Loews Cineplex Entertainment

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Times Square and Loews Theatre

Loews Theaters, founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew, was the oldest theater chain operating in North America until it merged with AMC Theatres on January 26, 2006.

It was noted for being the distribution arm and parent company for Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) until, forced by United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1948), a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the two split in 1954.

In 1985, when federal regulations had been relaxed, Tri-Star Pictures acquired the Loews theater chain. Upon the full acquisition of Tri-Star to Columbia Pictures, and when Columbia was bought by Sony in 1989, Sony inherited the theaters as well. For a while, Loews operated under the Sony Theaters banner. Ironically, a Sony-led partnership would later acquire MGM in 2005.

In 1994, Sony partnered with Magic Johnson to form Magic Johnson Theaters, a mini-chain of theaters specifically geared toward the inner cities, particularly in Los Angeles.

In 1998, Cineplex Odeon Corporation merged with Loews Theaters to form Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The combined company was one of the largest movie exhibitors in the world, with theaters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Korea, and Spain. In 2001, though, the company declared Chapter 11 as a result of absorbing Cineplex's financial woes.

In 2002, Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management acquired Loews Cineplex. In 2004, they sold it, minus its Canadian assets, to a private group of investors which included the Carlyle Group.

In 2005, AMC Theatres announced that it would merge with Loews Cineplex Entertainment and that the merged company would adopt the AMC name. The Loews name would remain a brand under the new company.^[1] At the time of the merger, Loews operated 198 theaters with 2,235 screens. It is not affiliated with the Loews Corporation.