AMC Theatres

AMC Theatres is the only one of the 12 largest theatre chains to have survived the bankruptcy in 2001-2001. It is now the second largest chain in North America. Founded in the year 1920 by the famous traveling showman, Edward Durwood, AMC Theatres started with a single screen movie theater in Kankas City in Missouri. His son, Stan Durwood served in the army and returned to mage his father’s theatres. He had great insight and used his managerial skills learnt in the military and applied it to theatres. He setup the first two screen theatre. His logic was simple. There was a lot of activity during the beginning, intermission and end of the movie which resulted in a huge staff. However, apart from security and access control, the rest of the staff was idle for the rest of the movie. Hence by putting up a second screen and staggering the timing, the staff which was idle could now accent to the second crowd. It also had the advantage of screening a different movie thus increasing the choices and attracting a larger audience. This revolutionary idea propelled AMC to immediate success. The first two screen theatre was Parkway Twin which opened in 1963 and was the predecessor for the host of American Multiplex to follow. AMC Theatres then pioneered the first North American megaplex and operates the busiest theatres in the country at the AMC Empire 25 theatre in New York City.

AMC Theatres was the first to open a multiplex in any foreign country. It started with Milton Keynes in England. This was followed by the 16-screen AMC Great Northern in Manchester and the 12-screen cinema on the new Broadway Plaza site in Birmingham. AMC Theatres also opened two complexes in Hong Kong, one at Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong and one in Pacific Place in Admiralty. It also made a lot of successful acquisitions and integrated competitive theatre circuits into the family. The acquisition of General Cinemas Companies Inc in March 2002 brought an additional 621 screens under the company’s assets. The Gulf States Theatres in New Orleans added 68 screens and later in 2003 it acquired some more companies like MegaStar Theatres. In January 2006 AMC merged with Loews Cineplex Entertainment and the company was named AMC Entertainment Inc. By now, the company had interest in 360 theatres with 5,140 screens across six countries.

AMC has always been associated with being the major inventor and forerunner for bringing changes. It invented the cup-holder armrest and reintroduced the theatre style of having the seats placed on risers so that viewers could have an unobstructed view of the screen. AMC is also known for its efforts at improving quality of life through its involvement in community activities like investing in children, vital healthcare research and education and the pursuit of lifesaving cures and treatments for deadly diseases. Variety, The Children’s Charity and Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation are two examples of their dedication to healthcare. It also conducts a lot of talent screening and gives out free passes and invites to school and institution teachers.