Talk:Odeon Cinemas/Archive 1

First Cinema
Corrected to Brierley Hill, Dudley cinema opened in 1928 as shown in an email I received from Odeon promoting their return to their roots with the completion of the conversion of the UCI in Brierley Hill to an Odeon. --CartmanUK26 11:16, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Mergers and acquisitions
"In just 10 years between the first of the cinemas and Deutsch's death in 1941, 258 Odeons opened throughout Britain."

How many of these were new build, and how many were existing cinemas acquired from other companies?

To give one example, the old (and now derelict) Odeon in Newcastle upon Tyne originally opened in 1931 as a Paramount cinema - in fact you can still see the stylized Paramount mountain logo near the top of the building. It became an Odeon in 1940 (were other British Paramounts converted to Odeon at around the same time?) 217.155.20.163 10:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Also, how can the Odeon in Brierley Hill have opened in 1928 if the Odeon chain wasn't even created until 1930? Did it originally open under a different name? 217.155.20.163 10:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

This has now been corrected! According to Odeon themselves the first cinema was 1928!CartmanUK26 08:39, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Corrections
I have made corrections to the article to give it more clarity. The first cinema opened by Oscar was in Brierley Hill, but the first Odeon cinema was in Perry Barr, Birmingham. I have added references to support this. - Erebus555 11:10, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Kingstanding
I've read other sources, not to hand, saying that Kingstanding was the first Art Deco Odeon, and the one which included subsequent designs. Since it's only a mile tor two from Perry Barr, I think the cited source may be mistaken. Andy Mabbett 12:10, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Odeon Ireland
As I understand it Terra Firma Have sold off the ireland sites to a "new" operator could any one in the know update regarding this

Not to the best of my knowledge - the UCI sites are part of the chain, they are using the Odeon logo font in some of their advertising (the UCI logo looking very strangely out of place), have introduced Premier seating (why is a different question, they've been empty any time I've been there...), and when you book tickets "Odeon UCI" appears. Apparently Coolock has even been refurbished in the Odeon look and feel, though I haven't been there to confirm. The copyright on the website is still "United Cinemas International (UK) Limited" and still refers to Terra Firma as the owner.

I'm sure there would have been something in the Irish press regarding this, they certainly covered well Ward Anderson's purchase of Empire (despite what Wikipedia says...).

Why they haven't rebranded as Odeon here can only be two reasons - either they are indeed up for sale (Ward Anderson or Movies@ likely to buy? Vue is apparently indeed trying to get rid of its Irish cinema and Cineworld and its predecessors have never shown enthusiasim for expansion) or (more likely) there is a problem with the use of the name. Remember Ward Anderson continued to operate the Odeon Cinema on the quays in Dublin until the early 1990s, they may still have rights over the name. --Rdd 20:53, 11 October 2006 (UTC)


 * The plot wierdly thickens - UCI have this week launched a new Irish website that says that the Irish cinemas were sold to an Irish company called "Entertainment Enterprises" in September 2006. But no stories regarding this were published in the Irish business media at the time (and it would have been a major story, if not from a business then a property angle). A Google search reveals nothing on this transaction, how much it was for, or who Entertainment Enterprises are. A search at the CRO (Irish version of Companies House) indicates (fom the registered office address) that the company seem to be the ones behind the Leisureplex tenpin bowling chain but nothing to really cororabate that, at least within the free information available.


 * And apparently the three cinemas have effectively been leased back to Odeon - the new website states that Odeon are still managing the cinemas and the copyright line has now changed to "Odeon Cinemas Limited". So they are, either way, still part of the Odeon chain... --Rdd 12:01, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Someone changed the name of this article.
The name of this article is reading Ody Cinemas instead of Odeon cinemas. This error should be fixed, Ody changed back to Odeon 195.97.228.69 (talk) 09:57, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
 * ✅ Talk Islander 20:08, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Odeon name origin wrong
Check this out. 15/07/2010 Listen to Odeon CEO

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006sz6t

Odeon has a different origin for its name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.42.80.174 (talk) 18:07, 20 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Whatever programme that was is no longer available. Please provide a reliable source if you think the article needs changing.--Shantavira|feed me 21:40, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Republic of Ireland venues
Hi, Just had my edit reverted. I had originally changed heading Ireland to Republic of Ireland as NI is mentioned in the same article and so I thought according to WP:IRE-IRL that this was correct. I guess Murry1975, is there another guideline I am missing where it says Ireland is used for headings despite NI being mentioned in Article?Factocop (talk) 18:07, 12 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi factocop, as you know from your multiple dealings on IMOS issues, the context of usage applies, the context here is UK and Ireland as shown by the headings, not England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Maybe a discussion over at IMOS might help? Murry1975 (talk) 18:11, 12 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the quick reply. Is there a section in WP:IRE-IRL that deals with this specically? I would of thought section 1.3 would apply but nothing there seems to go against the edit I had made.Factocop (talk) 18:16, 12 September 2012 (UTC)
 * It was within a discussion bud, IRE-IRL doesnt mention. When I have more time I will trawl the archieves, but as I suggested a discussion there would gain better knowledge of the issue. Murry1975 (talk) 18:18, 12 September 2012 (UTC)
 * ok ill check there.Factocop (talk) 18:20, 12 September 2012 (UTC)


 * IMOS seems very fluid. If we read to the letter of the Law, I think my edit is correct.Factocop (talk) 20:27, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Must say the version as it is now is confusing and it needs to be specified what we are talking about. As linking to countries is being removed the piped link should also be removed and replaced by plain text to the Republic of Ireland. Keith D (talk) 21:59, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * IMOS is black and white. In this case Republic of Ireland used in reference to ROI, and Ireland used in reference to the island. Simples!!!Factocop (talk) 22:11, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Trying to determine how to apply WP:IRE-IRL. In this case I wish to change the heading Ireland venues to Republic of Ireland venues, which I believe is in line with WP:IRE-IRL. In this article, Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Ireland and Northern Ireland are used which I would consider to be confusing. To me WP:IRE-IRL is clear, that when Ireland and Northern Ireland are used, that Republic of Ireland should be used, not Ireland. Some users think that there is a special exception to these guidelines that Ireland should be used for headings as it is a state. I can not find any mention of this in WP:IRE-IRL. So it boils down to interpretation of WP:IRE-IRL. Can someone assit with this?Factocop (talk) 10:43, 18 September 2012 (UTC)
 * I think it's wise to add precision when there is ambiguity, but this article presents it as the "UK" versus "Ireland," clearly implying that we're talking about the sovereign state, since it is placed in contrast to another sovereign state (which includes Northern Ireland), the UK. On a side note, I find the article is to UK-centric—for example, the heading should be " United Kingdom venues " as we shouldn't assume everyone would know what "UK" stands for in its first usage. —JmaJeremy  ✆  ✎  13:37, 19 September 2012 (UTC)


 * OK Thanks Jmajeremy, I've added United Kingdom and Ireland as topic titles. See how that fits...Factocop (talk) 15:16, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Two problems with this change -
 * 1. we should not have links in headings.
 * 2. we are no longer linking to countries.
 * Keith D (talk) 16:13, 19 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Well to me it is clear to use UK and ROI. Using Republic of Ireland does not detract from Ireland's status as a state but does remove confusion.
 * In reponse to Keith, the links in the headings are ugly but they do remove ambiguity. Not sure what you mean by point 2 though...Factocop (talk) 16:36, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Overlinking considers links to countries ones that should be removed and all links to countries are being removed from articles. Thus United Kingdom would have its link removed and replaced by United Kingdom. Ireland would be just left as Ireland. Keith D (talk) 16:52, 19 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Compliance with WP:IRE-IRL is very easy: just remove the reference to Northern Ireland, which was pointless to begin with. There is no reference to the Island of Ireland, therefore there is no reason not to use Ireland . This applies to the "Present day" section as well as to section headings. Incidentally, both "Republic of Ireland venues" and "Ireland venues" are gramatically awkward. It should be "Venues in Ireland". Scolaire (talk) 07:49, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * The link on the country is contrary to WP:Overlink and so should just be Republic of Ireland to avoid any ambiguity. Keith D (talk) 08:04, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * You can raise WP:IMOS implementation concerns at the appropriate page, per These guidelines cover the style of language and writing to be used in Ireland-related articles. This includes both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. If you disagree with the conventions described here, or wish to add to them, please discuss it in the talk page. RashersTierney (talk) 08:11, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I had raised the issue at IMOS but no one was able to give a definitive answer or show me a cite in IMOS that corresponded to this situation. This is why I raised an RFC. At Scolaire, I had actually removed to cases of Ireland from the text as they had not been linked it was not clear to whether it was referring to Ireland or Ireland so some improvements have been made during this discussion. Agree with the overlinking point. I was just trying to remove the Ambiguity. To me IMOS is clear, when NI is used refer to IReland as ROI. Using UK and ROI as headings does not diminish the status of Ireland as a state, just removes ambiguity. If we want to use offical state names, should we then use United Kingdom of Great Britain and NI and Ireland as headings?Factocop (talk) 08:25, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
 * But if NI is not used—and it's not currently—then there is no need to refer to Ireland as ROI. Do you accept that? Scolaire (talk) 09:08, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Ahh someone has removed NI from the Present day topic. Not sure who made that edit....didnt realise. Factocop (talk) 09:21, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I did. Look at my first post above and you'll see that I linked to the edit. Scolaire (talk) 09:34, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Ohh sorry, missed that. I thought mentioning the 1st cinema in NI was note worthy addition especially as to date it is the only Odeon cinema in NI, certainly that I am aware of. Just because it does not mention 1st's in Scotland or Wales is not a rationale. Perhaps they should be included.Factocop (talk) 09:54, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Why is it worthy of mention? Is NI in the United Kingdom or not? Are Scotland and Wales in the United Kingdom? If so, what is notable about a UK chain opening another outlet in the UK? If NI is a separate place, then probably the article should talk about the island of Britain and the island of Ireland instead, and the Belfast cinema should be in the "Ireland" list. Think carefully about what it is you're actually trying to do here, because it could easily appear that you're only looking for an excuse to use ROI, and you're peeved that the IMOS excuse is no longer valid. Scolaire (talk) 10:54, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Certainly its as notable as a cinema in Bradford or West Bromich. I don't mind changing it to Britain and Ireland. No odds to me. Im not peeved at anything...NI being one of the 4 countries in the UK, I think its pretty notable that 1. Its the 1st cinema from a UK company to reach NI, and 2. its taken a long time for the brand to stretch to NI, as its only a recent development. When NI is mentioned, IMOS supports the use of ROI. Though there is nothing to support that ROI can not be used, just because its in a heading. Factocop (talk) 11:14, 20 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Hi Scolaire, not sure it was necessary to remove those links...why remove information that is helpful to the reader? I know removing NI means that you can continue to use Ireland, but certainly as I said above the first cinema in NI seemed note worthy.Factocop (talk) 13:20, 21 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I removed the links because Keith D said above that it is now policy to remove links. Can you spell out, please, how the links constitute "information that is useful to the reader"? It seems to me that this whole discussion arose because you found the links confusing. I think the article is now a model of clarity as far as Ireland is concerned: It's clear that Ireland the state, not Ireland the island, is what is being referred to, and there are no links to different articles to muddy the waters. There are many other problems with this article; perhaps we'd be better employed in addressing them.
 * By the way, can I suggest that, seeing as even you are no longer discussing headings, but links and references to the Belfast cinema, you close this RfC and continue discussion in a new section? If there is to be continued discussion, that is. I for one am not going to get involved in any "yes, it is...no, it isn't" argument. Scolaire (talk) 08:18, 22 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Personally I think that by just stating Ireland is not clear and needs clarification as to which part of Ireland we are talking about. We need to be precice ad clear not just specify Ireland. Keith D (talk) 12:33, 22 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Why? Why might readers conceivably think that if an island is divided between two jurisdictions, outlets in one jurisdiction would have different practices to those in the same jurisdiction on the adjoining island, in order to conform to those in the other jurisdiction? Scolaire (talk) 15:21, 22 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Scolaire, you have removed notable information relating to the 1st Odeon cinema in NI and replaced, all instances of ROI with Ireland without discussion, all because they were not strictly included in the RFC. Thats bad form really. As for the usage of Ireland and Ireland(state), yes clarification is needed. Saying that it is not confusing for you is not really a good enough reason. To the greater majority it is confusing.Factocop (talk) 11:25, 23 September 2012 (UTC)
 * In my view there should be a clear separation of Ireland: Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.--Fox1942 (talk) 03:45, 6 October 2012 (UTC)
 * There is. It's called 'the border'. RashersTierney (talk) 09:01, 6 October 2012 (UTC)
 * It creeps in. Murry1975 (talk) 17:42, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

Website Controversy
As I recall, there was an uproar over Odeon's website, which used a lot of complicated HTML and JavaScript and would only display correctly in IE. The unofficial Accessible Odeon website was released, but later shut down by Odeon themselves. As of a couple of weeks ago, the website has been fully redesigned and now works correctly.

And I think we need a paragraph or two about that.

I will draft one out soon. I have to figure out how to NPOV it first. Ppk01 21:23, 14 May 2006 (UTC)


 * The web developer concerned was Matthew Somerville; see and, - the latter includes links to lots more press coverage.  Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:56, 20 July 2017 (UTC)

UK venues list
There seems to be no source at all for this list. Should it be removed?SovalValtos (talk) 22:11, 30 October 2014 (UTC)

This is not sourced, and in any case this is content for Odeon's website - WP is WP:NOTWEBHOST and WP:NOTDIRECTORY.

-- Jytdog (talk) 00:46, 17 April 2017 (UTC)


 * We should have such a list, including former cinemas, properly sourced, and on a separate page, like List of Odeon Cinemas in the United Kingdom. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:57, 20 July 2017 (UTC)