In 1988, Village Roadshow sold two-thirds in Village Cinemas and entered into an equal
joint-venture partnership with
Warner Brothers and Greater Union to develop a new chain of multiplex cinemas throughout Australia. The partnership, called the Australian Multiplex Joint Venture, grew quickly through the 1990s, establishing a chain of nearly 30 theatres with nearly 320 screens. The first joint-venture multiplex opened in Melbourne's
Westfield Airport West as 'Village Greater Union 8' in 1989. In 1995, Village Roadshow added a new retail format from the creation of joint-venture, Village Nine Leisure, with
Publishing & Broadcasting Limited and
Westfield Group, to open a string of 'virtual entertainment' shops known as Intencity. These
video arcades expanded to most states and territories throughout Australia, usually co-locating with most Village Cinema sites in Victoria and Tasmania, and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle sites in other states (replacing some rival Timezone video arcade locations). Village Roadshow wholly acquired the chain in 1999, and since 2005,
rationalised most locations down to the current nine arcades.
International expansion With the company being led by John and Robert Kirby (who alternated in the chairman's position) and Graham Burke, who undertook the managing director's position, Village Roadshow began expanding its cinemas overseas in the 1990s. This saw
New Zealand (Village Force and Village Rialto) became the company's first foreign market in 1991 after it established its first cinema in
Manukau (the original Village Force cinema closed in late-2008 to open a new Skycity Cinema in
Westfield Manukau City, now an
Event Cinema). In 1992, the company entered Singapore with Hong Kong-based joint-venture partner,
Golden Harvest, to form the
Golden Village chain. Golden Village's success in Singapore further fuelled its international expansion in the mid-90s. In 1994, the company entered
Thailand (Entertain Golden Village and Mongkol Golden Harvest), followed by
Malaysia (
Tanjong Golden Village and
Golden Screen Cinemas) in 1995. By 1996, the company was actively expanding its cinema circuit in 20 different markets, including Hong Kong (Golden Village), joining with Orange Sky Golden Harvest again. In Europe, the company's purchase of half ownership in Warner International Theatres gave it a stake in 135 screens within the United Kingdom and 17 more in Germany, forming
Warner Village Cinemas. By the end of 1996, the company had entered
Fiji (Damodar Village Cinemas),
Hungary (Hollywood Cinemas), and
Argentina (Village Cines) as well. Also in 1996, Village Roadshow turned to its shareholders to fund further international expansion, raising $A216 million. The company added a number of new foreign markets, including
Greece (Village Cinemas), Italy (Warner Village Cinemas), and
India in 1997 (the Indian operations were a 60/40 joint-venture with local firm, Priya Exhibitors Private Limited to form
PVR Cinemas – Priya Village Roadshow Limited). In 1998, it also moved into
Taiwan (Golden Village),
South Korea (
CJ Golden Village), and France (Village Cinemas). In February 1997, Village Cinemas and Warner Bros. partnered again to open Australia's first 24-hour cinema in Melbourne's new
Crown Casino complex when it also opened (it reverted to normal cinema hours in 2001). It also included another new type of cinema, four Gold Class auditoriums, a luxury cinema format. By July 1999, Gold Class had already expanded to three auditoriums in Village Cinemas at
Westfield Southland; two at
Century City Walk; three at
Sunshine Marketplace; and one at
The Jam Factory. Also by that time, the concept broadened to
Birch Carroll & Coyle sites in
Brisbane; with two screens at
Indooroopilly Shopping Centre; and another two at
Garden City. In October 1998, the Cinema Europa concept was introduced when three auditoriums were added to the Village Cinemas in The Jam Factory, closely followed by another three screens in Village Southland. As with Gold Class, this type of cinema would later be rolled out across other Village Cinemas in Melbourne before expanding overseas. in
Select Citywalk,
Saket District Centre, within New Delhi. The establishment of this cinema in 1997 started the chain's Indian operations for Priya Exhibitors and Village Roadshow. The brand continues to trade after Village withdrew their involvement in 2002, with Gold Class and Cinema Europa screens held under licence (it operates
IMAX instead of Vmax). Village Force Cinemas Crosstown, Solotech Link Duo, Mid Auckland number one In August 1999, it was announced that the Village Force Newmarket and Village Rialto cinema chains in
New Zealand (both being 50/50 joint ventures between Village Roadshow and NZ-based Force Corporation) would sell half their combined share in both multiplex networks to
Hoyts to obtain half ownership in Hoyts' own NZ operations. Village Force Sololink, Village Rialto Solo Duo and Hoyts New Centre Crosstown new mid Auckland remained separate brands (similar to the Australian arrangements between joint venture partners, Village Cinemas and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle), yet merged back-office operations and marketing, leaving half-a-dozen staff redundant. The ownership structure saw Village Roadshow and Force Corporation New Solo Link Entertainment Centre Complex Medium sized keep 25% each, with Hoyts holding the remaining 50%. It was estimated by some business analysts that the combined group controlled more than two-thirds of all box office sales in New Zealand which concerned the
Commerce Commission. However, after months of negotiations and legal threats from the Commission, Village Force Sololink Third The Next Level and Hoyts jointly announced in September 2000 that they would unwind the new partnership going back to their original ownership structures. Both companies said the courts would have upheld the alliance in the end, but conceded the costs and time required in legal actions meant it was not worth battling the Commerce Commission over the issue. Village Force Manukau Mt Eden Mt Wellington new Lynn Newmarket Auckland Henderson-West City St Lukes Glenfield Mall Crosstown Botany Downs Onehunga in Royal Oak And X Sololink chief executive, Joe Moodabe told the
New Zealand Herald, "there were so many uncertainties and frustrations and the cost as well, it's just time to say, 'We gave it a good shot and let's put it behind us." He added that, "everybody's fed up with the whole thing now and wants to get on with life." This left Hoyts NZ to find another head office location, while Force Corporation look now open only x for Sololink In The Next Level interactive stages time-out leisure 3D Glasses On NOW would later be subject to an acquisition by
Skycity Entertainment Group in March 2001, resulting in the cinema chain being renamed to Village Skycity. Yet, the international market remained the company's clear priority as growth opportunities within its home market remained limited. Graham Burke told the
Herald Sun, "We will be a worldwide entertainment giant – if we are not already – in five years." By the end of 2000, the Village Cinemas brand had entered a number of new foreign markets, including
Austria,
Switzerland, and the
Czech Republic. In 2007, Village Roadshow sold its Warner Village Cinema operations in Italy, its two cinemas in Austria, and disposed of its 25% interest in the
Palace Cinemas circuit in Australia. In New Zealand and Fiji, the company sold its 50% holding in Village Skycity Cinemas Newmarket Broadway, the arthouse Village Rialto chain, and Damodar Village Cinemas to Skycity Entertainment Group. This left Skycity with 100% control over the NZ Village Skycity Crosstown Sololink Tech circuit (promptly renaming the chain,
Skycity Cinemas), 50% partners in Village Rialto with Rialto Distribution (renaming them Rialto Cinemas), and 50% partners with the Fijian Damodar Brothers in the Damodar Village Cinemas chain (retaining the half Village branding) – it lasted until January 2010 when Skycity divested all their exhibition interests to Village's Australian cinema partner,
Amalgamated Holdings Limited. However, also in 2007, the company undertook a cinema refurbishment program in Greece, transitioning the chain from its original old style cinema designs to the new 'Village World' concept that included the debut of Vmax and Gold Class screens, in addition to cafés, bowling alleys and movie merchandise stores. In October 2008, the company entered the United States exhibition market by opening the first Village Roadshow Gold Class cinema in the wealthy Chicago suburb of
South Barrington, followed by a second at
Redmond, Washington. Local joint venture partners, Crescent Entertainment and the Alabama Pension Fund, owned a combined 40% stake in the new business with Village owning the majority. The company signed up a total of 12 sites across the US, all in up-market shopping areas, including New York City and
Seattle, with plans to grow to about 40 complexes within three to five years. Like Gold Class cinemas in other countries, the US chain was targeting affluent movie goers willing to pay $US35 ($A43) a ticket for bigger chairs and the chance to order alcohol and
gourmet food with their film. The only difference with the American chain saw its Gold Class screens located as stand-alone cinemas, while other international markets have theirs form part of the actual Village Cinema multiplexes. managing director, Graham Burke, commented on luxury movie watching as a new concept for America, "we will be the first mover in that market." Yet, he added a reassurance for shareholders, "Australia is the 51st state, the culture is very similar and it's worked so well in Australia." Village Roadshow Gold Class was headquartered in
Burbank, California and led by CEO, Kirk Senior. In October 2009, local
diversified investment holding company, Demco Group, acquired 100% of Village Roadshow's Greek operations including all seven Village Cinema multiplexes, in addition to the film production and distribution arms, under licence. In June 2012, Demco expanded the Village brand further by establishing a Pay TV movie channel in Greece called,
Village Cinema, on the
OTE TV platform. The year before, Demco announced they were establishing the first Village Cinema within
Romania, in
Iași's new Palas Mall. The 10-screen multiplex (including one Vmax screen) was slated for a September 2012 opening, however (as of October 2013), obtaining information on its current operations have been unsuccessful thus far. In September 2010, the company sold its majority stake in the six-theatre Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas LLC (Gold Class USA) to iPic Entertainment's new subsidiary, iPic-Gold Class Entertainment LLC, with Village retaining a 30% interest. Village Roadshow released a statement, admitting to shareholders; "The financial performance of the Gold Class USA cinemas has been disappointing from the outset." Over the next year, the new owners rebranded the chain to iPic Theaters, reduced ticket prices, added extra seating, outsourced restaurant services, and added extra locations while closing others. In February 2013, all four Tasmanian Village Cinemas joined Australian Theatres after the long-standing joint venture between Village Roadshow and
WIN Corporation ceased when WIN sold out. WIN's 50% investment was a legacy involvement from the mid-1980s, carried over from former
Launceston-based media company,
ENT Limited, which initially bought the stake (WIN acquired ENT in 1995). In June 2017, Village Roadshow's 50% stake in Golden Village was set to be acquired by
Singapore-based media mini-conglomerate MM2 Asia. However, mm2's bid to acquire 50% of Golden Village cinema chain fell through as Village Roadshow failed to secure the approval of Golden Screen (also known as
Orange Sky Golden Harvest), the other joint venture partner. Instead, in October 2017, Orange Sky Golden Harvest purchased the Village Roadshow's 50% stake, therefore having full ownership of Golden Village. ==Current sites==