Showcase

19, including 5 closed, 1 transferred, and 10 upgraded

The Showcase circuit was established in 1986 and is based in Nottingham. It is owned by National Amusements Inc, founded in 1936 and based in Dedham, MA. As the parent company of Viacom Inc (acquired in 1987), owner of Paramount Pictures, the company had a link to the UCI circuit.

In 2000 the multiplex opened by Hoyts at Bluewater, together with a Hoyts development at Wood Green, north London, were acquired. (In September 1998 Hoyts had announced plans to spend £78m developing 15 multiplexes in the UK. However, a year later, in September 1999, their UK operations were put up for lease.)

On 14 and 29 October 2009, respectively, comedians Russell Kane and Alun Cochrane included the Showcase at Coventry in their national tours, as a part of the circuit’s plans to introduce more live events, drop the word “Cinemas” and to trade just as “Showcase”.

On 30 November 2009 the multiplex at Wood Green closed as Showcase when the lease was acquired by Vue. In January 2013 the Showcase at Erdington closed when the landowner, Jaguar, indicated its intention to expand its factory onto the site.

Circa 2014 the Showcase at Bluewater was refurbished, upgraded and reopened as Cinema de Lux. Other Showcase cinemas received the same upgrading with, among other improvements, luxury reclining seats, XPlus screens and upgraded lounge bars.

On 2 October 2020 it was announced that the Showcase at Belle Vue, Manchester, which closed in March 2020 as part of the national Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, would not be re-opening. The company had already agreed to sell the land to Manchester City Council for the building of a new secondary school. Showcase said they “remain fully committed to the city” and are in talks about a new, unnamed, location.

On 11 January 2021 it was announced that the Showcase at Foresters Leisure Park, Derby, which had closed in September 2020 as part of the second Covid-19 national lockdown, would not be re-opening. The company has a Showcase Cinema de Lux in Derby city centre.

In May 2021 it was announced that the Showcase at Walsall, which had also closed in September 2020, would not be re-opening. The site had been acquired by Trade Centre UK, which planned on turning it into the largest car supermarket in the Midlands.

In late February/early March 2022 (certainly by 5 March) the Showcase at Newham closed suddenly. National Amusements had written to Newham Council on 3 February explaining that it was no longer viable, A planning application was immediately submitted seeking to replace the cinema/restaurant buildings with warehousing.

Nottingham [11, later 12] 16 June 1988. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Derby [11] 17 November 1988. Closed 17 September 2020
Peterborough [13] 1 December 1988. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Walsall [12] 23 August 1989; Closed 17 September 2020
Manchester (Belle Vue) [14] 17 October 1989. Closed 12 March 2020
Leeds [12, later 16] 4 December 1989. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Liverpool [12] 12 December 1989. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Coventry [12, later 14, with Screen 13 as “Showcase Live”] 5 December 1991 Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Birmingham (Erdington) [12] 6 August 1992. Closed 31 January 2013
Teesside [14] 1 July 1993. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Bristol [14] 12 July or 11 August 1994
Coatbridge [14] 14 November 1996. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Reading (Winnersh) [12] 15 November 1996. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Newham [14] 13 May 1997. Closed late February/early March 2022
Paisley [14] 13 June 1997. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux
Cardiff (Nantgarw) [12] 19 November 1999

ex-Hoyts

Bluewater [12] 16 March or 11 June 1999. Upgraded to Cinema de Lux

opened as Showcase, continued

Wood Green [6] 11 September 2001. Transferred to Vue
Dudley [14] 12 October 2001

Cinema de Lux (14, including 1 closed)

Described by National Amusements as “the ultimate cinema-going experience” this subsidiary brand puts emphasis on “customer service, lush décor, great food and other high-end amenities to provide the best overall entertainment experience for the entire family”. Most auditoriums have “deep-cushioned rocking recliner seats” but the Director’s Halls premium auditoriums are fitted with extra luxurious “ultra leather love seats”. A further Cinema de Lux was due to open in the Westfield London development, but the project was taken over by Vue when National Amusements claimed it was forced to pull out because the cinema complex was not built to agreed specifications. Starting in 2014 existing Showcase multiplexes began to be upgraded to the Cinema de Lux brand.

Derby (Westfield) [12] 16 May 2008
Leicester (Highcross Centre) [12] 5 September 2008
Bristol (Cabot Circus) [13] 26 September 2008; Closed 30 November 2023
Bluewater [13; 17 from December 2017] [2014]
Leeds [16] [2015]
Nottingham [12] [August 2015]
Reading (Winnersh) [12] [September 2015]
Peterborough [13] [December 2016]
Southampton [10] 10 February 2017
Coventry [14] [July 2017]
Teesside [14] [December 2018]
Liverpool [12] [March 2019]
Coatbridge [14] [November 2019]
Paisley [14] [December 2019]