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Combined Screen Count of 5,936 Rivaled Only By Regal Entertainment Group AMC & Loews Form Exhibition Colossus KANSAS CITY, Mo. – AMC Entertainment and Loews Cineplex Entertainment announced on June 21 plans for the two companies to merge into a single chain boasting 5,936 screens worldwide. Only Regal Entertainment Group, with more than 6,000 U.S. auditoria, boasts a larger screen count. The combined company will retain the AMC Entertainment name and be operated out of AMC’s base in Kansas City, Mo. Current AMC chairman, CEO and president Peter C. Brown will head the newly formed company. Brown and Loews CEO Travis Reid will co-chair an integration committee to facilitate the merger, which is expected to take six to nine months to finalize. AMC and Loews are not only two of world’s largest cinema chains, they are two of the oldest. Loews was founded in New York as The People’s Vaudeville Co. in 1904, changing its name to Loew’s Theatrical Enterprises in 1913. AMC traces it origins to Kansas City’s Durwood Theatre, launched in 1920. Durwood Theatres pioneered the indoor mall multiplex in 1963, and changed its name to American Multi-Cinema six years later. Both chains have grown quickly in recent years. Loews tripled its screen count to more than 2,700 screens in 1998 when it was merged with the Toronto-based Cineplex Odeon megachain. AMC purchased all of Boston-based General Cinema Corp.’s more than 600 screens, as well as 68 Gulf States Theatres auditoria, in 2002. It purchased 48 screens from MegaStar Theatres the following year. The combined entity will operate 447 sites in 30 states and 13 countries. Arizona Multiplex Planned Harkins 16-Plex For Chandler Center CHANDLER, Ariz. – Harkins Theatres on May 24 announced plans to build a new 16-plex to serve as a component of Chandler, Ariz.’s new Crossroads Towne Center. Scheduled to begin construction late this year at the northeast corner of Gilbert Road and Germann Road, the multi will feature stadium-style seating, curved wall-to-wall screens, high-backed rockers with retractable armrests, and a concession menu featuring pizza, spicy popcorn chicken, cheese sticks, French fries, onion rings and more. The cinema’s grand lobbies, designed to incorporate neon, marble and granite in their design, will screen coming attractions on auditorium-sized screens. “As a company, we’ve grown up in the valley and we’re delighted to be further serving the Southeast Valley,” stated Dan Harkins, president and CEO of the circuit. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Harkins Theatres operates 253 screens at 23 sites throughout the Southwest.   Three Students Split $3,000 NATO of Illinois Awards Scholars DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – NATO of Illinois has awarded $3,000 to three employees in the form of college scholarships. The affiliate’s scholarship program, currently in its sixth year, is designed to reward theatre employees with superior scholastic ability, work ethic and leadership skills, as an incentive to continue their educations. Recipients of this year’s scholarships are Justin Meyer (Kerasotes Quincy Mall Cinema), who received $1,500, and Chrissy Gratz (Classic Cinemas Fox Lake Theatre) and Scott Busiel (Classic Cinemas Woodstock Theatre), who were awarded $750 each. NATO of Illinois is comprised of 18 member companies representing over 80 percent of the screens in the state.   14-Plex Bowed In May AmStar Arrives At Alabaster, Alabama ALABASTER, Ala. – AmStar Entertainment opened on May 19 a new 14-plex in the Alabama town of Alabaster, 15 miles south of Birmingham. Situated near the intersection of Highway 31 and I-65, the multi is part of the new Colonial Promenade shopping center, which is anchored by Super Wal-Mart and Lowe’s. An open-house event featuring four days of free movies raised more than $10,000 in donations and a truckload of canned goods for the Salvation Army. The site features stadium-style seating, multiple concessions stands and retractable armrests. AmStar, based in Vestavia Hills, Ala., operates 82 screens at six sites in the Southeast, with two additional sites under construction in Orlando, Fla., and Nicholasville, Ky.

Sterling Heights Multiplex November Opening For MJR Michigan 20-Plex STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – MJR Theatres is planning a November opening for its new 4,200-seat Sterling Heights, Mich., 20-plex, situated at the intersection of 15 Mile Road and Van Dyke. The 82,500-square-foot Market Place Cinema will feature stadium-style seating with high-back rocking seats, a projection system in the lobby showing continuous previews of coming attractions, and automated ticket kiosks for Internet and credit card transactions. Based in Oak Park, Mich., MJR Theatres operates 82 screens at five sites.   May Launch in Ambato Cinemark Opens Ecuador Triplex AMBATO, Ecuador – Cinemark International on May 19 opened its Mall de Los Andes 3-plex in Ambato, establishing the circuit’s fourth site in Ecuador. The 910-seat 17,298-square-foot plex features stadium-style seating, high-backed rocker chairs, cupholder armrests and wall-to-wall screens. A dining patio area seats 650 and affords a panoramic view of the nearby Tungurahua volcano. “Cinemark is very excited about our newest theatre in Ecuador,” stated circuit president Tim Warner, who added the project “promises to be one of the grandest developments in the city of Ambato.” Based in Plano, Texas, Cinemark operates 3,242 screens in 33 states and 13 countries outside the United States.   June Bow In Rosario NA Chain Launches Argentinian 14-plex ROSARIO, Argentina – National Amusements opened on June 1 its Showcase Cinemas Rosario 14-plex, the chain’s sixth site in Argentina. The 3,400-seat multi, which houses a restaurant serving sandwiches, hot food, coffee drinks and spirits, features stadium-style rocking recliner seats, lobby ticketing kiosks and two “function rooms” available for private rental. “Showcase Cinemas Rosario is one of the most significant projects to take place in this country in the last five years,” said circuit senior vice president Tad Jankowski, “and we are confident that it will benefit the community both on an economic level as well as providing a world-class entertainment experience.” Based in Dedham, Mass., National Amusements operates more than 1,425 screens in the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America and Russia.   2008 Bow For NA Bristol 13 United Kingdom Gets First Cinema de Lux BRISTOL, England – National Amusements on May 26 announced plans to open a Cinema de Lux 13-plex as part of Bristol, England’s Broadmead development. The site is expected to open in late 2008. While NA sites have long been situated in the United Kingdom, the Bristol plex will be the first to do business under the Cinema de Lux brand. The new site will feature Director’s Halls with “ultra leather” rocking recliner seats, reserved seating, and deluxe food and beverage services, and will offer a concierge service for patrons. “We are thrilled to introduce Cinema de Lux to the U.K.,” said NA president Shari E. Redstone. “We are thrilled to partner with the Bristol Alliance and we fully expect the Bristol Broadmead project to be one of the most successful cinemas in the U.K.”