Five former Empire cinemas in England and Scotland have been taken over by Omniplex Cinema Group, an Ireland-headquartered chain.
The cinemas were reported to be slated for closure, but Omniplex has bought the venues in Birmingham, High Wycombe, Clydebank, Ipswich and in London. The company plans to renovate the locations as part of its expansion into Great Britain.
Empire Cinemas went into administration in July of this year, citing the impact of the pandemic and increasing costs.
Omniplex now operates 37 cinemas mainly across the Irish Republic but also in Northern Ireland. It plans to reopen Birmingham this week with the Ipswich and London (Sutton) locations this Friday and the others on Sunday.
