Empire Theatres

This article is about the Canadian cinema circuit. For the British cinema company, see Empire Cinemas.

Empire Theatres Limited

Type	Private (subsidiary of Empire Company)
Industry	Movie theatres
Founded	1978
Headquarters	Stellarton, Nova Scotia
Number of locations	51
Area served	Canada
Employees	approx. 3000
Parent	Empire Company
Website	www.empiretheatres.com

Empire Theatres Limited is the second-largest movie theatre chain in Canada, and the only major circuit operating in Atlantic Canada. A subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the family-owned parent of the Sobeys supermarket chain presently owns and operates 51 locations in 8 of 10 provinces, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Many, but not all, of its larger locations are branded "Studio #", with # being the number of screens at that location. Other locations are named "Empire (location) #", number showing the number of screens. Some more locations have their own unique name, such as the 6-screen cinemas in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador being named Topsail Cinemas due to its location being Topsail Road.

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

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

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

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

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

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

As of December 2009, the Empire Theatres chain has 48 screens equipped with digital projection and RealD 3D capabilities.

Refreshments

Many Empire venues supply New York Fries, Pretzelmaker, TCBY, and Pizza Hut, or Pizza Pizza (such as Empire Theatres Pen Centre, Empire Studio 12 Guildford and Empire Theatres Bayer's Lake and IMAX Theatre in Bayer's Lake - Suburban Halifax, NS). Empire Theatres also has their own brand of fries, called Cuts, as well as its own brand of soft serve, called Swirls at select locations. Along with these food venues, Empire Theatres also have their own traditional food venue in every theatre with food items such as popcorn and nachos.^{[citation needed]}

List of locations

Alberta

• Calgary - Empire Studio 10 Macleod Trail
• Calgary - Empire Studio 16 Country Hills
• Edmonton - Empire City Centre 9 Cinemas
• Edmonton - Empire Clareview 10 Cinemas

British Columbia

• North Vancouver - Empire Esplanade 6 Cinemas
• Surrey - Empire Studio 12 Guildford
• Vancouver - Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
• Victoria - Empire Capitol 6 Cinemas
• Victoria - Empire University 4 Cinemas

Manitoba

• Brandon - Empire Capitol Theatre
• Winkler - Empire Southland Cinemas
• Winnipeg - Empire Grant Park 8 Cinemas

New Brunswick

This Empire Theaters location in Moncton was built as a Famous Players and re-branded in 2004

• Dieppe - Crystal Palace 8 Cinemas
• Fredericton - Empire Studio 10 Regent Mall
• Miramichi - Empire Studio 5
• Moncton - Empire 8 Trinity Drive
• Rothesay - Empire 4 Cinemas
• Saint John - Empire Studio 10

Newfoundland

• Corner Brook - Millbrook Cinemas
• Mount Pearl - Empire Cinemas Mount Pearl Shopping Centre
• St. John's - Empire Studio 12

Nova Scotia

• Amherst- Paramount Cinemas
• Antigonish - Empire Capitol Theatre
• Bridgewater - Empire Studio 7
• Dartmouth - Empire Theatres Dartmouth Crossing
• Halifax- Empire Theatres Bayers Lake and IMAX
• Halifax - Empire 8 Park Lane
• Halifax - Oxford Theatre
• Lower Sackville - Empire Studio 7
• New Glasgow - Empire Studio 7
• New Minas - Empire 7 Cinemas
• Sydney - Empire Studio 10
• Truro - Empire Studio 7
• Westville - Empire Drive-In
• Yarmouth- Empire Studio 5

Ontario

• Bolton - Empire 7 Cinemas
• Hamilton - Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
• Kingston - Empire Capitol 7 Cinemas
• Kitchener - Empire Theatres Kitchener
• London - Empire Wellington 8 Cinemas
• Mississauga - Empire Studio 10 at Square One
• Toronto (North York) - Empire Empress Walk 10 Cinemas
• Orleans - Empire Theatres Orleans
• Ottawa- Empire 7 Cinemas
• Ottawa - Empire Rideau Centre Cinemas
• Richmond Hill - Empire Elgin Mills 10 Cinemas
• St. Catharines - Empire Theatres Pen Centre
• Waterloo - Empire Theatres Waterloo (Opened November 5, 2010)

Prince Edward Island

• Charlottetown - Empire Studio 8
• Summerside - Empire Studio 5

External links

• Empire Theatres Website