Emagine Entertainment
Corporate brand
UnclaimedEmagine Entertainment is an American cinema operator and theater brand headquartered in Troy, Michigan.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Emagine Entertainment is an American movie-theater chain headquartered in Troy, Michigan. The company operates a network of cinemas under the Emagine name and also franchises additional locations. Its footprint spans Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado. The chain is known for combining conventional theatrical exhibition with upgraded auditorium environments, food and beverage service, and entertainment-oriented venue concepts. The business began in 1997 under the name Cinema Hollywood. Its original site, now identified with the Emagine Birch Run operation, provided the starting point for the company that later developed into Emagine Entertainment. The rebranding established a broader chain identity rather than leaving the business associated with a single local theater name. Emagine expanded beyond its Michigan base during the second half of the 2010s. In 2016, it acquired Muller Family Theatres and entered the Minnesota market with eight locations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Six of those theaters were renovated and rebranded as Emagine venues during 2016, while the Rogers and Monticello locations followed the next year. The company later added a ninth Minnesota theater in Eagan in 2019. Emagine also entered Illinois with a Frankfort location in late 2016 and expanded into Wisconsin in 2018 with a theater near Lake Geneva. The chain continued to grow through acquisitions in 2021, purchasing four former Goodrich Quality Theaters in Kochville Township, Michigan; Batavia, Illinois; Portage, Indiana; and Noblesville, Indiana. In the same year, Emagine broadened its entertainment offer by opening a sports lounge at its Royal Oak, Michigan, location. The lounge provided free admission and Wi-Fi access and was designed to support online gambling-related activity. During the COVID-era period, Emagine also experimented with an outdoor exhibition format. In partnership with Bedrock, it launched the Monroe Street Drive-In Powered by Emagine in downtown Detroit near Campus Martius in January 2021. The temporary venue used a large digital projection screen and accommodated up to 65 vehicles, presenting films from Thursday through Sunday. After two winter seasons, the drive-in was discontinued and the site was replaced by the Monroe Street Midway, a broader family and recreation-oriented activation. Before its acquisition by Kinepolis, Emagine was described as the ninth-largest theater chain in North America. In November 2025, Belgian cinema operator Kinepolis announced an agreement to acquire Emagine for $105 million. The announced transaction would give Kinepolis control of Emagine's 14 company-operated locations and extend Kinepolis's presence in the United States following its earlier acquisition of 10 former MJR Theatres locations. Emagine also franchises 14 additional locations. The available reference material does not specify a completed closing date or a post-transaction operating structure.
History
Emagine Entertainment traces its origins to 1997, when the business began as Cinema Hollywood. The original operation, now associated with Emagine Birch Run, later developed into the Emagine Entertainment chain. The adoption of the Emagine identity allowed the company to operate as a multi-location cinema brand rather than as a single-site theater business. For much of its early development, Emagine was associated with the Michigan theater market. Its subsequent growth came through a combination of rebranding, acquisitions, new openings, and franchising. A major expansion occurred in 2016, when the company acquired Muller Family Theatres and entered Minnesota with eight locations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Six of the acquired theaters were renovated and converted to the Emagine brand during 2016. The Rogers and Monticello theaters were rebranded in 2017, and Emagine added a ninth Minnesota location in Eagan in 2019. Emagine also expanded geographically in the second half of the decade. It opened a theater in Frankfort, Illinois, in late 2016 and entered Wisconsin in 2018 with a location near Lake Geneva. These moves extended the chain beyond its Michigan and Minnesota strongholds into a wider Midwestern operating footprint. In 2021, Emagine purchased four former Goodrich Quality Theaters. The acquired sites were located in Kochville Township, Michigan; Batavia, Illinois; Portage, Indiana; and Noblesville, Indiana. The transaction added locations across several states and reinforced the company's position as a regional rather than purely local exhibitor. The company also tested formats outside the conventional indoor multiplex. In January 2021, Emagine and Bedrock opened the Monroe Street Drive-In Powered by Emagine in downtown Detroit, close to Campus Martius. The temporary installation used a 60-by-32-foot digital projection screen and offered space for as many as 65 cars. Film screenings were scheduled from Thursday through Sunday nights. After two winters, the drive-in ended operations and the site was subsequently redeveloped as the Monroe Street Midway, featuring activities such as roller skating, basketball, live music, and family-oriented programming. In December 2021, Emagine opened its first sports lounge at its Royal Oak theater in Michigan. The concept added another type of leisure activity to the company's cinema business, with free entry and Wi-Fi access and a connection to online gambling use. Before the Kinepolis transaction, Emagine was identified as the ninth-largest theater chain in North America. In November 2025, Kinepolis, a Belgian cinema operator, announced that it would acquire Emagine for $105 million. The proposed deal would transfer control of 14 company-operated locations to Kinepolis, while Emagine's 14 franchised locations would remain part of the broader brand and operating network as described in the available material. The reference does not establish whether the transaction had closed, so the precise post-announcement ownership status requires confirmation.
- 2025
Kinepolis acquisition announcement
[1]Kinepolis announces a proposed $105 million acquisition of Emagine Entertainment.
- 2021
Goodrich theater acquisition
[1]Emagine purchases four former Goodrich Quality Theaters in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.
- 2019
Eagan theater opens
[1]The company adds a ninth Minnesota location in Eagan.
- 2018
Entry into Wisconsin
[1]Emagine opens a theater near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
- 2017
Additional Minnesota rebranding
[1]The Rogers and Monticello Muller theaters are rebranded under the Emagine name.
- 2016
Entry into Minnesota and Illinois
[1]Emagine acquires Muller Family Theatres in Minnesota, rebrands six locations, and opens or enters Illinois with a Frankfort theater.
- 1997
Business begins as Cinema Hollywood
[1]The company starts operations under the Cinema Hollywood name, with the original site later associated with Emagine Birch Run.
Products and positioning
A regional, experience-oriented cinema operator combining multiplex movie exhibition with upgraded venues, concessions, ancillary entertainment, and selected temporary or destination-based formats.
Movie-theater chain · 1997
Emagine cinemas
The core Emagine offering consists of indoor movie theaters operating across Midwestern U.S. markets. The chain owns 14 locations and franchises 14 additional locations according to the referenced material. Venues provide theatrical film exhibition supported by concessions and other cinema amenities, with the brand applied across both purpose-built and acquired theaters.
Drive-in cinema · 2021
Monroe Street Drive-In Powered by Emagine
This temporary outdoor cinema in downtown Detroit was created with Bedrock and operated during the winters beginning in January 2021. It used a 60-by-32-foot digital screen and could accommodate up to 65 cars. The venue screened films several nights per week before being discontinued after two winter seasons.
Ancillary entertainment venue · 2021
Royal Oak sports lounge
Opened at Emagine's Royal Oak, Michigan, theater in December 2021, the sports lounge extended the venue beyond film exhibition. It offered free admission and Wi-Fi access and was designed to support sports viewing and online gambling-related activity.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Monroe Street Drive-In Powered by Emagine
Detroit metropolitan area
Emagine partnered with Bedrock to create a temporary drive-in movie experience near Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. The project extended the brand into outdoor exhibition and offered scheduled screenings from Thursday through Sunday.
Outcome. The drive-in was discontinued after two winters, and the location was replaced by the Monroe Street Midway.
Brand decisions
2025
Agreement to be acquired by KinepolisM&ABackground
Kinepolis announced a proposed acquisition of Emagine as part of its expansion in the United States. The announcement followed Kinepolis's earlier acquisition of 10 former MJR Theatres locations.
Action taken
Kinepolis announced a $105 million transaction for Emagine, covering control of 14 corporately owned locations.
Aftermath
The available reference confirms the announcement but does not establish whether the transaction had closed or describe the final post-acquisition structure.
Announced acquisition value. $105 million (November 2025 announcement)
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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