A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically more than one screen within a single complex. The largest of these complexes can sit thousands of people and are sometimes referred to as a megaplex.
Definitions of the differences between multiplex versus a megaplex is related to the number of screens. For example, 2 to 20 screens create a multiplex, whereas theaters above 20 screens may be branded a megaplex.
Multiplex cinemas were introduced to the United Kingdom with the opening of a ten-screen cinema by AMC Cinemas at The Point in Milton Keynes in 1985. This was both AMC's first multiplex outside of the United States, but also the first for the UK and was largely responsible for the turnaround in the decline of the UK cinema industry. The success of the cinema at Milton Keynes led to further expansion by AMC in the UK to Newcastle, Dudley, Telford, Warrington and by royal appointment to London, before it eventually sold its UK division to UCI Cinemas in 1989.
Below are some Multiplex cinemas in the UK:
Odeon - Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company is one of the largest cinema chains in Europe. It retains the brand name of the Odeon cinema circuit first used in Britain in 1930. However it is today owned by and operated by Odeon UCI Cinemas Group and hardly resembles the past Odeon chain. It is now the largest cinema chain in Europe. There are 114 Odeon Cinemas in the UK.
Cineworld - Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Jersey and continental Europe as Cinema City International. The UK chain consists of 82 cinemas, 80 of which are located in the UK, with one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with over 800 screens, and the owner of the single largest multiplex by screens and customer base in Ireland.
Empire - Empire Cinemas Limited is a multiplex cinema chain in the UK. There are 17 Empire Cinemas (although one in Ealing lies abandoned) with 164 screens in total.
Arthouse
Arthouse is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. An art film is "intended to be a serious artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal". Arthouse cinemas are therefore most likely to show films that have smaller budgets and an infamous cast.The would have been created by unknown new directors and producers.
Arthouse Cinemas are a lot smaller than Mulitplex cinemas in both number of screens and size of the franchise. The films that are shown would probably have been viewed first at some sort of film festival for example Sundance. These films are first viewed by other directors and producers who respect their film making and would perhaps like to buy the film or invest in them to make bigger better movies.
Below are some examples of Arthouse cinemas in the UK:
The Rex - The cinema is a fully operational independent cinema, screening films 362 days of the year. The programme ranges from vintage classic films to modern blockbusters which often attract large box office queues. The Rex consists of only 1 screen.
The Electric - It opened in Station Street in 1909, showing its first silent film on 27 December of that year, and is now the oldest working cinema in the country.
Prince Charles - The Prince Charles Cinema (PCC) shows a rotating programme of cult, arthouse, and classic films alongside recent Hollywood releases – typically more than ten different films a week on 2 screens (285 seats downstairs and 104 seats upstairs). The cinema has achieved a cult status amongst fans, sticking out as the only independent cinema in the West End.
The Phoenix - The Phoenix was the Winner of the 2010 UK independent cinema of the year. The Phoenix has only 5 screens.
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