What is "multikino"

Multikino is the second largest multiplex chain in Poland, and has the distinction of having opened the nation's first multiplex, which was located in Poznań. Cinema City is Multikino's primary competitor.

The company started its operation in 1995 as joint venture between ITI Cinema and British UCI. In 2003 ITI bought the UCI shares and owned the company until 2013.

As Multikino was the first company to run multiplex cinemas in Poland, the term multikino is often used as a description of multiplex cinema. The situation resembles the one with Sony's Walkman, when it is used as a description for portable MC player, despite it being a registered trademark.

In February 2008 it was announced that Multikino will merge with its second largest rival Silver Screen. Once the transaction was complete, Multikino is operate 19 cinemas with 174 screens in 13 Polish cities. There were also plans to enter the Ukrainian market, but due to global crisis it has never happened.

In August 2008, Multikino have installed digital projectors in each cinema. That allows viewing of 3D movies in Dolby 3D Digital Cinema.

In 2010, Multikino opened the first cinema network outside Polish borders in Riga - Latvia (August 2010) and in Vilnius - Lithuania (September 2010).

In May 2013, Vue Entertainment acquired Polish Multikino. The acquisition was completed in October 2013.