Empire Theatres

Empire Theatres

Empire Theatres Limited is the second-largest movie theatre chain in Canada, and the only major circuit operating in Atlantic Canada. A subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the family-owned parent of the Sobeys supermarket chain presently owns and operates 53 locations in 8 of 10 provinces, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Many, but not all, of its larger locations are branded "Studio #", with # being the number of screens at that location. Other locations are named "Empire (location) #", number showing the number of screens. Some more locations have their own unique name, such as the 6-screen cinemas in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador being named Topsail Cinemas due to its location being Topsail Road.

Empire Theatres was formed from the Sobeys' purchase of the Atlantic assets of Canadian Odeon Theatres, later Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, in 1984. Later, it also acquired select Famous Players Theatres locations, including those in Newfoundland and Labrador.

However, throughout the 1990s, Famous Players Theatres remained a major competitor in the Maritimes. Empire responded by opening several new or replacement locations along the lines of the multiplexes being opened by Cineplex and Famous in the rest of Canada.

Despite aggressive expansion previously, this time, Famous Players, focused on improvements elsewhere, did not match Empire's moves, which included an eighteen-screen (including one Empire Imax Theatre Screen) multiplex in suburban Halifax. With comparably minor interests in the region, Famous cut back on marketing and ultimately sold its remaining screens in Atlantic Canada to Empire in 2004.

While Empire operates the majority of the Atlantic region's screens, including many smaller centres, several independent theatres remain in other small centres.

On August 22, 2005, Empire announced it would acquire 27 theatres, with a total of 202 screens, in locations stretching from British Columbia to Ontario, from Cineplex Galaxy LP, as a result of the latter's acquisition of Famous Players Theatres, effectively doubling Empire's size. Most of the locations are smaller "traditional" venues, but some are larger theatres, such as Coliseum Calgary (Now Studio 10 MacLeod Trail), Silvercity theatres in Kitchener and St. Catharines, as well as one in Calgary, Alberta (Now Empire Theatres Kitchener, Empire Theatres Pen Centre, and Studio 16 respectively), and Square One in Mississauga (Now Studio 10 Square One), and Silvercity Empress Walk (now Empire Empress Walk) in North York, ON. The deal closed September 30, 2005.

Empire Theatres does not operate any other locations in Quebec, since that chain has ceded to Cinemas Guzzo.

As of December 2009, the Empire Theatres chain had 48 screens equipped with digital projection and RealD 3D capabilities. In March 2012, Empire announced that they were the "first national exhibitor in Canada to complete circuit wide digital cinema conversion", with 359 screens converted, 40 percent of which have RealD 3D capability.

On June 21, 2012, Empire announced the acquisition of two Ontario-based theaters from AMC Theatres, located in Kanata, Ontario and Whitby, Ontario. Each theater features 24 screens, including an IMAX experience auditorium. Empire has also announced plans to equip all screens in these locations with Barco digital technology, and some with RealD 3D technology, to "provide movie-goers with a state-of-the-art movie presentation experience".