Féile Special: West Belfast Small Business Roundtable with Michael McAdam

Welcome to a special Féile an Phobail West Belfast Small Business Roundtable with Movie House founder Michael McAdam! Join us at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in the heart of West Belfast for the seventh in our series of informal breakfast gatherings. Our guests are either founders of companies or involved in growing businesses. We limit attendance to just 14 to ensure everyone has a real chance to engage with our guest speaker.

Our April speaker is Michael McAdam, fouder of Movie House cinemas and a formidable entrepreneur with working class roots in the Rathcoole estate in North Belfast.

Michael discovered his love for film after being inspired by someone’s Super‑8 cine camera. He eventually got one himself—and immediately began filming anything that moved.

His cinema journey began in 1987 in Portrush, where he took over a small “Playhouse” cinema, borrowed £100 from his future mother‑in‑law, and made his first £1,000 in a day by showing Police Academy 3.

In 1990, Michael launched Movie House in Glengormley—our first multiplex. He opted for five screens, one more than typical cinemas, gaining a competitive edge.

He then added sites in Maghera and Yorkgate (now Cityside), expanding through strategic acquisitions. In 2003, he bought the Dublin Road UGC multiplex in Belfast for about £5.5 million, rebranding it as Movie House. This building was sold just before COVID to Belfast tech company Kainos to provide a site for their new global headquarters.

Michael is a tireless supporter of many good causes and has been a vocal advocate for the movie industry in the North and a strong believer in freedom of expression for film-makers, having taken the brave decision on many occasions to show films which faced criticism. He is pictured above presenting the Movie House Aisling Award for Community Achievement to Friends of St Gerard's Special School.

The Small Business Roundtables are an intitiative of the Andersonstown News.

Also check out other Entertainment events in Belfast, Business events in Belfast, Workshops in Belfast.