Editing Hoyts (section)

==History==
=== 1909–1930 ===
At the start of the 20th century, [[Melbourne]] dentist and [[cornet]] player Arthur Russell<ref name=austlit/> bought a share in a small touring American circus that visited Melbourne, called HOYTS Circus. Russell toured with the circus as a [[magic (illusion)|magician]], but it did not prove to be a financial success. In 1908, he started presenting [[film|moving pictures]] at St George's Hall in [[Bourke Street]],<ref name=cr/> accompanying the [[silent film]]s with his small family band: his wife on piano, son on drums, and Russell on cornet. On 18 September 1909 he opened HOYTS Picture Palace,<ref name=austlit/> and formed a company called HOYTS Pictures Pty Ltd. The old hall was rebuilt and renamed "HOYTS De Luxe". By the end of [[World War I]], HOYTS had expanded into the suburbs of Melbourne and into [[Sydney]].<ref name=cr>{{cite journal | title=1998: Hoyts 90th year | journal=[[Cinema Record]] | url=https://www.cinemarecord.org.au/read/cr22/mobile/index.html#p=15 | date=November 1998|issue=22|page=15| access-date=14 August 2023| quote=Source: "The Story of HOYTS ", News Release, HOYTS Theatres Limited.}} [https://www.cinemarecord.org.au/read/cr22/files/basic-html/page15.html HTML version]</ref> The shows included [[vaudeville]] acts, as was common practice in those days.<ref name=austlit>{{cite web | title=Hoyts Theatres Ltd | website=[[AustLit]] | date=19 Jun 2013  | url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A131806 | access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref>

In 1926, HOYTS and two other companies, Electric Theatres Pty. Ltd. and Associated Theatres Pty. Ltd., merged to become HOYTS Theatres Limited. In 1930, the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation (now [[20th Century Studios]]) acquired a majority of shares in HOYTS Theaters Ltd.<ref>{{cite news  |title=[headline unknown] |work=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]]|page=9 |date=3 September 1930 }}</ref><ref name=aso>{{cite web | title=Chronology 1900s  | website=[[Australian Screen]]  | url=https://aso.gov.au/chronology/1900s/ | access-date=14 August 2023| quote=Sources: Moran, A & Veith, E 2005, ''Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema'', The Scarecrow Press, Maryland, USA. ''AllExperts Encyclopedia'', Hoyts}}</ref>

=== 1980s ===
In 1982, 20th Century Fox sold HOYTS to Stardawn Investments, a group of four Melbourne businessmen. In 1985, the Fink family subsequently bought out the other partners to become the sole owner. In 1987, the corporation was restructured and two of the companies in the corporation were listed on the [[Australian Securities Exchange]]: HOYTS Media and HOYTS Entertainment. However, the company that owned the cinemas, HOYTS Cinemas, was not floated until 1996. The years between 1987 and 1996 saw HOYTS expand in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In 1988, HOYTS bought out Interstate Theaters, which made its expansion into the United States market.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1988-04-19 |title=International Film Exchange Ltd., which distributes American... |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-19-fi-1267-story.html |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 1990s ===
Following Leon Fink's death in 1993, the HOYTS organisation was sold to [[Hellman & Friedman]] and [[Lendlease]]. The company eventually went public in 1995. In 1997, HOYTS expanded to [[Chile]] with the opening of [[Cinépolis Chile|its first movie theatre there]]. In 1999, Hoyts celebrated its 90th anniversary and was ranked the seventh largest cinema exhibitor in the world. In the same year, the late [[Kerry Packer]]'s private family company, [[Consolidated Press Holdings]], bought the chain for $620 million. After that, HOYTS began to sell off international cinemas except for some New Zealand cinemas.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

=== 2000s ===
In 2003, HOYTS sold all of its US chains to [[Regal Cinemas|Regal Entertainment Group]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN.com - Regal buys Packer's U.S. cinemas - Feb. 5, 2003 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/asia/02/05/aust.packer.biz/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=www.cnn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-02-05 |title=Packer sells HOYTS stake in America |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/packer-sells-HOYTS -stake-in-america-20030205-gdv6gz.html |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=The Age |language=en}}</ref> In 2004, HOYTS collaborated with [[Village Roadshow]] and [[Event Hospitality & Entertainment|Amalgamated Holdings Limited]] to bail out Val Morgan Cinema Advertising, eventually taking their stake to 100% in 2005. In December that year, [[Publishing & Broadcasting Limited]] and [[West Australian Newspapers]] purchased the company from Consolidated Press. In 2007, HOYTS was sold to Sydney-based private equity firm [[Pacific Equity Partners]]. The sale valued the company at A$440 million.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

=== 2010s ===
In 2010, HOYTS sold off its Chilean operations to {{ill|Chilefilms|es}}. In the same year, HOYTS acquired [[Australian Multiplex Cinemas]] in Queensland and the [[Berkeley Cinemas|Berkeley Cinema Group]] in New Zealand. HOYTS Stream, a video streaming service, was set to launch during 2013, but after being delayed, it was cancelled in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/latest/HOYTS -stream-online-video-service-on-thin-ice/news-story/99fd0908876dd54fcb76c2bc4be1e503 |title=HOYTS Stream online video service on thin ice |last=Adhikari |first=Supratim |date=18 June 2014 |website=The Weekend Australian |publisher=News Corp Australia |access-date=15 September 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/online-videostreaming-service-HOYTS -stream-to-launch-this-year-20140519-zrhpi.html |title=Online video-streaming service HOYTS Stream to launch this year |last= Colley |first=Andrew |date=19 May 2014 |website=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=15 September 2019 }}</ref> [[Damian Keogh]] was appointed chief executive officer, and HOYTS was bought by Chinese billionaire Sun Xishuang through his investment company ID Leisure Ventures in December 2014.<ref name=wanda2015/>

In June 2015, Wanda Cinema Line, a subsidiary of Dalian Wanda Group, purchased HOYTS from ID Leisure Ventures.<ref name=wanda2015>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/asia/chinas-wanda-buys-australias-hoyts-1201510298/ |title=China's Wanda Buys Australia's HOYTS Multiplex Chain |last=Frater |first=Patrick  |date=2 June 2015 |website=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref> 

In 2018, [[HOYTS Kiosk]] DVD vending machines were rebranded as [[Video Ezy]] after the group sold its subsidiary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/hoyts-dvd-vending-business-to-be-swallowed-by-rival-video-ezy-express-20180103-p4yy7v.html |title=Hoyts DVD vending business to be swallowed by rival Video Ezy Express |last=Duke |first=Jennifer |date=5 January 2018 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |publisher=Nine Entertainment |access-date=15 September 2019 }}</ref>

In [[Argentina]] HOYTS was acquired by [[Cinemark]], in Chile  by [[Cinépolis]], and in Uruguay by Life Cinemas.{{Citation needed|reason=Sources needed for South American acquisitions, ideally in English language|date=January 2020}}{{when|date=August 2023}}

=== 2020s ===
In December 2022, HOYTS acquired three cinemas in WA from [[The_Movie_Masters_Cinema_Group#Grand_Cinemas|Grand Cinemas]] after the company went into administration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Sean |date=2022-12-23 |title=Hoyts buys three cinemas from failed WA chain |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/movies/hoyts-buys-three-cinemas-from-was-collapsed-grand-cinemas-c-9258108 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=The West Australian |language=en}}</ref> In April 2023, they acquired an additional cinema from Grand.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tan |first=Christopher |url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/local-news/perthnow-stirling/the-show-goes-on-hoyts-moves-into-northern-suburbs-after-grand-cinemas-calls-it-quits-c-10183275 |title=Hoyts moves into northern suburbs after Grand Cinemas calls it quits |date=1 April 2023|accessdate=1 April 2023}}</ref> That month, Wanda Film also began seeking buyers for Hoyts.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Sarah |last2=Sood |first2=Kanika |last3=Rapaport |first3=Emma |date=2023-04-03 |title=Lights, camera, action! Credit Suisse, Nomura reboot $1b Hoyts sale |url=https://www.afr.com/street-talk/lights-camera-actions-credit-suisse-reboots-hoyts-cinemas-sale-20230403-p5cxk9 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=[[Australian Financial Review]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=fraterapr2023>{{cite web | last=Frater | first=Patrick | title=China's Wanda Seeks Buyers for Australia's Hoyts Cinema Chain | website=Variety | date=12 April 2023 | url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/china-wanda-selling-hoyts-australia-1235580396/ | access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref> The sale of Beijing Wanda Investment, which had a controlling stake in Wanda Film, to China Ruyi in December 2023 put any potential sale of Hoyts up in the air.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buckingham-Jones |first=Sam |date=2024-02-04 |title=Hoyts sale up in the air after Chinese businessman snaps up parent |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/hoyts-sale-up-in-the-air-after-chinese-businessman-snaps-up-parent-20240201-p5f1ob |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}</ref>