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Village Cinemas is an Australian-based multinational film exhibition brand that mainly shows
blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...
, mainstream,
children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
and
family films A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films are ...
and some
arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
,
foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a given country, and that native speakers from that country must usually acquire through conscious learning - be this through language lessons at schoo ...
and documentary films. Since 2003, its Australian sites became a joint venture between
Village Roadshow Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian company which operates cinemas and theme parks, and produces and distributes films. Before being acquired by private equity company BGH Capital, the company was listed on the Australian Securities Ex ...
and Amalgamated Holdings Limited (AHL) (Now known as Event Hospitality and Entertainment), forming
Australian Theatres Australian Theatres is a joint venture between Village Roadshow and EVT Limited. The partnership was formed on 31 March 2003 between Greater Union and Village Cinemas in Sydney. The venture includes cinemas under the Village Cinemas, Greate ...
. Previous to this, Village Cinemas was the founding entity of
parent company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
, Village Roadshow from 1954 when the first
drive-in theatre A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers ...
was established, and from 1988
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
owned a third share in the chain. The Village Cinemas brand also operates in various forms within some international markets, either as a joint venture with Village Roadshow, or under
licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
, where they also operate within
Event Hospitality and Entertainment EVT Limited (EVT), formerly Amalgamated Holdings Limited and then Event Hospitality and Entertainment, is an Australian company which operates cinemas, hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. EVT owns the largest cinema chains ...
's Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle, and many international cinema-chains. Village Cinemas has output deals with all major film distributors and selectively screens some independently sourced films depending on material.


History


Foundation

The company origins of Village Roadshow and Village Cinemas came in 1954 from the foundation in one of Australia's first drive-in theatre operations in
Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, an outer Eastern suburb of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
(Melbourne's third drive-in, but only the fourth in the entire country), established by
Roc Kirby Roscoe "Roc" Kirby (14 March 191825 January 2008) was an Australian businessman who founded the Village Roadshow cinema chain and film production company. Biography Roc Kirby was born in Leongatha, Victoria in 1918. He entered the cinema busin ...
. The drive-in was adjacent to the shopping strip, Croydon Village; hence the company adopted the 'Village' name. Kirby had already operated traditional indoor cinemas, under the Kirby Theatres name, but the outdoor Village-brand concept was to provide the motor for the company's growth. The original Village Drive-In featured capacity for 454 cars, later being redeveloped to offer features such as a swimming pool and a
go-cart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...
track, as well as a walk-in area for customers without cars. Kirby's company also built and operated a motel facing the theatre. Kirby rapidly expanded Village Drive-In Pty Limited through the late 1950s, with the circuit opening in the Melbourne suburbs of
Rowville Rowville is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Rowville recorded a population of 33,571 at the 2021 census. Rowvi ...
and
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...
; Victorian regional areas of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
,
Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...
and Stawell; and regional Tasmania in Launceston. Village also went into its first partnership with Greater Union to build a
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
drive-in, and by the beginning of the 1960s, operated 27
drive-in theatres A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers ...
throughout the states of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
. Village Drive-In Pty Limited then began to expand throughout the rest of Australia, particularly after the company began adding so-called "hard-top" (enclosed) cinemas in the 1960s. While drive-ins catered to Australia's suburban and vast regional markets, the hard-top theatres targeted the country's growing inner-city areas where their populations were less reliant on private automobile ownership. Joining Roc Kirby in the company's expansion were his sons, Robert and John, who helped out by serving popcorn and soft drinks, and Graham Burke, who commenced with the company in 1960 sweeping floors at one of its theatres. Burke later became integral to the business, joining the Kirbys in Village Roadshow's expansion beyond exhibition. In 1967, the company entered the film distribution side, founding Roadshow Distributors. That operation later grew into Australia's largest, while also adding film production to its portfolio during the 1970s. The advent of
home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
in the late-1970s, however, spelled the end of the drive-in theatres. Although Village Roadshow continued to operate a number of drive-ins until the 1990s, the format itself faded quickly with the growing availability of
videocassettes Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually Sound recording and reproduction, sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog signal, analog or Digital signal (signal processing), digital signal. Vi ...
and
VCRs A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the recordin ...
(the original Croydon drive-in closed in 1990). However, Village Coburg Drive-In, within the inner-Melbourne suburb of Coburg North, survived this period and is the last drive-in still operated by Village to this day. However, Village Roadshow responded to these new trends, adding its own video distribution and video rental operations in 1985. Village Roadshow responded to another expanding trend, that of the
multiplex cinema A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens within a single complex. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into s ...
in the 1980s and '90s. Multiplexes were a reaction by the movie exhibition industry to the rise of video; the multiplex offered a choice of screenings in a single building, some containing up to 20 screens. Village Roadshow became a pioneer in building and converting its existing single or 'twin' screen cinemas into the multiplex concept, investing in new sound and projection technologies and introducing new features, such as stadium-style seating. By this change in business operations, Village Roadshow and their competitor cinema operators were able to attract audiences back into their theatres and were the forerunners to the multiplexes of today.


Amalgamations

In 1988, Village Roadshow sold two-thirds in Village Cinemas and entered into an equal
joint-venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
partnership with Warner Bros. and Greater Union to develop a new chain of multiplex cinemas throughout Australia. The partnership, called the Australian Multiplex Joint Venture, grew quickly through the 1990s, establishing a chain of nearly 30 theatres with nearly 320 screens. The first joint-venture multiplex opened in Melbourne's
Airport West Airport West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Airport West recorded a population of 8,173 at the . Bounded b ...
as 'Village Greater Union 8' in 1989. In 1995, Village Roadshow added a new retail format from the creation of joint-venture, Village Nine Leisure, with
Publishing & Broadcasting Limited Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) was one of Australia's largest corporations. With interests primarily in media and gambling, for the entirety of its existence it was largely controlled by the Packer family. History Predecessors PB ...
and Westfield Holdings, to open a string of 'virtual entertainment' shops known as,
Intencity Intencity Family Entertainment Centres (trading as Intencity) is a chain of amusement arcades owned by Australian company Village Roadshow Limited, with locations in NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. The chain was originally launched in 1995 as part of a v ...
. These
video arcades Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) system ...
expanded to most states and territories throughout Australia, usually co-locating with most Village Cinema sites in Victoria and Tasmania, and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle sites in other states (replacing some rival Timezone video arcade locations). Village Roadshow wholly acquired the chain in 1999, and since 2005, rationalised most locations down to the current nine arcades.


International expansion

With the company being led by John and Robert Kirby (who alternated in the chairman's position) and Graham Burke, who undertook the managing director's position, Village Roadshow began expanding its cinemas overseas in the 1990s. This saw
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
(Village Force and Village Rialto) became the company's first foreign market in 1991 after it established its first cinema in
Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, so ...
(the original Village Force cinema closed in late-2008 to open a new Skycity Cinema in
Westfield Manukau City Westfield Manukau City is a major shopping centre located in Manukau, a southern district of Auckland, New Zealand. Annual sales for the full year 2018 were $293.4 million. History and development The Manukau City Centre mall was built in 19 ...
, now an
Event Cinema Event cinema sometimes called alternative content cinema or livecasts refers to the use of movie theaters to display a varied range of live and recorded entertainment excluding traditional films, such as sport, opera, musicals, ballet, music, o ...
). In 1992, the company entered Singapore with Hong Kong-based joint-venture partner, Golden Harvest, to form the
Golden Village Golden Village is a cinema operator based in Singapore, fully owned by Orange Sky Golden Harvest of Hong Kong. It was initially set up as a 50:50 joint venture between Golden Harvest (predecessor of Orange Sky Golden Harvest) and Village Ro ...
chain. Golden Village's success in Singapore further fuelled its international expansion in the mid-90s. In 1994, the company entered
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
(Entertain Golden Village and Mongkol Golden Harvest), followed by
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
(
Tanjong Golden Village TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd (also known as TGV Pictures and formerly known as Tanjong Golden Village) is the second largest cinema chain in Malaysia. As of March 2019, TGV Cinemas had 38 multiplexes with 310 screens and more than 50,000 seats. TGV Cinema ...
and
Golden Screen Cinemas Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn Bhd (GSC) is Malaysia's largest cinema exhibitor and a wholly-owned subsidiary of PPB Group Berhad (a member of the Kuok Group), which is an exhibitor and distributor of movies and content in Malaysia. It operates over ...
) in 1995. By 1996, the company was actively expanding its cinema circuit in 20 different markets, including Hong Kong (Golden Village), joining with Orange Sky Golden Harvest again. In Europe, the company's purchase of half ownership in Warner International Theatres gave it a stake in 135 screens within the United Kingdom and 17 more in Germany, forming
Warner Village Cinemas Warner Village Cinemas was a chain of multiplex cinemas operated by Warner Bros in the various locations throughout Europe. Created in the late 1980s in the UK as 'Warner Bros. Cinemas', these locations acted as a rival to Paramount and Univers ...
. By the end of 1996, the company had entered
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
(Damodar Village Cinemas),
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
(Hollywood Cinemas), and
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
(Village Cines) as well. Also in 1996, Village Roadshow turned to its shareholders to fund further international expansion, raising $A216 million. The company added a number of new foreign markets, including
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
(Village Cinemas), Italy (Warner Village Cinemas), and
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in 1997 (the Indian operations were a 60/40 joint-venture with local firm, Priya Exhibitors Private Limited to form
PVR Cinemas PVR Ltd (formerly Priya Village Roadshow Ltd), doing business as PVR Cinemas, is an Indian multiplex chain based in Gurgaon. PVR pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997 at Saket, New Delh ...
– Priya Village Roadshow Limited). In 1998, it also moved into
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
(Golden Village),
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
(CJ Golden Village), and France (Village Cinemas). In February 1997, Village Cinemas and Warner Bros. partnered again to open Australia's first 24-hour cinema in Melbourne's new
Crown Casino Crown Melbourne (also referred to as Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex) is a casino and resort located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited, and the first casino of the n ...
complex when it also opened (it reverted to normal cinema hours in 2001). It also included another new type of cinema, four Gold Class auditoriums, a luxury cinema format. By July 1999, Gold Class had already expanded to three auditoriums in Village Cinemas at
Westfield Southland Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
; two at Century City Walk; three at Sunshine Marketplace; and one at
The Jam Factory 250px, Jam Factory, Chapel Street The Jam Factory is a shopping and entertainment centre, located in Chapel Street, South Yarra, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The Jam Factory is owned by Newmark Capital Limited. It is also the headquarte ...
. Also by that time, the concept broadened to Birch Carroll & Coyle sites in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
; with two screens at
Indooroopilly Shopping Centre Indooroopilly Shopping Centre (formerly Indooroopilly Shoppingtown, colloquially Indro) is a major regional shopping centre in the western suburb of Indooroopilly in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It hosts over 300 specialty stores ...
; and another two at Garden City. In October 1998, the Cinema Europa concept was introduced when three auditoriums were added to the Village Cinemas in The Jam Factory, closely followed by another three screens in Village Southland. As with Gold Class, this type of cinema would later be rolled out across other Village Cinemas in Melbourne before expanding overseas. In August 1999, it was announced that the Village Force and Village Rialto cinema chains in
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
(both being 50/50 joint ventures between Village Roadshow and NZ-based Force Corporation) would sell half their combined share in both multiplex networks to
Hoyts The Hoyts Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan. Hoyts operates more than 450 cinema screens and 55,000 seats, making it Australia's second largest movie exhibitor after Event Hospita ...
to obtain half ownership in Hoyts' own NZ operations. Village Force, Village Rialto and Hoyts remained separate brands (similar to the Australian arrangements between joint venture partners, Village Cinemas and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle), yet merged back-office operations and marketing, leaving half-a-dozen staff redundant. The ownership structure saw Village Roadshow and Force Corporation keep 25% each, with Hoyts holding the remaining 50%. It was estimated by some business analysts that the combined group controlled more than two-thirds of all box office sales in New Zealand which concerned the
Commerce Commission The Commerce Commission ( mi, Te Komihana Tauhokohoko) is a New Zealand government agency with responsibility for enforcing legislation that relates to competition in the country's markets, fair trading and consumer credit contracts, and regula ...
. However, after months of negotiations and legal threats from the Commission, Village Force and Hoyts jointly announced in September 2000 that they would unwind the new partnership going back to their original ownership structures. Both companies said the courts would have upheld the alliance in the end, but conceded the costs and time required in legal actions meant it was not worth battling the Commerce Commission over the issue. Village Force chief executive, Joe Moodabe told ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'', "there were so many uncertainties and frustrations and the cost as well, it's just time to say, 'We gave it a good shot and let's put it behind us." He added that, "everybody's fed up with the whole thing now and wants to get on with life." This left Hoyts NZ to find another head office location, while Force Corporation would later be subject to an acquisition by Skycity Entertainment Group in March 2001, resulting in the cinema chain being renamed to Village Skycity. Yet, the international market remained the company's clear priority as growth opportunities within its home market remained limited. Graham Burke told the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
'', "We will be a worldwide entertainment giant – if we are not already – in five years." By the end of 2000, the Village Cinemas brand had entered a number of new foreign markets, including
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. In early 2001, Village Roadshow's swift international cinema expansion had not convinced investors, and amid falling profits and a floundering share price, the public company was forced to abandon its ambition of establishing a global cinema empire. The company began exiting a number of foreign markets, with plans to drop back to just ten of its more profitable country markets. Village Roadshow also began shedding a number of its other non-core operations at the time while giving greater focus to its film distribution and production arms which included more major co-productions with Warner Bros. In late 2001, the company continued its international rationalisation, selling off its Swiss and Hungarian theatres. Germany and France followed, and, by the end of 2002, the company had sold off its cinema businesses in Malaysia, India, and Thailand as well. Not all the company's cinema businesses were in regression, however, as the company added extra theatres to its existing chains in the Czech Republic, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom that year. In early 2003, Burke and the Kirby brothers admitted that they saw Village Roadshow's future chiefly in film production, particularly given the seemingly saturated status of the exhibition market. That year, Warner Bros. sold their 33.3% share in the Australian Multiplex Joint Venture back to Village Roadshow and Amalgamated Holdings Limited who increased their stakes to 50/50, forming
Australian Theatres Australian Theatres is a joint venture between Village Roadshow and EVT Limited. The partnership was formed on 31 March 2003 between Greater Union and Village Cinemas in Sydney. The venture includes cinemas under the Village Cinemas, Greate ...
, the overall owner of Village Cinemas and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle (
Event Cinemas Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 Multiplex (movie the ...
would be later introduced outside Village's Vic/Tas markets in 2009). In November 2005, Village Roadshow and their New Zealand cinema partner Skycity Entertainment Group, sold their 50/50 joint venture in Argentina's 6 theatre, 69 screen, Village Cines chain to two US-based investment funds, Southern Screens Entertainment II and Blue Ridge at 78% and 22% respectively. The Village brand and concepts were also acquired under
licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
with plans to open a nine-screen cinema the next month in
Caballito, Buenos Aires Caballito (; Spanish for "little horse") is a '' barrio'' (neighborhood) of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is the only ''barrio'' in the administrative division ''Comuna'' 6. It is located in the geographical centre of the city, limite ...
continued under the new owners. At the time,
Hoyts The Hoyts Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan. Hoyts operates more than 450 cinema screens and 55,000 seats, making it Australia's second largest movie exhibitor after Event Hospita ...
was the leading Argentine exhibitor, with a 29%
market share Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those units would have a ...
. In 2007, Village Roadshow sold its Warner Village Cinema operations in Italy, its two cinemas in Austria, and disposed of its 25% interest in the
Palace Cinemas Palace Cinemas is the fifth largest major cinema chain in Australia, with various locations in CBD and inner suburban areas of most capital cities. Palace Cinemas currently comprises 24 cinemas with 180 screens and more than 550 staff. Its head o ...
circuit in Australia. In New Zealand and Fiji, the company sold its 50% holding in Village Skycity Cinemas, the arthouse Village Rialto chain, and Damodar Village Cinemas to Skycity Entertainment Group. This left Skycity with 100% control over the NZ Village Skycity circuit (promptly renaming the chain,
Skycity Cinemas Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 cinema complexes cu ...
), 50% partners in Village Rialto with Rialto Distribution (renaming them Rialto Cinemas), and 50% partners with the Fijian Damodar Brothers in the Damodar Village Cinemas chain (retaining the half Village branding) – it lasted until January 2010 when Skycity divested all their exhibition interests to Village's Australian cinema partner,
Amalgamated Holdings Limited EVT Limited (EVT), formerly Amalgamated Holdings Limited and then Event Hospitality and Entertainment, is an Australian company which operates cinemas, hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. EVT owns the largest cinema chains ...
. However, also in 2007, the company undertook a cinema refurbishment program in Greece, transitioning the chain from its original old style cinema designs to the new 'Village World' concept that included the debut of Vmax and Gold Class screens, in addition to cafés, bowling alleys and movie merchandise stores. In October 2008, the company entered the United States exhibition market by opening the first Village Roadshow Gold Class cinema in the wealthy Chicago suburb of South Barrington, followed by a second at
Redmond, Washington Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census, up from 54,144 in 2010. Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. With an an ...
. Local joint venture partners, Crescent Entertainment and the Alabama Pension Fund, owned a combined 40% stake in the new business with Village owning the majority. The company signed up a total of 12 sites across the US, all in up-market shopping areas, including New York City and
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, with plans to grow to about 40 complexes within three to five years. Like Gold Class cinemas in other countries, the US chain was targeting affluent movie goers willing to pay $US35 ($A43) a ticket for bigger chairs and the chance to order alcohol and
gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...
food with their film. The only difference with the American chain saw its Gold Class screens located as stand-alone cinemas, while other international markets have theirs form part of the actual Village Cinema multiplexes. managing director, Graham Burke, commented on luxury movie watching as a new concept for America, "we will be the first mover in that market." Yet, he added a reassurance for shareholders, "Australia is the 51st state, the culture is very similar and it's worked so well in Australia." Village Roadshow Gold Class was headquartered in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
and led by CEO, Kirk Senior. In October 2009, local diversified investment holding company, Demco Group, acquired 100% of Village Roadshow's Greek operations including all seven Village Cinema multiplexes, in addition to the film production and distribution arms, under licence. In June 2012, Demco expanded the Village brand further by establishing a Pay TV movie channel in Greece called, Village Cinema, on the
OTE TV Cosmote TV is the corporate name for two pay television services in Greece, owned by Greek telecommunication operator OTE. The two services are as follows: *Cosmote TV via OTT – Streaming platform *Cosmote TV via Satellite – Satellite telev ...
platform. The year before, Demco announced they were establishing the first Village Cinema within
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, in
Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
's new Palas Mall. The 10-screen multiplex (including one Vmax screen) was slated for a September 2012 opening, however (as of October 2013), obtaining information on its current operations have been unsuccessful thus far. In September 2010, the company sold its majority stake in the six-theatre Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas LLC (Gold Class USA) to iPic Entertainment's new subsidiary, iPic-Gold Class Entertainment LLC, with Village retaining a 30% interest. Village Roadshow released a statement, admitting to shareholders; "The financial performance of the Gold Class USA cinemas has been disappointing from the outset." Over the next year, the new owners rebranded the chain to iPic Theaters, reduced ticket prices, added extra seating, outsourced restaurant services, and added extra locations while closing others. In February 2013, all four Tasmanian Village Cinemas joined Australian Theatres after the long-standing joint venture between Village Roadshow and
WIN Corporation WIN Corporation is a private Australian media company, that owns assets including the WIN Television network, Crawford Productions and several local radio stations. The company is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. History Founding The WIN b ...
ceased when WIN sold out. WIN's 50% investment was a legacy involvement from the mid-1980s, carried over from former Launceston-based media company,
ENT Limited ENT Ltd, standing for Examiner-Northern TV Ltd, is a private shell company owned by WIN Corporation. In its heyday, ENT was a publicly listed Australian media company based in Launceston, Tasmania. It was run by major shareholder Edmund Rouse unti ...
, which initially bought the stake (WIN acquired ENT in 1995). In June 2017, Village Roadshow's 50% stake in Golden Village was set to be acquired by
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
-based media mini-conglomerate MM2 Asia. However, mm2's bid to acquire 50% of Golden Village cinema chain fell through as Village Roadshow failed to secure the approval of Golden Screen (also known as
Orange Sky Golden Harvest Orange Sky Golden Harvest (OSGH) () , previously known as Golden Harvest () from 1970 to 2009, is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It dominated Hong Kong cinema box office sales from the 1970s to the ...
), the other joint venture partner. Instead, in October 2017, Orange Sky Golden Harvest purchased the Village Roadshow's 50% stake, therefore having full ownership of Golden Village. It is unknown whether the Village name will be dropped from Golden Village as a result of the acquisition. The chain was forced to temporarily close all cinemas across the country in early 2020 as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, but is set to reopen at the end of June.


Current sites


Australia

Within its home market, the Village Cinemas brand only operates in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
. The chain is a joint venture between Village Roadshow and Amalgamated Holdings Limited since 2003, forming
Australian Theatres Australian Theatres is a joint venture between Village Roadshow and EVT Limited. The partnership was formed on 31 March 2003 between Greater Union and Village Cinemas in Sydney. The venture includes cinemas under the Village Cinemas, Greate ...
. Except the multiplexes at Jam Factory,
Werribee Plaza Pacific Werribee (formerly known as Werribee Plaza) is a major regional shopping centre located in the suburb of Hoppers Crossing, approximately south-west of the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) in Victoria, Australia. On 3 February ...
,
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
, and
Morwell Morwell is a town in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland, in South-Eastern Victoria, Australia approximately 152 km (94 mi) east of Melbourne. Morwell has a population of 14,389 people at the . It is both the seat of local governme ...
– they have different joint venture partners with Village Roadshow. Victoria: *
Westfield Airport West Airport West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley Local government areas of Victoria, local gov ...
''(Village 8 Airport West)'' * Century City Walk ''(Village 10 Century City)'' *
Westfield Doncaster Westfield Doncaster (formerly Doncaster Shoppingtown) is a shopping centre 50% owned by Scentre Group and 25% owned by ISPT and 25% owned by Asia Property Fund (as of May 2015) located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...
''(Village 9 Doncaster)'' * Coburg North ''(Village Drive-In 3)'' *
Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
''(Village 14 Crown)'' *
Westfield Fountain Gate Westfield Fountain Gate is a super-regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It is the second largest shopping centre in Australia by floor area. However, it is the largest shopping ...
''(Village 14 Fountain Gate)'' (screen number increased from 10 to 14 in November 2013 to accommodate 3 Gold Class auditoriums and an additional Vmax screen) *
Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
''( Rivoli Cinemas 8)'' (operated by Village Cinemas but branded separately) *
Werribee Plaza Pacific Werribee (formerly known as Werribee Plaza) is a major regional shopping centre located in the suburb of Hoppers Crossing, approximately south-west of the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) in Victoria, Australia. On 3 February ...
''(Werribee 10 Cinemas)'' (operated by Village Cinemas but branded separately) * Centro Karingal ''(Village 10 Karingal)'' * Jam Factory ''(Village 15 Jam Factory)'' *
Westfield Knox Westfield Knox (formerly known as Knox City Shopping Centre) is a shopping centre, outdoor entertainment and professional services complex in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, in the Australian state of Victoria. The centr ...
''(Village 15 Knox)'' *
Westfield Southland Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
''(Village 16 Southland)'' (includes an
Intencity Intencity Family Entertainment Centres (trading as Intencity) is a chain of amusement arcades owned by Australian company Village Roadshow Limited, with locations in NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. The chain was originally launched in 1995 as part of a v ...
) * Sunshine Marketplace ''(Village 20 Sunshine Megaplex)'' (includes an
Intencity Intencity Family Entertainment Centres (trading as Intencity) is a chain of amusement arcades owned by Australian company Village Roadshow Limited, with locations in NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. The chain was originally launched in 1995 as part of a v ...
) *
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
''(Village 11 Geelong)'' * Mid Valley Shopping Centre ''(Village 8 Morwell)'' *
Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...
''(Village 4 Shepparton)'' *
Westfield Plenty Valley Westfield Plenty Valley is a shopping centre in the suburb of South Morang, Victoria, Australia. Until its expansion in 2008, it was known as Plenty Valley Town Centre and hosted one major store ( Coles Supermarket), and approximately 22 special ...
Tasmania: *
Eastlands Shopping Centre Eastlands is Tasmania's largest shopping centre; it is located on the eastern side of the Derwent River, in the shopping district of Rosny Park, and within the greater area of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It has a gross lettable area of about ...
''(Village 4 Eastlands)'' * Glenorchy ''(Village 4 Glenorchy)'' * Hobart CBD ''(Village 7 Hobart)'' (includes an
Intencity Intencity Family Entertainment Centres (trading as Intencity) is a chain of amusement arcades owned by Australian company Village Roadshow Limited, with locations in NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. The chain was originally launched in 1995 as part of a v ...
) * Launceston ''(Village 4 Launceston)'' (includes an
Intencity Intencity Family Entertainment Centres (trading as Intencity) is a chain of amusement arcades owned by Australian company Village Roadshow Limited, with locations in NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. The chain was originally launched in 1995 as part of a v ...
)


Affiliate cinemas

Village Cinemas also has film and product output arrangements with affiliate (partner) cinemas at regional sites that are independently owned and operated. Except the cinemas at
Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...
and Bendigo – they are joint ventures between
Village Roadshow Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian company which operates cinemas and theme parks, and produces and distributes films. Before being acquired by private equity company BGH Capital, the company was listed on the Australian Securities Ex ...
and other businesses. The Peninsula Cinemas Group is also wholly owned by Village Roadshow Executive chairman, Robert Kirby, and his immediate family. All these sites are branded independently of Village, but Bendigo Cinemas carry many of Village's looks, including the interior of the building and staff uniforms. *
Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
''(Regent Cinemas 9)'' (includes an
Intencity Intencity Family Entertainment Centres (trading as Intencity) is a chain of amusement arcades owned by Australian company Village Roadshow Limited, with locations in NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. The chain was originally launched in 1995 as part of a v ...
) *
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
''(Bendigo 7 Cinemas)'' (Known locally as Bendigo Cinemas) *
Warragul Warragul is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. As of the , the town had a population of 19,85 ...
''(Warragul Cinema Centre 3)'' (part of the Peninsula Cinemas Group) *
Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...
''(Sorrento Athenaeum Cinemas 3)'' (part of the Peninsula Cinemas Group) *
Rosebud Rosebud may refer to: * Rose bud, the bud of a rose flower Arts * The name of Jerry Garcia's guitar from 1990 until his death in 1995. * In the 1941 film ''Citizen Kane'', the last words of Charles Foster Kane and an overall plot device. * "Ros ...
''(Rosebud Cinemas 5)'' (part of the Peninsula Cinemas Group) *
Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...
''(Capitol Cinema Centre 3)''


Argentina

Within
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Village Cines was a joint venture between Southern Screens Entertainment II and Blue Ridge, based in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and operated the brand under license from 2005 to 2018.
Cinépolis Cinépolis is a Mexican and international movie theater chain. Its name means ''City of Cinema'' and its slogan is ''La Capital del Cine'' ( en, the Capital of Cinema). Cinépolis was the biggest cineplex chain in Mexico, with 427 theaters in ...
is the new joint venture since 2018 based in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. * Recoleta ''(Village Recoleta)'' *
Caballito Caballito (; Spanish for "little horse") is a ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is the only ''barrio'' in the administrative division ''Comuna'' 6. It is located in the geographical centre of the city, limited ...
''(Village 9 Caballito)'' * Pilar ''(Village 8 Pilar)'' *
Avellaneda Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, and is connected ...
''(Village 16 Avellaneda)'' *
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
''(Village 13 Rosario)'' * Mendoza Plaza ''(Village 10 Mendoza Plaza)'' *
Neuquén Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers w ...
''(Village 6 Neuquén)'' * Arena Maipú ''(Village Arena Maipú)'' *
Merlo, Buenos Aires Merlo is the head town of the eponymous partido of Merlo and seat of the municipal government, located in the Greater Buenos Aires urban area of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The city was founded by Francisco de Merlo in 1755 and rebuilt by ...
''(Village Cines Merlo)'' *
Luján, Buenos Aires Luján (pronounced ) is a city in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, located 68 kilometres north west of the city of Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1755 and has a population of 106,899 (per the ). Luján is best known for its large ...
''(Village Cines Luján)''


Greece

Within
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, investment holding company, Demco Group, owns and operates all Village-branded entities including Village Cinemas under
licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
since 2009. *
Agios Ioannis Rentis Agios Ioannis Rentis ( el, Άγιος Ιωάννης Ρέντης) is a suburb and a former municipality in the Piraeus regional unit, lying in the western part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is par ...
''(Village 20 Rentis)'' *
The Mall Athens The Mall Athens is a shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe. The Mall Athens is located close to the Athens Olympic St ...
''(Village World 14 The Mall)'' * Mediterranean Cosmos ''(Village World 11 Mediterranean Cosmos)'' *
Palaio Faliro Palaio Faliro ( el, Παλαιό Φάληρο, ; Katharevousa: Palaion Faliron, Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning "Old Phalerum") is a coastal district and a municipality in the southern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. At the 2011 c ...
''(Village World 9 Faliro)'' *
Athens Metro Mall Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
, Aghios Dimitrios ''(Village 5 Aghios Dimitrios)'' *
Pangrati Pangrati or Pagrati ( el, Παγκράτι) is a neighborhood in Central Athens, Greece, having an estimated population of 35,173 residents. Named after the ancient sanctuary of Hercules Pancrates ("All Powerful"), its frontage runs from Vasil ...
''(Village 5 Pangrati)'' *
Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
''(Village 4 Volos)''


Fiji

Within
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, Damodar Village Cinemas is a joint venture between Australian-based, Amalgamated Holdings Limited, and the Fijian-based, Damodar Brothers, who operate the existing two-cinema chain under licence since 2010. However, the joint venture will debut the Vmax and Gold Class concepts in late-2013 when a new Damodar Event Cinema multiplex opens in Damodar City,
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
. *
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
''(Damodar Village 6 Suva)'' *
Lautoka Lautoka () is the second largest Local government in Fiji, city in Fiji. It is on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Ba Province of the Western Division, Fiji, Western Division. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane-growing r ...
''(Damodar Village 4 Lautoka)'' File:Rivoli Cinemas Camberwell Melbourne.jpg, The eight-screen, heritage registered, free standing
Rivoli Cinemas Rivoli Cinemas (also known as Rivoli Theatre and New Rivoli Theatre) is an eight-screen multiplex in the Hawthorn East suburb of Melbourne. Noted for its Art Deco architecture, the cinema was first built in 1940, and reopened as a multiplex in ...
in
Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
, an inner-suburb of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. File:WerribeePlaza-CinemaOutside.jpg, The ten-screen, free standing Werribee 10 Cinemas within
Werribee Plaza Pacific Werribee (formerly known as Werribee Plaza) is a major regional shopping centre located in the suburb of Hoppers Crossing, approximately south-west of the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) in Victoria, Australia. On 3 February ...
,
Hoppers Crossing Hoppers Crossing is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham Local government areas of Victoria, local gove ...
, a south-west suburb of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. File:Village Cinemas Southland Melbourne.jpg, A sixteen-screen, integrated Village Cinema within
Westfield Southland Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
,
Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
, a south-east suburb of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. File:Village Cinemas Collins Street Hobart.jpg, A seven-screen, free standing Village Cinema within the Hobart CBD.


Concept screens


Gold Class

Gold Class cinemas, a luxury cinema format, is provided at a number of Village locations within wealthier areas in Australia, Singapore, Argentina, and Greece. It also operates under
licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
in cinemas previously owned by Village in the Czech Republic at CineStar, and India's
PVR Cinemas PVR Ltd (formerly Priya Village Roadshow Ltd), doing business as PVR Cinemas, is an Indian multiplex chain based in Gurgaon. PVR pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997 at Saket, New Delh ...
. Gold Class Cinemas include cloakroom facilities,
butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
ed refreshments, à la carte menu offerings and reclining seats. All Gold Class Cinemas are operated in separate areas within regular Village Cinema complexes; whilst the former United States' Village Roadshow Gold Class chain were completely separate complexes between 2008 and 2010. The Gold Class format is also provided at many Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle sites and one regional Australian affiliate cinema. Village-branded Gold Class Cinemas are located at: In Australia: * Century City Walk ''(Gold Class Century City)'' (2 auditoriums) *
Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
''(Gold Class Crown)'' (6 auditoriums) *
Westfield Doncaster Westfield Doncaster (formerly Doncaster Shoppingtown) is a shopping centre 50% owned by Scentre Group and 25% owned by ISPT and 25% owned by Asia Property Fund (as of May 2015) located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...
''(Gold Class Doncaster)'' (3 auditoriums) *
Westfield Fountain Gate Westfield Fountain Gate is a super-regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It is the second largest shopping centre in Australia by floor area. However, it is the largest shopping ...
''(Gold Class Fountain Gate)'' (3 auditoriums) *
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
''(Gold Class Geelong)'' (2 auditoriums) * Hobart CBD ''(Gold Class Hobart)'' (3 auditoriums) *
Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
''(Regent Cinemas Gold Class)'' (1 auditorium) * Jam Factory ''(Gold Class Jam Factory)'' (4 auditoriums) * Centro Karingal ''(Gold Class Karingal)'' (3 auditoriums) *
Westfield Knox Westfield Knox (formerly known as Knox City Shopping Centre) is a shopping centre, outdoor entertainment and professional services complex in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, in the Australian state of Victoria. The centr ...
''(Gold Class Knox)'' (2 auditoriums) *
Westfield Southland Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
''(Gold Class Southland)'' (3 auditoriums) * Sunshine Marketplace ''(Gold Class Sunshine)'' (3 auditoriums) *
Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
''( Rivoli Cinemas Gold Class)'' (2 auditoriums) In Singapore: *
VivoCity VivoCity is a shopping mall located in the HarbourFront precinct of Bukit Merah, Singapore. It is the largest shopping mall in Singapore, with of net lettable area and of gross floor area spread over a three-storey shopping complex and tw ...
''( Gold Class VivoCity)'' (3 auditoriums) *
Katong Katong, also known as Tanjong Katong, is a residential neighbourhood in the eastern portion of the Central Region of Singapore, within the Marine Parade planning area. It used to be located by the sea, before land reclamation towards the south ...
''( Gold Class Katong)'' (2 auditoriums) * Grand World City'' ( Gold Class Grand)'' (1 auditorium) *
Suntec City Suntec City is a major mixed-use development located in Marina Centre, a subzone of the Downtown Core in Singapore, which combines a shopping mall, office buildings, and a Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, convention centre. Con ...
''( Gold Class Suntec City)'' (3 auditoriums) In Argentina: * Arena Maipú ''(Gold Class Arena Maipú)'' (2 auditoriums) In Greece: *
The Mall Athens The Mall Athens is a shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe. The Mall Athens is located close to the Athens Olympic St ...
''(Gold Class The Mall)'' (2 auditoriums) *
Palaio Faliro Palaio Faliro ( el, Παλαιό Φάληρο, ; Katharevousa: Palaion Faliron, Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning "Old Phalerum") is a coastal district and a municipality in the southern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. At the 2011 c ...
''(Gold Class Faliro)'' (2 auditoriums) In the Czech Republic: * Anděl ''(CineStar Gold Class)'' (2 auditoriums) In India: *
Select Citywalk Select CITYWALK is a shopping centre located in the Saket District Centre (Sector-6, Pushp Vihar), in Saket, New Delhi. The mall has a built-up area of , with of retail space. The mall is spread over and includes a 4 km long multiplex, se ...
''( Gold Class Saket)'' * Ambience Mall ''( Gold Class Gurgaon)'' *
The Forum Mall Nexus Mall (formerly Forum Mall) is a shopping mall located on Hosur Road in Koramangala, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India developed by Prestige Group. It is the first shopping mall in the city of Bengaluru. Nexus Koramangala is the oldest full-fl ...
''( Gold Class Koramangala)'' * Phoenix Marketcity Mall ''( Gold Class Kurla)''


Cinema Europa

Cinema Europa auditoriums are located in separate areas within regular Village Cinema complexes in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Singapore,
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, and one Indian PVR Cinema. They feature mostly
arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
,
foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a given country, and that native speakers from that country must usually acquire through conscious learning - be this through language lessons at schoo ...
, and documentary films (some
Australian films The cinema of Australia had its beginnings with the 1906 production of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received internati ...
also show within Australian Cinema Europa locations) which are typically not shown in regular/traditional Village Cinema screens. Each Europa location features separate toilets and a
licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
lounge bar and café. Some Europa auditoriums are upholstered in blue, as opposed to red in the regular/traditional auditoriums. Village Cinemas'
Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...
affiliate, Regent Cinemas, operates a similar brand called, Showcase Cinema which is also upholstered in blue. However, since 2010, Village has scaled back the Cinema Europa brand and stopped staffing and promoting the screens at Jam Factory,
Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
and
Karingal Karingal is a local area within the suburb of Frankston located in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is in the local government area of the City of Frankston (app. 45 km South East from the Melbourne CBD) History European settleme ...
although some of these locations are still screening Europa-type films. In Melbourne,
Rivoli Cinemas Rivoli Cinemas (also known as Rivoli Theatre and New Rivoli Theatre) is an eight-screen multiplex in the Hawthorn East suburb of Melbourne. Noted for its Art Deco architecture, the cinema was first built in 1940, and reopened as a multiplex in ...
is used by Village as the main outlet for films with very limited screenings such as, ''
Frances Ha ''Frances Ha'' is a 2012 American black and white comedy-drama film, directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig. Gerwig also plays the title role, a struggling 27-year-old dancer. The film premiered at the Telluride Film F ...
'' and '' The Turning''. In
Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, the regular Village Cinema at Eastlands is occasionally used this way – it was the only cinema in Tasmania to screen ''
Spring Breakers ''Spring Breakers'' is a 2012 American comedy crime film written and directed by Harmony Korine and starring James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine. Gomez, Hudgens, Benson and Korine portray four college-ag ...
'' and ''
Thanks for Sharing ''Thanks for Sharing'' is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stuart Blumberg, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Winston. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Patrick Fugit, Carol Kan ...
''. Current Cinema Europa locations are: *
Westfield Knox Westfield Knox (formerly known as Knox City Shopping Centre) is a shopping centre, outdoor entertainment and professional services complex in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, in the Australian state of Victoria. The centr ...
''(Cinema Europa Knox)'' (2 auditoriums) *
Westfield Southland Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
''(Cinema Europa Southland)'' (4 auditoriums) *
VivoCity VivoCity is a shopping mall located in the HarbourFront precinct of Bukit Merah, Singapore. It is the largest shopping mall in Singapore, with of net lettable area and of gross floor area spread over a three-storey shopping complex and tw ...
''( Cinema Europa VivoCity)'' (1 auditorium) *
The Mall Athens The Mall Athens is a shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe. The Mall Athens is located close to the Athens Olympic St ...
''(Cinema Europa The Mall)'' (2 auditoriums) *
Palaio Faliro Palaio Faliro ( el, Παλαιό Φάληρο, ; Katharevousa: Palaion Faliron, Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning "Old Phalerum") is a coastal district and a municipality in the southern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. At the 2011 c ...
''(Cinema Europa Faliro)'' (1 auditorium) * Ambience Mall ''( Cinema Europa Gurgaon)''


Vmax

Vmax cinemas feature enhanced film display, picture quality and digital sound. The screens at Vmax are all of width 22 metres or greater (the largest being 28 metres at Westfield Knox) and are placed in large auditoriums which feature larger seats, stadium seating and wider armrests. Some locations also feature
Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal, nor verti ...
. The Vmax format is also provided at many Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle sites. Village Vmax locations are: * Centro Karingal ''(Vmax Karingal)'' (1 auditorium) *
Westfield Knox Westfield Knox (formerly known as Knox City Shopping Centre) is a shopping centre, outdoor entertainment and professional services complex in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, in the Australian state of Victoria. The centr ...
''(Vmax Knox)'' (1 auditorium, 28m screen) *
Westfield Southland Westfield Southland (previously known as Southland Centre) is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are ap ...
''(Vmax Southland)'' (2 auditoriums) *
Westfield Doncaster Westfield Doncaster (formerly Doncaster Shoppingtown) is a shopping centre 50% owned by Scentre Group and 25% owned by ISPT and 25% owned by Asia Property Fund (as of May 2015) located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...
''(Vmax Doncaster)'' (1 auditorium, 22m screen) *
Westfield Fountain Gate Westfield Fountain Gate is a super-regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It is the second largest shopping centre in Australia by floor area. However, it is the largest shopping ...
''(Vmax Fountain Gate)'' (2 auditoriums) * Village Cinemas Hobart (1 auditorium) *
Crown Casino Crown Melbourne (also referred to as Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex) is a casino and resort located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited, and the first casino of the n ...
''(Vmax Crown)'' (Features Dolby Atmos) *
VivoCity VivoCity is a shopping mall located in the HarbourFront precinct of Bukit Merah, Singapore. It is the largest shopping mall in Singapore, with of net lettable area and of gross floor area spread over a three-storey shopping complex and tw ...
''( GVmax VivoCity)'' (1 auditorium, 22.4m screen) *
The Mall Athens The Mall Athens is a shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe. The Mall Athens is located close to the Athens Olympic St ...
''(Vmax The Mall)'' (1 auditorium) *
Palaio Faliro Palaio Faliro ( el, Παλαιό Φάληρο, ; Katharevousa: Palaion Faliron, Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning "Old Phalerum") is a coastal district and a municipality in the southern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. At the 2011 c ...
''(Vmax Faliro)'' (1 auditorium) * Mediterranean Cosmos ''(Vmax Mediterranean Cosmos)'' (1 auditorium)


Coburg Drive-In

Opening in November 1965, Coburg is the last Village operated drive-in and one of only three remaining in operation in Victoria. The grand opening night's features were
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''
Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...
'' and ''
McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the ABC television network. The series was filmed in black and white and originate ...
''. Today, a variety of blockbusters are projected onto three 33-metre wide screens. Sound is available via FM stereo broadcast. A retro 1950s style diner is also on site, which offers an SMS ordering service, which delivers food and drinks to your car.


Digital 3D

In early 2011 Village Cinemas Australia converted all of their auditoriums and cinemas to Digital Projectors, seeing traditional film and prints become extinct. The installation of these projectors means that all auditoriums are now
RealD Cinema RealD 3D is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3D films in theaters. Worldwide, RealD 3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately 1, ...
3D capable. Initially the price of the 3D glasses required to watch films in 3D were included in the ticket price, however this has recently changed and the $1 cost of the glasses is being changed separately, making it cheaper for guests as it encourages people to keep and re-use their glasses for future sessions.


Vjunior

Vjunior is a movie theater by Village Cinemas made for children, which includes a slide and a play area.


VPremium

There are VPremium auditoriums at the following sites: * Hobart (2 auditoriums) * Jam Factory * Southland * Geelong


4DX

On 27 October 2017, the first 4DX screen owned by Village was opened. 4DX allows a motion picture presentation to be augmented with environmental effects such as seat motion, wind, rain, fog, lights, and scents along with the standard video and audio. As such, theaters must be specially designed for and equipped with 4DX technology. There are 4DX screens at the following sites: * Century City


Partnerships

In April 2015, BMW Australia and Village Gold Class Cinemas, in joint venture with AHL, announced a partnership where BMW Australia was named as the presenting partner for Village Gold Class Cinemas. The partnership includes a co-branding agreement across Village Gold Class assets.


See also

*
Australian Theatres Australian Theatres is a joint venture between Village Roadshow and EVT Limited. The partnership was formed on 31 March 2003 between Greater Union and Village Cinemas in Sydney. The venture includes cinemas under the Village Cinemas, Greate ...
*
Village Roadshow Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian company which operates cinemas and theme parks, and produces and distributes films. Before being acquired by private equity company BGH Capital, the company was listed on the Australian Securities Ex ...
* Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle *
Event Hospitality and Entertainment EVT Limited (EVT), formerly Amalgamated Holdings Limited and then Event Hospitality and Entertainment, is an Australian company which operates cinemas, hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. EVT owns the largest cinema chains ...
*
Hoyts The Hoyts Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan. Hoyts operates more than 450 cinema screens and 55,000 seats, making it Australia's second largest movie exhibitor after Event Hospita ...
*
Reading Cinemas Reading Cinemas ( ) is a group of cinema chains operating in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. They are owned by the American company Reading International. History In the late 1980s, through his holding company the Craig Corp ...
*
The Movie Masters Cinema Group Grand Cinemas and Ace Cinemas are independent Western Australian chains of cinema multiplexes. The chains formerly co-operated under The Movie Masters banner, but as of 2022 they no longer operate under this arrangement. History The Movie Mast ...
*
Wallis Cinemas Wallis Cinemas, formerly Wallis Theatres, is a family-owned South Australian company that operates cinema complexes, cinemas and drive-in theatres in greater Adelaide and regional South Australia. Wallis Theatres works in conjunction with Big S ...
*
Golden Village Golden Village is a cinema operator based in Singapore, fully owned by Orange Sky Golden Harvest of Hong Kong. It was initially set up as a 50:50 joint venture between Golden Harvest (predecessor of Orange Sky Golden Harvest) and Village Ro ...
*
Warner Village Cinemas Warner Village Cinemas was a chain of multiplex cinemas operated by Warner Bros in the various locations throughout Europe. Created in the late 1980s in the UK as 'Warner Bros. Cinemas', these locations acted as a rival to Paramount and Univers ...
*
List of theatres in Hobart This is a list of theatres in Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. The Hobart City Centre has several theatres in continuous operation, including live theatre venues, picture theatres, a single multiplex operated by Village Cinemas, as well as several ...
* List of theatres in Melbourne * Village Cinemas Czech Republic (written in the
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...
) *
PVR Cinemas PVR Ltd (formerly Priya Village Roadshow Ltd), doing business as PVR Cinemas, is an Indian multiplex chain based in Gurgaon. PVR pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997 at Saket, New Delh ...


References


External links


Village Cinemas, Australia

Golden Village, Singapore

Village Cines, Argentina

Village Cinemas, Greece

Damodar Village Cinemas, Fiji

Village Roadshow
{{Primary sources, date=December 2006 Cinema chains in Australia Companies based in Melbourne Entertainment companies established in 1954 Australian brands Australian companies established in 1954