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Lee Roy Mitchell To Be Chief Executive Of Combined Company Cinemark & Century To Make Megacircuit PLANO, Texas – Two of the nation’s six largest cinema chains – Texas-based Cinemark USA and California-headquartered Century Theatres – announced on Aug. 8 plans to become one. The combined company will operate out of Cinemark’s headquarters in Plano, Texas, under CEO Lee Roy Mitchell. Century officers Raymond W. Syufy and Joseph Syufy will join Cinemark’s board of directors. At the time of the announcement, Cinemark was ranked as the country’s 3rd-largest circuit with 2,469 U.S. screens at 202 U.S. sites. Sixth-ranked Century at that time operated 994 screens at 78 U.S. sites. Only Regal Entertainment Group, with more than 6,400 screens, and AMC Entertainment, at 4,597 U.S. screens (following its 2005 merger with Loews Cineplex), boast larger screen-counts than the combined Cinemark-Century enterprise.   Upgrades For Three Locations; Programming Switched At Pilot Butte 6-plex Changes Afoot For Numerous REG Sites KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Regal Entertain-ment Group (REG) announced in June plans to expand two existing sites and build one additional new plex. The circuit also announced a change in programming for its Bend, Ore., location. In Buffalo, N.Y., the circuit has begun construction on the Walden Galleria Stadium 16-plex, located at I-90 and Walden Ave. The new site will replace the existing 12-plex at the Walden Galleria, which shuttered June 25 to allow for new construction. The new multi will offer stadium-style high-back rocking seating with retractable cupholder armrests, advance and online ticketing, automated box office kiosks and the circuit’s frequent moviegoer program. “The Buffalo market is very important to Regal Cinemas,” said REG senior vice president of marketing and advertising Dick Westerling. “We are certainly excited to be adding a state-of-the-art theatre to the well-established and highly accessible Walden Galleria Mall.” The circuit also plans to renovate its site in Newington, N.H., adding six new auditoria slated to come on line this autumn and re-christening the plex the Fox Run Stadium 15. REG is further reconfiguring the existing 12 auditoria into nine auditoria featuring new stadium-style rocking seating with retractable cupholder armrests. A revamped concessions area and an expanded lobby are also part of the overall remodel, due for completion early next year. REG’s Edwards 22-plex, located in the central California city of Fresno, recently added an Imax auditorium featuring 271 seats and a 70-foot-wide, 5-story screen. Construction was completed in time to open the Imax 3D version of “Superman Returns” on June 28. “We are excited to bring the Imax experience back to Fresno,” stated Westerling. “The Edwards Fresno Stadium 22 is already a tremendous facility, and we are proud to add the unique Imax moviegoing experience.” In Eastern Oregon, REG’s Pilot Butte 6-plex has been added to the circuit’s Cinema Art program, and will now be dedicated full-time to screening a variety of independent, first-run foreign and classic restored films. In celebration, venue management declared the month of July “Independent Film Month,” and guests who saw movies at the plex received bonus points through the circuit’s frequent moviegoer program. Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Regal Entertainment Group operates 6,415 screens in 546 locations in 40 states and the District of Columbia.   Scholarship Program NATO Of Illinois Distributes $3,000 DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – NATO of Illinois announced the recipients of its 2006 Scholarship Program. Melanie Harmon of the Kerasotes ShowPlace 12-plex in Edwardsville will receive $1,500 to attend Northwestern University. Kelly Schneider of the AMC Crestwood was awarded $750 to attend Illinois State University. Justin Meyer of Kerasotes Quincy Mall Cinema in Quincy, Ill., was awarded $750 to attend University of Illinois – Champagne/Urbana.

Scholarship Programs California/Nevada NATO Distributes $185,000 LOS ANGELES – NATO of California/ Nevada announced the winners of its annual scholarship programs. The scholarships amount to $185,000 in awards in total. “We take great pleasure in helping to encourage and support the next generation of filmmakers,” stated Milton Moritz, NATO of California/Nevada’s president and CEO. “They are our lifeblood and partners in our future, and we congratulate them all.” To benefit future filmmakers, NATO of California/Nevada awarded four students each at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the USC School of Cinema and Television. Each of these eight students was awarded $6,250. UCLA recipients are: • Quyen Tran, a 3rd-year cinematography student; • Matt Flynn, in his first year of an MFA program in animation; • John Slattery, a 4th-year directing student; and • Aram Tertzakian, a 1st-year graduate student in the university’s producing program. USC recipients are: • John Helton, a 1st-year graduate student in the Division of Animation & Digital Arts; • Chris Velazquez, in his first year of the graduate program in the Division of Writing for Screen and Television; • Hien Ho, an MFA candidate in the Peter Stark producing program; and • Rain Breaw, a 3rd-year production graduate student. Additionally, the association awarded $7,500 in college scholarships to each of 18 individuals chosen through an annual scholarship contest. Entrants to the contest were field-level employees of member theatres or spouses or dependent children of management level employees or home office staff, maintained a minimum 3.0 grade point average and submitted an essay to be judged. The $7,500 winners are: • Amy Achille (UC Davis), Regal Mira Mesa Stadium 18; • Jose Aparicio (Fresno City College), Regal Edwards Fresno Stadium 22; • Alison Bayley (UC Berkeley), Century Larkspur Landing; • Kyle Bruce (UCLA), Regal Natomas Marketplace Stadium 16; • Brooke Dawson (CSU Fresno), husband employed by Cinemark USA; • Megan Everett (UCLA), Pacific Grossmont Center; • Briana Fitzpatrick (New York University), Galaxy Tulare 10; • Kevin Flores (University of Oregon), Fallon Theatres; • Erica Gold (UC San Diego), Regal Mira Mesa Stadium 18; • Katherine Horne (University of Utah), Fallon Theatres; • Courtney Innes (Brigham Young), Brenden’s Vacaville 16; • Taylor Manavian (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), father works at Pacific Theatres corporate office; • Karina Medvedeva (UCLA), Pacific’s Grove Theatre; • Jeremy Pease (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Cinemark Movies 14; • Carley Platt (San Jose State University), Century 21 San Jose; • Jason Raftery (UC Berkeley), Pacific’s Grossmont Center; • Jessica Reynolds (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Cinemark Chico; and • Kaitlyn Rubenstein (San Francisco State), Century 21 Daly City.   30-Year Exhibition Vet REG Promotes Cooper To Head Film Buyer KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Regal Entertainment Group announced in July the promotion of Ted Cooper to the position of senior vice president and film head buyer. He will continue to be based in Knoxville and supervise the circuit’s West Coast film office operating out of Woodland Hills, Calif. Prior to joining Regal in 2002 as senior vice president of film for the Eastern region, Cooper held positions at United Artists Theatres, Fox Theatres, Columbia Pictures, MGM/UA and 20th Century Fox. “Ted’s leadership, experience and industry knowledge made him the ideal person for this position,” stated Greg Dunn, REG president and chief operating officer. “He is the consummate team player and has the respect of his peers throughout the industry. I am confident that Ted will have terrific success in his new role in our organization.”