Cinemark Theatres
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| Type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NYSE: CNK |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Plano, Texas |
| Number of locations | 431[1] |
| Key people | Lee Roy Mitchell, co-founder and Chairman of the Board Tim Warner, President & CEO/COO [2] |
| Website | cinemark.com |
Cinemark Theatres is a chain of movie theatres owned by Cinemark Holdings, Inc. operating in North, South America, and Taiwan. It is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
As of March 31, 2012, the Cinemark circuit is the third largest in the United States with 298 theatres and 3,895 screens in 40 states.[3] They are the most geographically diverse circuit in Latin America with 161 theatres and 1,286 screens in 13 countries; it is the fourth-largest circuit in Mexico. Cinemark also holds the spot of second largest circuit internationally.
Cinemark operates theaters under several brands, including its flagship Cinemark, Century, Tinseltown USA, and CinéArts.[4]
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History [edit]
Cinemark was started in 1984 by Lee Roy Mitchell as a chain of theatres in Texas, Utah, and California. Through new theatre construction and acquisitions, it became the third largest theatre chain in the United States and the second largest theatre chain in the world. In 2009, Cinemark introduced its own large screen concept, known as XD, and has plans to install it in many well-performing locations around the world. All XD screens installed after August 2010 featured (or upgraded to) 7.1 surround sound and those installed after October 2012 feature (or upgraded to} Dolby Atmos.
United States Department of Justice lawsuits [edit]
In the 1990s, Cinemark Theatres was one of the first chains to incorporate stadium-style seating into their theatres.[5] In 1997, several disabled individuals filed a lawsuit against Cinemark, alleging that their stadium style seats forced patrons who used wheelchairs to sit in the front row of the theatre, effectively rendering them unable to see the screen without assuming a horizontal position. The case was heard in El Paso district court as Lara v. Cinemark USA, where a judge ruled that the architecture of Cinemark's theatres violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ruling was later overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that Cinemark only had to provide an "unobstructed view" of the screen, and that since handicapped patrons' view was only awkward and not actually obscured, Cinemark was not violating the law.[6]
In response, the United States Department of Justice filed their own suit against Cinemark while appealing the appellate court's decision. The DOJ argued that, while Cinemark was not technically violating the ADA, it was nevertheless discriminating against handicapped patrons by relegating them to the worst seats in the auditorium.[7] Cinemark responded by filing a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, alleging misconduct on the DOJ's behalf.[8] Cinemark's lawsuit was thrown out, and the Department of Justice proceeded with its lawsuit. Cinemark ultimately agreed to settle out of court before the court came to a ruling, agreeing with the DOJ that it was in the company's best interest to end litigation before a ruling was issued.[7] Per the terms of the settlement, Cinemark agreed to renovate all existing theatres to provide wheelchair-using and other handicapped patrons access to rows higher in its theatres, and also agreed that all future theatres would be constructed so as to allow handicapped patrons better access to higher rows. In turn, the Department of Justice agreed not to bring further litigation against the company in relation to the architecture of stadium seating as it applies to the ADA.[7]
Century Theatres acquisition [edit]
In 2006, Cinemark purchased Century Theatres with a combination of cash and stock bonds. This acquisition added over 80 theatres and many more screens. Some of these theatres were subsequently shut down either being phased out as under performing or replaced with new complexes.
Muvico Theaters purchases [edit]
In 2009, in order to save the company from a potential bankruptcy, Muvico Theaters sold four theatres to Cinemark.[9] The theatres were Arundel Mills Egyptian 24 in Hanover, MD; Paradise 24 in Pembroke Pines, FL; Palace 20 in Boca Raton, FL; and Boynton Beach 14 in Boynton Beach, FL.; Arundel Mills was often one of the highest-grossing movie theaters in the nation.[10]
Rave Theaters Purchase [edit]
In November 2012 Cinemark USA, Inc., the nation's third largest theater chain, Announced it is acquiring Rave Cinemas, the Dallas, Texas based chain that operates the former Bridge theater in Los Angeles, for $240 million. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, includes 32 theaters located in 12 states, representing 483 screens. Tim Warner, Cinemark's CEO said in a statement "The acquisition of these high quality assets will further enhance Cinemark's diversified domestic footprint, including the expansion of our presence in the New England market,"http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/17/entertainment/la-et-ct-cinemark-signs-deal-to-buy-rave-cinemas-20121117
Aurora shooting [edit]
On July 20, 2012, a gunman opened fire during the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in a Century theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. The suspected gunman, later identified as James Eagan Holmes and believed to be acting alone, entered the theater dressed in protective clothing, set off tactical grenades, then opened fire with multiple firearms on the theatergoers. Counting both fatalities and injuries, the attack was the largest mass shooting in terms of number of casualties in United States history.[11] The theater is scheduled to reopen on January 17, 2013.[12]
Conceal to Carry Policy [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2013) |
Cinemark has a controversial conceal to carry policy that has been in place for at least the last five years. This policy states "Firearms Prohibited". Although this is not a new policy Cinemark has tried to increase awareness for this policy to its customers following the Aurora Shooting.
Political causes [edit]
In 2008, CEO Alan Stock donated $9,999 toward the successful passage of California's Proposition 8, an initiative restricting the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples and overturning the California Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. An ensuing campaign, launched by opponents to the Prop 8 passage, encouraged patrons to see the Gus Van Sant film Milk, starring Sean Penn in the title role of gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, at a competing theater in protest.[13] Others called for a more general boycott.[14]
Cinemark was the largest contributor to the 2012 Indiana Senatorial campaign of Republican Richard Mourdock,[15] and did not dissociate itself from Mourdock after controversial statements he made about rape and abortion.[16]
References [edit]
- ^ Cinemark Holdings, Inc. Reports Q1 2011 Adjusted EBITDA of $102.7 Million on Revenues of $483.1 Million
- ^ Theatres, Cinemark. "Alan Stock Retires from Cinemark and to Serve in Consulting Capacity". cinemark.com. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Natoonline.org
- ^ Cinemark.com, CinéArts
- ^ Cinemark Brings Stadium Seating to the Valley. CineMark press release, August 13, 1998. Accessed 3 June 2009.
- ^ "Appellate Court OKs Stadium-style Movie Seating; Cinemark, USA Inc. Wins ADA Case". Business Wire, April 11, 2000. Accessed 3 June 2009.
- ^ a b c US Department of Justice vs. Cinemark
- ^ Cinemark v United States
- ^ bigscreen.com (2009-03-21). "Muvico Sells Four Theaters in Florida and Maryland to Cinemark". Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ^ hometownannapolis.com (2009-03-22). "Muvico sells lavish Arundel Mills theater". Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ^ "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: 70 Victims The Largest Mass Shooting". Good Morning America. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ "Vacant since mass shooting, renewed Aurora theater to reopen Thursday Read more: Vacant since mass shooting, renewed Aurora theater to reopen Thursday - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22368053/vacant-since-mass-shooting-renewed-aurora-theater-reopen#ixzz2I1lro82u Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse". The Denver Post. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Cieply, Michael. "Activists Seek to Tie ‘Milk’ to a Campaign for Gay Rights". The New York Times, November 22, 2008. Accessed 3 June 2009.
- ^ Moore, Roger. "Cinemark CEO donates to 'Proposition Hate': boycott follows". Orlando Sentinel, November 13, 2008. Accessed 3 June 2009
- ^ http://www.rootstrikers.org/who_are_you_really_voting_for#remix?e=5b6e25f71e2bc249695fc7140a1b0aa01874a415&utm_source=rootstrikers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=remix_action&n=2&recruiter_id=36781
- ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57538757/richard-mourdock-even-pregnancy-from-rape-something-god-intended/
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cinemark Theatres |
