| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cinema |
| Founded | 1934 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Cinemas |
| Website | www.greaterunion.com.au |
Greater Union, Birch Carroll and Coyle, Event Cinemas, Skycity Cinemas and Damodar Village Cinemas together form a chain of cinema multiplexes across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The cinemas are owned and operated in Australia by Village Roadshow-Amalgamated Holdings Limited (AHL) joint venture Australian Theatres, in New Zealand by AHL, and in Fiji by a joint venture between AHL and local investors.[1] The group has rebranded several of its premier Australian and New Zealand cinemas as Event Cinemas since 2009.[2][3]
Contents |
The story of Greater Union begins in 1910, when Thomas James West established West's Pictures. Over the next three years the company merged with other existing film distributors, first becoming 'the General Film Co of Australasia', then 'Union Theatres and Australasian Films'
During the 1920s the organisation grew further, developing a relationship with Queensland's Birch, Carroll & Coyle, a brand that Greater Union maintains to this day. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused significant changes for the group. Union Theatres was liquidated, and its assets purchased by Greater Union Theatres. British Empire Films, the National Theatre Supply Co., and Cinesound all derived from 'Union Theatres and Australasian Films'.
In 1945 the Rank Organisation purchased 50% of the now stable Greater Union Theatres. The name changed to 'Greater Union Organisation', or GUO in the 1950s, a time which saw the formation of strategic alliances with Hoyts and the predecessor to Village Roadshow (1955 and 60) in order to exploit opening markets. GUO expanded by acquiring the MGM Theatres cinema chain in 1971, the Western Australia based Ace Group in 1986, and completing their acquisition of Birch, Carroll & Coyle in 1991. The majority of the GUO sites are a joint venture with Village Cinemas (trading as: Australian Theatres). In NSW, ACT, QLD, SA and WA they trade under the GU and BCC brands but in Victoria under the Village banner. GUO has since expanded into Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.[4] acquired control from the Rank Organisation in 1984, and continues to run the company today.
In 2003, AHL sold 50% of its Australian cinema operations to Village Roadshow in exchange for a partnership to form a joint venture, Australian Theatres.
A recent development application to the City of Sydney for new signage for the George Street Cinemas,[5] an expo for new employees in an area traditionally served by the Birch, Carol and Coyle brand[6] and the launch of the V-Max brand (replacing G*MAX and including a new logo for Gold Class) was an indication that AHL planned to re-brand part of its operations under the "Event Cinemas" banner.
Event Cinemas opened at Castle Hill's Castle Towers on 20 June 2009, replacing the old 6 screen complex built in 1993. It was architecturally designed by Sydney's INDYK Architects with five auditoriums and a bar. This new location, while marketed as "completely new", is functionally identical to other "Gold Class" locations in Greater Union and Birch, Carrol and Coyle cinemas. Since then Event Cinemas has been rolled out across the nation at premier sites.
Amalgamated Holdings purchased a chain of New Zealand and Fijian cinemas from Skycity Entertinment Group in February 2010, having received New Zealand Government consent under the state's Overseas Investment Act.[7][8] Event Cinemas New Zealand has previously operated as Skycity Cinemas under Skycity Entertainment Group, Village Sky City under a Village Roadshow-Skycity Entertainment Group joint venture, and Village Roadshow Cinemas under Village Roadshow ownership.
V-Max (written as Vmax) cinemas feature stadium style seating with a giant state-of-the-art 20m+ silver screens capable of showing the latest in digital 3D film product as well as all the latest blockbusters. Each V-Max cinema contains stadium style seating and extra leg room. These cinemas were previously branded as G-Max cinemas. V-Max cinemas can also be found at Village Cinemas complexes.
Gold Class cinemas have between 24 to 40 recliner seats and are offered at a premium rate. The seating is superior to a traditional cinema layout and the experience is complemented by a full bar service including an in-house menu. Food and drink are ordered prior to the screening and delivered at predetermined times during the movie.[9] The experience is also offered at Village Cinemas[10]
At the beginning of 2008, allocated seating was rolled out in the majority of Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle cinemas nationwide, which had much dislikeness by people. Tickets were sold online incurring an additional booking fee allowing patrons to purchase their ticket in advance. This initiative was launched under the banner Jump the Queue.[11]
The Cine Buzz Club is a loyalty programme exclusive to Greater Union, Birch Carroll & Coyle and Event Cinemas. Cine Buzz members are given a rewards card with unique number and are prompted to offer this number at the time of ticket purchase. Once ten movies are recorded against the Cine Buzz number a free movie is credited to the members' card.[12]
In New South Wales there are numerous locations including:
The organisation has its greatest presence in Queensland, where its cinemas are branded as Birch Carroll & Coyle, except as stated. Locations include:
In Western Australia, there are two locations:
The group also holds the lease to cinemas at Westfield Whitford City and Lakeside Joondalup which are subleased to Grand Cinemas.[16] The Innaloo site is Western Australia's largest cinema complex[3] and includes four Gold Class screens and a function centre. Even though it is the largest complex in the state, it only has one more screen than Hoyts Carousel, which has 15 screens.
There are currently two cinemas located in South Australia.
There are two cinemas located in the Northern Territory, branded as Birch Carroll & Coyle:
In Victoria, there is a single Greater Union cinema:
In Canberra, there is one Greater Union cinema:
Event Cinemas New Zealand owns 106 cinema screens in 14 multiplexes across New Zealand. The brand was launched with live 3D screenings of FIFA World Cup 2010 matches, and Amalgamated Holdings promises to introduce 3D screens to all cinemas by 2011 and to make all screens digital by 2013.[17] New Zealand's most visited cinema multiplex and the chain's New Zealand flagship is located at Skycity Metro on Auckland’s Queen Street and features New Zealand’s largest cinema screen as part of an IMAX sub-complex. Other multiplexes are located at:
In addition, Events also co-owns metropolitan art-house cinema chain Rialto Cinemas with Reading Entertainment, a chain which Village Roadshow, Rialto and Skycity Entertainment Group have all previously co-owned.[18]
Greater Union had previously ran in partnership with Hoyts in several locations in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane including Sydney's CBD location. As of December 2005, Hoyts and Greater Union have separated their joint ventures in these locations [19]