Odeon Cinemas Group, the U.K.-based European subsidiary of AMC Theatres, currently ranks as Europe’s largest exhibition circuit in terms of number of screens, followed by by Cineworld (U.K.), Vue International (U.K.), and Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont (France).
Such are the findings of a study conducted by trade body The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which represents exhibitors across 39 European territories, in tandem with specialized publication Boxoffice Pro.
The study, titled “Giants of Exhibition: Europe,” ranks Europe’s top 50 exhibition groups by screen count and is being released ahead of the annual CineEurope exhibitors convention, which will be held June 20-23 in Barcelona, where a ceremony will honor these circuits on June 21.
According to the study, which clocks the situation up until Jan. 1, 2022, Odeon Cinemas now has nearly 2,500 screens across the U.K. and Ireland, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
The top four European operators are rounded out by Cineworld (U.K.); Vue International (U.K.), and Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont (France). Each of the top four circuits on this year’s list have a multi-national European presence of over 1,000 screens across the region.
The fifth player is Cinemaximum, which operates 848 screens in Turkey. Though the country is not officially part of the European Union, it is a UNIC member. Below are exact figures.
Top 5 exhibition circuits in Europe by screen count
1. Odeon Cinemas Group (United Kingdom)
Corporate Parent: AMC Theatres (United States)
Screens: 2,493 | Locations: 286
European Brands: Cinesa, Filmstaden, Finnkino, Odeon, UCI
European Markets: Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, U.K. & Ireland
2. Cineworld (United Kingdom)
Screens: 2,142 | Locations: 230
European Brands: Cinema City, Cineworld, Picturehouse
European Markets: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, U.K. & Ireland.
3. Vue International (United Kingdom)
Screens: 1,972 | Locations: 227
European Brands: Cinemaxx, MultiKino, The Space Cinema, Vue
European Markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, U.K. & Ireland.
4. Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont (France)
Screens: 1,305 | Locations: 129
European Brands: Pathé
European Markets: Belgium, France, Netherlands, Switzerland
5. Cinemaximum (Turkey)
Screens: 848 | Locations: 97
Corporate Parent: CJ CGV (South Korea)
European Brands: Cinemaximum
Remaining rankings:
6. CGR Cinémas (France)
Screens: 705 | Locations: 74
European Brands: CGR Cinémas
7. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
8. Kinepolis (Netherlands)
Screens: 608 | Locations: 58
European Brands: Kinepolis
European Markets: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland
9. UGC (France)
Screens: 586 | Locations: 57
European Brands: UGC
European Markets: Belgium, France
10. Cineplex (Germany)
Screens: 562 | Locations: 92
European Brands: Cineplex
11. Yelmo Cines (Spain)
Screens: 533 | Locations: 53
Corporate Parent: Cinépolis (Mexico)
European Brands: Yelmo Cines
12. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
13. Cineplexx (Austria)
Screens: 446 | Locations: 68
European Brands: Cineplexx
European Markets: Albania, Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia
14. CineStar (Germany)
Screens: 376 | Locations: 48
European Brands: CineStar
15. Helios (Poland)
Screens: 291 | Locations: 52
European Brands: Helios
16. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
17. Nordisk Film Cinemas (Denmark)
Screens: 258 | Locations: 47
European Brands: Nordisk Film Cinemas
European Markets: Denmark, Norway, Sweden
18. Omniplex (Ireland)
Screens: 255 | Locations: 34
European Brands: Omniplex
18. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
20. National Amusements (United Kingdom)
Screens: 241 | Locations: 18
Corporate Parent: National Amusements (United States)
European Brands: Showcase Cinemas
21. Svenska Bio (Sweden)
Screens: 222 | Locations: 53
European Brands: Svenska Bio
22. MK2 (France)
Screens: 211 | Locations: 23
European Brands: MK2, CineSur
European Markets: France, Spain
23. Megarama (France)
Screens: 209 | Locations: 27
European Brands: Megarama
European Markets: France, Spain
24. Cinemas NOS (Portugal)
Screens: 208 | Locations: 29
European Brands: Cinemas NOS
25. Ocine (Spain)
Screens: 204 | Locations: 22
European Brands: Ocine
26. Multiplex Cinemas (Ukraine)
Screens: 181 | Locations: 30
European Brands: Multiplex Cinemas
27. CinemaPink (Turkey)
Screens: 173 | Locations: 24
European Brands: CinemaPink
28. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
29. Blitz CineStar (Serbia)
Screens: 161 | Locations: 26
European Brands: Blitz CineStar
European Markets: Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia
30. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
31. Kinopolis (Germany)
Screens: 143 | Locations: 16
European Brands: Kinopolis
32. IMC Cinemas (Ireland)
Screens: 140 | Locations: 20
European Brands: IMC Cinemas
33. Empire Cinemas (U.K.)
Screens: 137 | Locations: 15
European Brands: Empire Cinemas
34. Odeon Multicines (Spain)
Screens: 137 | Locations: 14
European Brands: Odeon Multicines
35. Russian Cinema Chain
No information provided
36. Cineville (France)
Screens: 122 | Locations: 16
European Brands: Cineville
37. Everyman Cinemas (United Kingdom)
Screens: 119 | Locations: 36
European Brands: Everyman Cinemas
38. Union Cine Ciudad (Spain)
Screens: 118 | Locations: 13
European Brands: Union Cine Ciudad
39. Cinemarine (Turkey)
Screens: 110 | Locations: 15
European Brands: Cinemarine
40. Filmpalast (Germany)
Screens: 102 | Locations: 15
European Brands: Filmpalast
41. Prestige (Turkey)
Screens: 101 | Locations: 12
European Brands: Prestige
42. CineStar (Czech Republic)
Screens: 98 | Locations: 13
European Brands: CineStar
43. Avsar Sinema (Turkey)
Screens: 96 | Locations: 10
European Brands: Avsar Sinema
44. Cinemax (Slovakia)
Screens: 91 | Locations: 16
European Brands: Cinemax
European Markets: Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia
45. Cines ACEC (Spain)
Screens: 90 | Locations: 10
European Brands: Cines ACEC
46. Giometti Cinema (Italy)
Screens: 87 | Locations: 12
European Brands: Giometti Cinema
47. Light Cinemas (U.K.)
Screens: 86 | Locations: 11
European Brands: Light Cinemas
48. Artesiete (Spain)
Screens: 85 | Locations: 12
European Brands: Artesiete
49. Cineplace (Portugal)
Screens: 85 | Locations: 14
European Brands: Cineplace
50. Grand Ecran (France)
Screens: 85 | Locations: 11
European Brands: Grand Ecran
