This is topic VUe cinemas - like the name? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 05-12-2003, 06:45 PM:
 
For those of you who don't know, SBC have purchased Warner Village's UK cinema circuit. The sale closed tonight. SBC are re-branding all sites and re-naming themselves "VUe cinemas"

Now that the sale is finally completed and we can talk about such things in public, what do you guys think of the name VUe for a multiplex chain?

Apparently it doesn't stand for or mean anything, it is just a concept some marketing agency came up with.

The corporate logo is black/flame coloured and the lowercase "e" in the name is the same size as the VU, so on the side of a multiplex it will look more like VUE.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 05-12-2003, 10:40 PM:
 
SBC as in the phone company people? *shudder*
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-13-2003, 01:25 AM:
 
Sort of a strange name but it sure beats the hell out of "Carmike." (or for that matter, "Wynnsong.")
 

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Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 05-13-2003, 02:10 AM:
 
SBC as in speanbridge cinemas. www.sbccinemas.co.uk

A [formerly] small company set up by 6 people who were previously employed in various UK chains. They had 4 sites in the UK, one in portugal and one in Taiwan I believe.

They now have 46 UK sites (42 WVC + 4 they opened themselves)
 

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Posted by Daniel Fuentz (Member # 1684) on 05-13-2003, 03:01 AM:
 
I think that name sounds sort of "trendy", like they are wanting to create an upmarket image for their cinema chain. If that name will still seem upmarket in 20 years time, who knows?
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 05-13-2003, 10:29 AM:
 
Not much, but read all about it

here

I installed half of SBC's UK sites, and wish them good luck with this venture, especially at this somewhat slow time in the industry.
 

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Posted by Bernard Tonks (Member # 809) on 05-15-2003, 09:40 AM:
 
Hope VUE cinemas will add to your fortunes Pete, although I suspect that you're more than busy enough anyway.

More info:

http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=12294

www.vuecinemas.co.uk
 

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Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-15-2003, 11:01 AM:
 
I'll have to get on the phone. I sent a job application to Warner Bros last week, so I'll have to find out if I need to re-apply or anything.
 

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Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 05-15-2003, 07:12 PM:
 
you won't need to - Recruitment is business as usual. The only on-site changes are minor right now (the WVC management structure is 99% still in place)- rebranding is due to happen over the next six months. Head Office will be re-located first.

Where did you apply to out of interest? presumably you were chasing a booth position?

ALSO - guys pls have a look at the VUe website (www.vuecinemas.co.uk) and post your comments about it here. I gotta say i'm none too impressed with it myself...
 

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Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-16-2003, 05:17 PM:
 
I applied for Leeds. (but with the intention of seeing if there were projection jobs at other locations as well).
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-16-2003, 06:56 PM:
 
When Dave spoke of "Warner Village" he refers to Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, producers of The Matrix Reloaded.

From what I've read WB provides start-up money for a circuit, runs it a few years, then cashes out. The proceeds are used to start a circuit in another country. WB also ran a cinema management school in England along the lines of Hamburger U (McDonald's).

As for the new name?
 

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Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 05-16-2003, 07:42 PM:
 

quote:

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...WB provides start-up money for a circuit, runs it a few years, then cashes out. The proceeds are used to start a circuit in another country.

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This is true - They entered the UK in 1989 because they felt there were relatively few multiplexes, and those that did exist were dire. In order to get as many screens as possible to show their films in a territory they go in, saturate the market and raise the bar, then sell up.

They're off to Russia and China with the £1.4Bil they earned from this sale.
 

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Posted by Lee Davies (Member # 536) on 05-19-2003, 12:53 PM:
 
Dave,

As a fellow VUe employee, do you think the sale by WVC was a good thing for us? If they make some changes I hope they re for the better. Getting a full-time maintenance person back would be a great start for me, as our team is extremely stretched at the minute. Any thoughts?
 

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Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 05-19-2003, 03:00 PM:
 
Had a look at their webshite, it looks about as useful as www.easycinema.com. nevermind, goodluck to them especially as you've pointed out the industry is going through a quiet time. It's not too bad for us a we are mainly art house and we own a few nightclubs which never seem to go quiet !
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 05-19-2003, 05:09 PM:
 
Yeah, the website needs work but it looks like it's just a temporary, "Hello! Here we are!" kind of site for the time being. I'll give it a few weeks.

Going from 4 to 46 locations in an area is a huge jump. Hopefully they won't get too many of those, "I don't care what it's like, I'm not working for ANY other company!" people who up and walk out before any real changes start.

I'm confused about how WB operates these Warner Village theater(re)s. So they go in, build them up, run them for a few years then sell them?? Strange... It's like having a bunch of McDonalds sold to various independent burger restaurant owners, all operating the McDonlands buildings differently. OR, do they up and sell the whole chain to one company usually??

As for the answer to this topic's subject: "No" -- VUe is just as bad as those "Val-U" and "Sav-a-Lot" and "X-treme" and "Drive Thru" places. Misspelling things to sound cool isn't cool and never was.

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 05-19-2003, 05:50 PM:
 
Im not sure how it works in the US but here in the UK you can buy a McDonalds franchise and trade as that name, normally it costs about £150,000 to £600,000. Village Roadshow (i thought) were a financial backer / operator. Warner as far as i am aware have had cinemas here in the UK for 20 odd years, i suppose the right offer came along and they took it
 

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Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 05-19-2003, 06:56 PM:
 
I think yeh, it will be a good thing for us Lee... Hopefully a lot of the bullshit bureaucracy will disappear so that we can conentrate on exhibition. We are one of the few sites to still have a maintenance guy, we're praying they don't get rid of him!

The one thing that concerns me is that rumour states the sale was delayed because SBC were £5m short of the price. This is worrying because that is £140k per site *less* that they have to spend on re-branding efforts.

The only negativity I've encountered is from h/o staff who don't want to re-locate to Chiswick!...

Here's the company line on the website:

quote:

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the site is only a temporary version the new one will be launched when the sites are rebranded and the WVC website is closed down in 6 mths, i believe it was a quick and dirty version developed in house for no cost just to have a Vue website!

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