Omniplex

21, including 1 sold

The Ward Anderson Group was formed in 1948 by Kevin Anderson and Leo Ward. They purchased their first cinema in Lucan, Co. Dublin in 1955 and controlled more than half of all cinema screens in Ireland, through a series of private companies and trusts, until a falling out between the two families. The dispute started in 1997 with a row over the development of a new cinema in Dun Laoghaire and was only settled, out of court, in January 2013. The business assets were divided up, with the Ward family, now led by Paul Ward, retaining the Irish Multiplex Cinemas (IMC) group (qv) and the Anderson family, led by Paul Anderson, retaining the Omniplex Holdings group. The Omniplex at Dundonald was the Group’s first purpose-built all digital multiplex. In July 2010 an Omniplex multiplex in the revamped Kennedy Centre, West Belfast replaced a five screen Cineplex and was NI’s third all digital cinema, following the Omniplex cinemas at Armagh (four screens; formerly City Film House) and Dundonald. The group’s other non-multiplexes are at Bangor, where the current seven-screen Omniplex is an enlargement of the existing four-screen Bangor Multiplex, and Omagh, where the former Studios opened in 1976 as a twin screen cinema. Sometime in 2013-2014 Omniplex sold their multiplex at Enniskillen to IMC. In 2015 Omniplex acquired the former Global Cinema at Dungannon. After a comprehensive refurbishment, this re-opened in March 2016 as an Omniplex cinema. In Downpatrick, the £4m multiplex was the largest project undertaken to that date by Eclipse Cinemas, whose managing director is Martin Barratt. In late 2017, it was acquired by Omniplex, leaving Eclipse with their remaining cinemas at Lifford and Bundoran, both in Ireland. In March 2023 Omniplex opened the circuit’s first ‘boutique’ cinema, in Belfast city centre. Named after a former cinema on the site, The Avenue has nine luxury screens, each with 60 seats.

Back in the early 2000s, Omniplex had ‘dipped its toes’ into exhibition in England by taking on the four-screen Cinema at Borehamwood. That had opened in January 1999, but had closed in September 2000. Omniplex carried out a full renovation, and re-opened it in February 2002. However, in November 2003 it was taken over by Curzon Cinemas, ending Omniplex’s first foray outside Northern Ireland.

Omniplex then returned, with rather greater impact, in December 2023, when it acquired six former Empire multiplexes. These had continued to operate following that circuit’s collapse into administration in July 2023. (In a prior connection, the Empire circuit had been created in 2005 and 2006 when the Anderson family acquired cinemas divested following the Odeon/UCI and UGC/Cineworld mergers.)

OPENED AS OMNIPLEX
Londonderry [7] 29 November 1993
Lisburn [14] 10 October 1997
Newry [9] 11 June 1999
Enniskillen [7] 14 April 2000 - Sold to IMC
Carrickfergus [6] 22 April 2000
Dundonald [8] 19 December 2008
Belfast (Kennedy Centre) [8] 23 July 2010
Larne [8] December 2010
Antrim [10] 22 April 2011
Craigavon [8] 25 March 2015
Dungannon [6] [17 March 2016]
Banbridge [8] 17 June 2016

EX-ECLIPSE
Downpatrick [6] 12 June 2009

OPENED AS OMNIPLEX (continued)
Omagh [7] 30 March 2018

OPENED AS OTHER BRANDING
Belfast (The Avenue) [9] 10 March 2023

EX-EMPIRE
Birmingham (Rubery) [13] [6 December 2023]
Ipswich [14] [8 December 2023]
Sutton [6; 10 from February 2018] [8 December 2023]
High Wycombe [6, later 8] [10 December 2023]
Clydebank [10] [13 December 2023]
Sunderland [10] [10 May 2024]