waterford and Rathmines, which opened in 2014 with the Irish premier of The Inbetweeners 2. New OmniplexMAXX screens are planned in Dundonald and Dundalk. The auditoriums include custom-designed leather reclining armchairs as standard, HD digital projection, MasterImage 3D and Dolby Atmos surround sound.

Omniparks

In 2015 Omniplex launched OmniPark, the new leisure park brand covering four of the parks that company owns, on which it has cinemas. Omniparks are located in Dundonald, Craigavon, Bangor and Omagh.

Ward Anderson Court Case

The Andersons were formerly partners of the Wards, owners of Irish Multiplex Cinemas in the Ward Anderson cinemas empire. However, two families fell out after the Andersons signed a deal to build a cinema on the Stephen's Green shopping centre, without notifying, or involving the Wards in the new cinema. The new cinema would have been in direct competition with their jointly owned cinemas in Dublin city centre, The Savoy, and The Screen. This resulted in a long-running legal struggle that led to a major case in Four Courts in which the Ward and Anderson families eventually agreed to split their cinema empire in January 2013.

The agreement to divide the assets allocated 23 cinemas to the Anderson family including the 13-screen Cork Omniplex and 22 other cinemas in their Omniplex Cinemas Group. The Ward family were allocated 12 cinemas in their Irish Multiplex Cinemas group, including the Savoy and Screen cinemas in Dublin.

Paul Anderson is the son of Kevin Anderson who is one of the co-founders of Ward Anderson.

Cinema locations

Republic of Ireland

United Kingdom

Northern Ireland

England

Scotland

References

1. ^ Newenham, Pamela (23 August 2013). "Construction begins on €5 million Swan Cinema expansion in Rathmines". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
2. "Ipswich Omniplex to 'remain open' after closure announcement". BBC News. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
3. Limited, Collaborative Software. "Omniplex Cinemas - Book film tickets & get movie times". Omniplex Cinemas. Retrieved 12 August 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
4. "Omniplex buys €8m rival chain Gaiety Cinema Group". independent. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
5. Limited, Collaborative Software. "Omniplex Cinemas - Book film tickets & get movie times". Omniplex Cinemas. Retrieved 12 August 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
6. "Omniplex Maxx - Ireland's only large screen format Cinema". Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
7. Limited, Collaborative Software. "Omniplex Cinemas - OmniplexMAXX". Omniplex Cinemas. Retrieved 7 December 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
8. "Omniplex Group considers movies for Bangor and Omagh". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
9. "Omniplex Cinema still committed to £5M Omagh project". Ulster Herald. 20 December 2015.
10. "Omniplex to Open Stephen's Green Cinema | The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
11. Carswell, Simon. "Bitter family dispute worthy of a box office blockbuster". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
12. O’Loughlin, Ann (6 November 2012). "Mediation urged in bitter row between cinema owners". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
13. "Final cut: legal battle for Irish cinemas ends in a draw". independent. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
14. Newenham, Pamela. "Final scene in cinema dynasty feud ends in break-up". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
15. "A REEL-LIFE IRISH FEUD now showing in the courtS". independent. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
16. "Final cut: legal battle for Irish cinemas ends in a draw; Wards and Andersons divide a €30m empire". Sunday Independent. 27 January 2013.
17. "To the max as Omniplex raises the curtain". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
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31. "Omniplex Nenagh - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
32. "Omniplex Rathmines - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
33. "Omniplex Shannon - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
34. "Omniplex Sligo - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
35. "Omniplex Tralee - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
36. "Omniplex Waterford - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
37. "Omniplex Wexford - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
38. "Omniplex Birmingham - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
39. "Omniplex High Wycombe - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
40. "Omniplex Ipswich - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
41. "Omniplex Sunderland - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
42. "Omniplex Sutton - Cinema Treasures Software". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
43. "Omniplex Wigan - Cinema Treasure s Limited". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

External links

• Omniplex Cinemas Ireland
• Omniplex Cinemas UK

• Cinema chains in the Republic of Ireland
• Cinema chains in the United Kingdom