Picturehouse Cinemas
Picturehouse Cinemas is a network of art house cinemas in the United Kingdom, operated by Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd [2] (before July 2013 known as City Screen Ltd [3]), which since 2012 is owned by Cineworld.[4] As of August 2013 it has 21 sites, all in England and Scotland.[5] Since 2010, the company also runs its own film distribution company, Picturehouse Entertainment.[6]
The company was co-founded by Lyn Goleby and Tony Jones.[7] The chain's first cinema, Phoenix Picturehouse, opened in Oxford in 1989, but many of its cinemas operated independently before being taken over by City Screen.[8] One of its branches, the Duke of York's Picture House in Brighton, opened in 1910 and is Britain's longest continually operating cinema.
The cinemas maintain a degree of independence distinct from cinema chains and multiplexes, and most of their promotional material is specific to individual cinemas rather than to the network as a whole. The range of films supposedly caters to less mainstream tastes than most commercial cinemas and there is an emphasis on independent, cult and foreign language films as well as local events. However, some sites also show more mainstream Hollywood films that they consider interesting, and the balance of programming may not always, therefore, differ from the mainstream.
The Picturehouse network is also differentiated from other chains by promotional activities that aim to encourage an interest in film, including membership schemes, printed programmes with comparatively in-depth background information about films, film festivals and themed seasons of screenings. The cinemas are generally small and centrally located compared to others recently opened in the UK, which are often large multiplex cinemas built on the edges of towns. Picturehouse Cinemas show alternative content including National Theatre Live and Metropolitan Opera Live in HD.
In December 2012, the company was bought by Cineworld for £47.3m.[4]
In October 2013, an investigation by the Competition Commission had concluded that the acquisition by Cineworld had led to lack of competition in Aberdeen, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge. Cineworld were ordered to sell a cinema in each of these locations. It was decided that The Belmont Picturehouse in Aberdeen and The Abbeygate Picturhouse in Bury St Edmunds are to be sold. A decision on which cinema will be sold in Cambridge has yet to be decided.
Current locations
| Location | Name | Screens | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | The Belmont Picturehouse | 3 | This cinema will be sold. |
| Bury St Edmunds | The Abbeygate Picturehouse | 2 | This cinema will be sold. |
| Bath | The Little Theatre Cinema | 3 | |
| Brighton | Duke of York's Picturehouse | 1 | |
| Brighton | Duke's at Komedia | 2 | |
| Cambridge | Arts Picturehouse | 3 | |
| Edinburgh | The Cameo | 3 | |
| Exeter | Exeter Picturehouse | 2 | |
| Henley-on-Thames | Regal Picturehouse | 3 | |
| Liverpool | Picturehouse at FACT | 4 | |
| London | Clapham Picturehouse | 4 | |
| London | The Gate | 1 | |
| London | Greenwich Picturehouse | 5 | |
| London | Hackney Picturehouse | 4 | |
| London | The Ritzy | 5 | |
| London | Stratford East Picturehouse | 4 | |
| Norwich | Cinema City | 3 | |
| Oxford | Phoenix Picturehouse | 2 | |
| Southampton | Harbour Lights Picturehouse | 3 | |
| Stratford-Upon-Avon | Stratford-Upon-Avon Picturehouse | 2 | |
| York | City Screen | 3 |
External links
References
- ↑ "Cine-files: The Phoenix Picturehouse, Oxford". The Guardian. October 23, 2012.
- ↑ Picture House Corporate site Linked 2013-08-23
- ↑ Duedil: Picturehouse Cinemas Limited - Previously known as Linked 2013-08-23
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Cineworld buys Picturehouse in cinema chain takeover". BBC. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ↑ Picturehouse website: Cinemas Linked 2013-08-23
- ↑ Picturehouse Entertainment: About Picturehouse Entertainment Linked 2013-08-23
- ↑ City Screen, Company Profile, Skillset.
- ↑ White, Debbie (January 24, 2013). "Jericho cinema to mark centenary". The Oxford Times. p. 29.