Empire Cinemas was founded in 2005 following the mergers of Odeon and UCI and Cineworld and UGC. The Office of Fair Trading ruled that both new groups should lose a number of their cinemas which created an opportunity for Empire Cinemas to be created. We took our name from the iconic Empire Leicester Square which has been one of London’s most popular cinemas since it played host to the first moving images screened to a UK audience in 1896. It was our flag ship until its sale to Cineworld in August 2016.
Today, we’re the leading independently-owned cinema chain in the UK with 14 locations and 129 screens including our brilliant IMPACT® and IMAX® screens.
Empire’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable teams work hard to deliver a memorable cinema experience, supported by comfortable seating, crystal clear sound systems and the latest digital projection technology. Our investment in digital cinema helps our customers enjoy everything from the latest blockbusters, art-house classics and live performance screenings.
Our Milestones
We have certainly been busy since we started out in 2005. We’ve worked hard to deliver an ever-improving movie-going experience that our customers love.