Cineworld, the UK’s second-biggest movie-theatre operator, is interested in building more cinemas in the Republic.

“We’re looking at the Republic of Ireland right now because the people in Ireland go to the movies a significantly higher number of times a year than they do in the UK,” chief executive Stephen Wiener said.

Cineworld has one cinema in Ireland, located on Dublin’s Parnell Street. It is the highest grossing cinema in the country, Mr Wiener said.

There are more opportunities in Ireland because there are fewer “modern multiplexes proportionally in the Republic of Ireland than there are in the UK”, he said. “We’ve done a lot of homework now . . . so now it’s just a matter of getting some deals done.”

– (Bloomberg)