ODEON Cinemas Group has been named as the 2021 recipient of the
“International Exhibitor of the Year” award at CineEurope. The award will be presented to Mark Way,
President of AMC Europe and Managing Director ODEON Cinemas Group, and Juan Antonio
Gomez, Chief Partnership and Content Officer, as part of the CineEurope Awards Ceremony hosted
by the Coca-Cola Company on Thursday, October 7, at the Centre Convencions Internacional
Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain.
Each year at CineEurope, the award is given to a cinema exhibitor whose accomplishments, new
developments, growth, and market leadership make them the standard-bearer for the industry. “It
gives us great pleasure to present the International Exhibitor of the Year award to the ODEON
Cinemas Group,” said Andrew Sunshine, President of The Film Expo Group. “ODEON Cinemas has
built a culture of innovation for cinema, changing the movie-going experience throughout Europe,”
continued Sunshine.
This award was meant to be given to Mark and Juan Antonio during the 2020 CineEurope but due
to situations out of our control we were unable to honor them that year. It is with great pleasure that
they graciously accepted the award again and that we will be able to celebrate with all our friends
and colleagues in Barcelona in 2021.
Mark Way, President of AMC Europe and Managing Director of ODEON Cinemas Group, said:
“It is a huge privilege to receive this award on behalf of all 9,000 ODEON Cinemas Group
colleagues. This award is particularly welcome news now, as we have just reopened in all our
countries. Our teams are thrilled to be back doing what they love - delivering unforgettable big
screen experiences to our guests, who are proving very keen to return, in the safest environment
possible. It is testament to all our teams’ hard work and commitment over recent years in
improving ODEON’s guest experience, whether that be through great hospitality, the rollout of our
Luxe recliner model, our improved food and beverage offer, or through upgraded cinema
technology across our estate.
“It is a new dawn for cinema, and the future for ODEON Cinemas Group within that is very exciting.
As we begin to recover from the most challenging year in the industry’s history, we look forward to
continuing to invest and expand our offering while welcoming millions more guests through our
doors in the years ahead.”
Welcoming today’s announcement, UNIC President Phil Clapp:
“We are delighted that ODEON Cinemas Group has been recognised as the CineEurope
2021 International Exhibitor of the Year. This decision reflects, in particular, the extent to which the
company has blazed a trail across a number of European territories, not least through the roll-out
of their ground-breaking ODEON Luxe brand, taking the cinema environment to new heights and
setting new standards for the big screen experience.”
ODEON Cinemas Group, Europe's largest cinema operator, operates more than 340 cinemas
across 10 European countries. ODEON’s stated goal is to create inspiring entertainment
experiences for every guest.
The twelve months prior to lockdown, saw the rapid growth of ODEON Luxe, the Group’s premium
cinema brand. All ODEON Luxe cinemas feature cutting edge sound & projection technology
including Premium Large Format screens, luxury recliner seats and a premium food and drink
offering.
ODEON Cinemas Group has taken the opportunity during the pandemic-enforced closures to invest
in improving the digital experience for guests. Starting with the UK & Ireland, with the rest of the
territories to follow, they have re-platformed their website and app, introduced new kiosks and tills in
cinemas, as well as upgrading various backend systems to improve film programming and financial
processes. This investment means a faster, better booking experience for guests, plus improved
engagement with film fans and members.
