Empire Theatres
Empire Theatres is Canada's second largest movie theatre circuit, 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 it has full or joint control over 59 locations and 403 screens, including a four-location joint venture in western Canada with Landmark Cinemas. Many, but not all, of its larger locations are branded "Studio #", with # being the number of screens at that location. All other locations are named "Empire (location) #", number showing the number of screens. Example, Empire Gateway 8 in Edmonton, Alberta. Empire Theatres was founded in 1978.
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 Maritime provinces. 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 a seventeen-screen (plus 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 in 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 Studio 12 Gateway Park Studio 8 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.