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 Loews
Theatres
Loews Theatres, the oldest theatre circuit in North America, was founded in 1904
by Marcus Loew, whose first "nickelodeon" in a rented store evolved
into the Loews Theatres circuit. By the start of World War I, the young chain
of theatres had locations throughout the U.S. In order to supply his theatres
with new film product, Loew purchased a failing silent movie production studio
named Metro Company. In 1924, Loew joined forces with the legendary Louis B.
Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn to form the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio.
With the supply of film secured and the public's love for Hollywood
entertainment established, Loews Theatres continued to grow from
coast to coast throughout the 1930's and '40's. In 1954, the Department
of Justice ruled that theatre circuits such as Loews, Paramount
and Warner Brothers, which engaged in film production and distribution
as well as the operation of theatres, must divest their studio
facilities from their theatre chains. Thus, Loews Theatres and
MGM became separate entities, and the theatre circuit continued
on its own.
In the years that followed, Loews Theatres expanded and was the
genesis of what became the Loews Corporation. In 1985, the Loews
Corporation sold its 350 screen circuit to a privately held company.
Soon after, the theatre chain was purchased by Tri-Star Pictures
which in turn merged with the Entertainment Business Sector of
Coca Cola, forming Columbia Pictures Entertainment. It was during this time
that Loews Theatres experienced its greatest growth, acquiring four regional
theatre circuits and building many new multiplexes, more than doubling in size
to almost 1000 screens. In 1989, Coca Cola sold Columbia Pictures Entertainment
to the Sony
Corporation of America.
Cineplex Odeon Corporation was founded in 1979 with the opening
of its theatre complex, a 21 screen megaplex at Toronto's Eaton
Centre. Throughout the 1980's, the company expanded through new
construction and through acquisitions of regional theatre circuits
in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington DC and Seattle.
Cineplex Odeon Corporation merged with Loews Theatres in May
1998, creating Loews Cineplex Entertainment, one of the world's
largest motion picture theatrical exhibition companies. Loews Cineplex
Entertainment's divisions include Loews Cineplex United States,
Cineplex Odeon Canada and Loews Cineplex International. |
