AMC Manchester
AMC Cinemas® (AMC) has been an industry pioneer since 1920, when Edward Durwood opened his first cinema in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.
In 1963, Edward Durwood’s son, Stanley, opened the world’s first purpose-built multiplex cinema in AMC’s home-town of Kansas City. This drive toward innovation would eventually reach across to England and start an entertainment revolution.
Stanley Durwood identified the United Kingdom (UK) as the perfect place to expand outside the United States and, in 1985, introduced not only AMC’s first international multiplex, but the first multiplex in the UK at Milton Keynes.
With the success of the ground-breaking 10-screen cinema at Milton Keynes, AMC went on to bring the multiplex to Newcastle, Warrington, Dudley and Telford – all before the end of the 1980s.
By Royal Appointment, AMC arrived in London to open the first purpose-built multiplex in 1989, at Whiteley’s Shopping Centre in Bayswater, which was given the Royal seal of approval by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne who was the guest of honour.
At the end of the 1980s, AMC had established itself with innovative multiplex cinemas in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland at which point it took the decision to focus once again on expanding in America and sold the UK circuit to UCI cinemas.
AMC continued to innovate, opening huge megaplex cinemas across America and by the end of the 1990s had begun to expand again internationally from the Far East to Europe. AMC returned to the UK in 2001, opening AMC Great Northern16 in Manchester city centre two years later, AMC Broadway Plaza 12 in Birmingham.
