Event Cinemas

Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd,[1] 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 currently operating worldwide.

Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd
BCC Cinemas
Cinebuzz Rewards
Event Cinemas
Greater Union
GU Film House
Moonlight Cinema
Rialto Cinemas
Subsidiary
IndustryFilm exhibition
Founded1913 (1913)
Headquarters
Australia 
Areas served
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji
Number of employees
5,000+
ParentEvent Hospitality and Entertainment
Websitewww.eventcinemas.com.au

The Greater Union Organisation is a subsidiary of the ASX-listed Event Hospitality and Entertainment, a corporation that owns and operates brands in the entertainment, hospitality and leisure sectors, mainly within Australasia.[1]

History
See also: Cinema of Australia

The Event Cinemas cinema chain has had a great impact on the Australian culture and film industry and has a history of mergers and acquisitions and liquidations that span over a century.

From 1906 to 1911, during the silent era, Australia was the most prolific producer of feature films in the world,[2] a period which included the creation of the first feature-length film The Kelly Gang. This creative and fertile period in Australian film history was largely created by competition between West's Pictures, Spencer's Pictures and Amalgamated Pictures.[3] On 4 May 1912 the three joined to form The General Film Company of Australasia.[4] On 4 January 1913 it then merged with The Greater J.D. Williams Amusement Co and restructured to become The Combine, a famous partnership between exhibition wing Union Theatres and the production and distribution wing Australasian Films.

The Combine monopoly was highly influential on the early twentieth-century Australian film industry.[2] However, it came under heavy criticism for its low interest in producing Australian films, its preference for imported cinema, and its reluctance to exhibit Australian films by other producers.[5] Film icon and director Raymond Longford, whose independent production company had come under attack by the group,[6] said in 1927 that "had it not been for the activities of that firm in its endeavour to crush it in its infancy, the local picture would now be 10 years at least advanced to the height now attained by the Americans."[5] Historians have traced the sharp decline of the Australian film industry in 1913 to the repercussions of these series of takeovers and mergers.[3][7] James Sabine has said that "the stranglehold of The Combine forced a decline in local production and contributed to many Australian production companies closing their doors."[7]

1930 Cinesound studios and Crew

The Combine continued to grow into the 1920s during the genesis of the Hollywood era with its focus on exhibiting American films. The Great Depression saw Union Theatres being liquidated in 1931 and its assets purchased by newly formed Greater Union Theatres. This new company split from Australasian Films, established the Hollywood-model subsidiary Cinesound Productions, expanded into radio and newspaper, and kept its major focus on building and managing cinemas.[8] Due to The Depression, Greater Union Theatres merged into the General Film Corporation with Hoyts, a competitor who had secured Fox Film as a shareholder. In 1937 Norman Rydge became managing director and removed the company from the previous merger. In 1945 in the last year of World War II there was a box office boom and the British Rank Organisation purchased a half share in Greater Union Theatres. During this time Greater Union acquired the rights of ownership of many theatres across the country including what became the Phoenician Club in Broadway, Sydney in 1943, originally owned by McIntyre's Broadway Theatres and established as a cinema in 1911.

In 1958 the four holding companies in the Greater Union Theatres group were merged into the Rydge family Amalgamated Holdings Limited (AHL), and in 1965 Greater Union Theatres was renamed the Greater Union Organisation (GUO). In 1980 billionaire Alan Rydge was appointed Chairman of AHL to become the youngest chairman of an Australian public company.[9] In 1984 AHL regained control over the now-defunct Rank Organisation's half share, meaning that it once again became fully Australian owned. In 1987 GUO merged with Village Roadshow to form the distribution company Roadshow Film Distributors. In 1991 GUO acquired Birch, Carroll & Coyle. In 2003 AHL and Village Roadshow combined to form Australian Theatres.

Since 2009 a number of cinemas have been renamed from Greater Union Cinemas to Event Cinemas. On 22 December 2015 AHL was renamed Event Hospitality and Entertainment.

Event Cinemas George St (Sydney CBD) is regarded as the company's flagship location.

In 2019, Birch Carroll & Coyle was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in recognition of being Australia's leading provincial film distributor and its industry leadership throughout Queensland for 80 years.[10]

Locations

Australia

Event Cinemas have over sixty cinema venues around Australia, many of which are located in large shopping centres. The cinema complexes comprise multiple screens. The below locations do not include sites that operate under the joint venture between Village Roadshow and Event Hospitality & Entertainment known as Australian Theatres.

Cinema locations in Australia

Australian Capital Territory

  • Manuka

New South Wales

Northern Territory

  • Casuarina - trading as BCC Cinemas
  • Palmerston

Queensland

South Australia

  • Adelaide - trading as GU Filmhouse
  • Arndale - trading as Greater Union
  • Glenelg - trading as GU Filmhouse
  • Marion

Western Australia

  • Innaloo
  • Morley - trading as Greater Union
  • Whitford

With cinema admissions in decline, Event Cinemas has continued to experience growth by raising the price of admissions and offering "premium experiences" such as "Gold Class" which offers more luxury seating and food, "Vmax" which offers a larger screen, and alternate content including Bollywood films, football, gaming, film festivals, opera and stand-up comedy events.[11][12][13]

The interior of Event Cinemas Whitford, which opened on 21 September 2017

Fiji

Within Fiji, Damodar Event Cinemas is a joint venture between Village Cinemas, and the Fijian-based, Damodar Brothers, who operate the existing two-cinema chain under licence since 2010.[14][15][16]

Cinema locations in Fiji
  • Damordar City - trading as Damodar Event Cinemas

New Zealand

Event Cinemas operates cinemas in New Zealand's major urban centres, including the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. Hollywood blockbusters are regularly shown alongside arthouse features and film festivals such as the New Zealand International Film Festival.

Cinema locations in New Zealand
  • Albany
  • Auckland - colloquially known as Queen St
  • Blenheim
  • Broadway
  • Chartwell
  • Coastlands
  • Dunedin - trading as Rialto Cinemas
  • Havelock North
  • Henderson - colloquially known as Westcity
  • Manukau
  • Mt Maunganui
  • Newmarket - trading as Rialto Cinemas
  • New Plymouth
  • Palmerston North
  • Sandringham - colloquially known as St Lukes
  • Tauranga
  • Wellington - trading as The Embassy
  • Westgate
  • Whangarei

Experiences

Gold Class

Gold Class cinemas, a luxury cinema format, is provided at a number of Event/BCC/Greater Union Cinemas locations in Australia, New Zealand & Fiji. Gold Class Cinemas include butlered refreshments, à la carte menu offerings and reclining seats in a cinema with a small number of seats. Village Cinemas first originated the concept of Gold Class, and has since popularised with the integration into the Event Group.

All Gold Class Cinemas are operated in separate areas within regular cinema complexes. Event/BCC/Greater Union Gold Class branded cinemas are located at:

In Australia:

Gold Class locations in AUS

In Fiji:

Gold Class locations in Fiji

In New Zealand:

Gold Class locations in NZ

V-max

V-max cinemas feature enhanced film display, picture quality, and digital sound. The screens at V-max used to be a minimum width of 25 meters or greater, however, that was lowered to 20 metres in 2010. V-max cinemas are placed in large auditoriums which feature larger seats, stadium seating and wider armrests. Some locations also feature Dolby Atmos. The V-max format is also provided at many Event Cinema sites in Australia and New Zealand.

V-max Cinemas are usually separate from the normal cinema complexes, like the Gold Class. There are certain locations that has Dolby Atmos surround sound included in their V-max Cinemas (brackets indicating). V-max Cinema locations include:

In Australia:

V-max locations in AUS

In New Zealand:

V-max locations in NZ

IMAX with Laser

IMAX with Laser uses precision lasers a sharper brighter images. This technology is currently exclusive to Event Cinemas Auckland (Queen St).

Digital 3D

GUO converted most of their Australian auditoriums and flagship cinemas to digital projectors. The installation of these projectors means that most auditoriums are now RealD Cinema 3D capable.

4DX

In late 2018, the first 4DX screen owned by the Event Group was opened in George Street (Sydney CBD). 4DX stimulates all five senses, featuring moving seats and special effects including wind, fog, water and scents that synchronise with the action on screen.

Boutique

EVENT Boutique cinemas feature recliners with footrest, and in-cinema food-and-drink service. Guests have access to the Boutique Cinema 30 minutes prior to their session. Boutique is currently available at Event Cinemas George St (Sydney CBD).

Moonlight Cinema

Moonlight Cinema is an outdoor seasonal exhibitor that operates in most Australian metropolitan areas. Moonlight was acquired by EVENT in 2010 from Prime Media Group for $1.75million.[17] The division continues to grow and has signed 3 new venue contracts since its acquisition, and currently operates in:

New South Wales

Queensland

South Australia

Victoria

Western Australia

In addition, each venue offers 'Gold Grass' a luxurious outdoor-cinema experience, similar to the offerings of Event Cinemas' 'Gold Class'.

Cinebuzz Rewards

All cinema brands trading under EVENT, including Greater Union and BCC cinemas, share the benefits of the Cinebuzz Rewards Program. Free for members, the program grants access to advance screenings, ticket discounts, and one free movie ticket for every six movies viewed at EVENT. The program is aimed at encouraging brand loyalty and recognising VIP Customers and currently has over 3 million members in Australia.

Controversy

The exhibition and production company that became Event Cinemas has been widely criticised as the cause of the downfall of early Australian film, which was argued to be the best in the world at the time.[3][7]

In 2005 Event Cinemas banned people from bringing their own food and drink into the cinema. After negative public attention and a threat of investigation by the Fair Trading Commission they were forced to revoke the rule. People complained that Event Cinema's food cost more than double the price of Supermarket stores and had less variety.[18][19][20][21]

In 2012 Australian journalist Tim Burrowes attended a screening of Skyfall at an Event Cinema. There were various technical difficulties which resulted in the audience being asked to leave and a manager threatening Burrowes for filming the crowd's reactions.[22]

In the lead up to the 2016 Australian Federal Election, Chairman Alan Rydge was reported to have donated to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's controversial political fund the Wentworth Forum.[23][24][25]

There have been numerous incidents of faulty popcorn machines causing fires to break out in Event Cinema complexes including Adelaide and Rockhampton in September 2015, Perth in December 2015 and Sydney in August 2016.[26][27][28][29]

gollark: Oh, that was me.
gollark: It is exactly the same difficulty. You just get worse.
gollark: My entry (#11) is better anyway, though.
gollark: Oh yes, I suppose at infinite *program* size.
gollark: Really? It doesn't have unbounded cells.

See also

References
  1. http://www.eventcinemas.com.au/Terms
  2. "AMALGAMATED PICTURES, LIMITED. – Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 – 1930) – 12 Apr 1914". Trove. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  3. "The first wave of Australian feature film production: From early promise to fading hopes" (PDF). Australian Film Commission Archive. Screen Australia. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  4. "AMALGAMATED PICTURES, LIMITED. – Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 – 1930) – 12 Apr 1914". Trove. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  5. "FILM". Trove. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  6. Mayer, Geoff; Beattie, Keith (1 January 2007). The Cinema of Australia and New Zealand. Wallflower Press. ISBN 9781904764960.
  7. "Chronology 1910s on ASO – Australia's audio and visual heritage online". aso.gov.au. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  8. "CAARP: Cinema and Audience Research Project". caarp.edu.au. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  9. "Alan Ridge: Australian billionaire and business prodigy". Archived from the original on 24 July 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  10. "2019 Hall of Fame". Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. State Library of Queensland. 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  11. Quinn, Karl. "A cinema ticket in Australia can cost up to $40. Here's why". Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  12. "Event Hospitality & Entertainment Limited: Financial Results for the half year ended 31 December 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  13. "Alternate Content".
  14. "AHL buys into Damodar". Fiji Times. 9 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  15. "Damodar Brothers". MyFijiGuide.com. 25 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  16. "New Shopping Centre to open in Suva". Indian Newslink. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  17. "Amalgamated acquires Moonlight Cinema". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  18. "Cinema chain pulls food ban". 23 June 2005. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  19. "Cinema Chain Scraps Snack Ban". findlaw.com.au. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  20. "Greater Union food ban is incredible, say moviegoers – National – www.smh.com.au". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  21. Kidman, Angus. "Ask LH: Can Cinemas Stop Me Bringing My Own Food To The Movies?". Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  22. "Skyfail: How Event Cinemas kicked 700 people out of the Bond movie and threatened to have me arrested – Mumbrella". 26 November 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  23. McColl, Gina (19 June 2016). "New expose of Libs exploiting donations loopholes ensares Turnbull". Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  24. Thomson, James (14 July 2009). "Rich entrepreneurs flock to support Malcolm Turnbull – SmartCompany". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  25. "Money and Influence". ABC's Four Corners. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  26. "Popcorn machine causes SA cinema fire". NewsComAu. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  27. "Cinemas evacuated after popcorn machine catches on fire". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  28. "Cinema evacuated after popcorn fire". NewsComAu. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  29. "Popcorn machine fire forces evacuation of Parramatta cinema". ABC News. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
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