Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Motion Picture Distribution
and Exhibition

International movie box office revenue has grown 38 percent in the last five years.
– news item June 2012

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Books & Videos

	"America Goes To The Movies: 100 Years of Motion Picture Exhibition" [1993] by Barbara Stones National Assn. of Theatre Owners hardcover [10/93] out of print/used
	"Moviegoing In America: A Sourcebook In The History of Film Exhibition" [2001] Edited by Gregory A. Waller Wiley-Blackwell 9½x6¾ pb [12/2001] for $46.95 Wiley-Blackwell 10¾x7½ hardcover [12/2001] for $124.95
	"Cinerama Adventure" documentary feature [indep Sept 2003] Written, directed & narrated by David Strohmaier; featuring experts Rudy Behlmer, John Belton, Kevin Brownlow, Thomas Erffmeyer, Leonard Maltin & Howard Rust video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb • official website
	"Independent Film Distribution: How To Make A Successful End Run Around The Big Guys" [2006] by Phil Hall Michael Wiese Prodns 2nd edition 9x6½ pb [1/2011] for $16.47 Michael Wiese Prodns 8¾x6 pb [11/2006] out of print/used
	"The Insider's Guide To Independent Film Distribution" [2007 bestseller] by Stacey Parks Focal Press 6x9 pb [5/2007] for $16.47 publisher's bookpage
	"The Age of Netflix: Critical Essays On Streaming Media, Digital Delivery, and Instant Access" [2017] Edited by Cory Barker & Myc Wiatrowski Kindle Edition from McFarland [8/2017] for $9.99 McFarland 8¾x5¾ pb [9/2017] for $27.59
	"From Networks To Netflix: A Guide To Changing Channels" [2018]   Edited by Derek Johnson Kindle Edition from Routledge [1/2018] for $43.41 {sic} Routledge 10x7 pb [1/2018] for $54.95 Routledge 10x7 hardcover [1/2018] for $197.95 {sic}

Previews / Trailers
From the beginning of cinema, short preview ads were shipped out on standard movie releases.
The clips were spliced onto the tail end of one or more reels within a shipment, and thus the term 'trailer'.
Projectionists were and are expected to unsplice the trailer for any movie booked for showing by his/her employer.

Film Trailer entry at Wikipedia
'Coming Soon' website
Trailers From Hell blog & podcast site [est. May 2011]
Trailer Park at MySpace
Trailer Addict website
Movie Trailer Dept. at The Movie Box website
Movie Trailer Gallery at Fandango
Yahoo! Movies: Coming Soon To Theaters

“Man I love these three minute films. Saves time and money.”
— YouTube reviewer Murph

"Festival of 3-D Movie Trailers" on DVD [2003] SabuCat Prodns 105-minute DVD [10/2003] for $29.95 45 trailers for 3-D movies, including 12 minutes of anaglyphic 3-D footage (red/blue glasses are included!): trailers in real 3-D for "The Maze" [1953] and "It Came From Outer Space" [1953], and the famous "Train Arriving" footage shot in 3-D by Louis Lumière in 1934; extras include background & history of 3-D, posters, stills & other advertising more info on Magic Lantern's Stereoscopic {3-D} Cinema Page

"Coming Attractions: A History of The Movie Trailer" [indep April 2006] 128-minute documentary on the nearly 100 years of the movie trailer. • Directed by Michael J. Shapiro & Jeff Werner; written by Frederick L. Greene & Scott McIsaac; narrated by T.M.C.'s Robert Osborne video/DVD not available • Kuehn Foundation official movie page • full credits from IMDb

	"Horror and Sci-Fi Coming Attractions!: A Collection of Classic Movie Trailers" [2009] 120-minute compilation of trailers for dozens of horror and sci-fi movies: "Bride of The Gorilla" [1951]; "The Brides of Dracula" [1960]; "The Crawling Hand" [1963]; "Curse of The Werewolf" [1961]; "The Deadly Mantis" [1957]; "The Death Curse of Tartu" [1966]; "The Devil's Own" [1997] starring Harrison Ford & Brad Pitt; Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder" [1954]; Abel Ferrara's "Driller Killer" [1979]; "Drive-In Massacre" [1976]; "The Face of Terror" [Spain 1962]; "First Space-ship On Venus" [Germany 1960]; "The Flying Saucer" [1950]; "Frenzy" [which one?]; "Horror Castle" [Italy 1963]; "Horror Hotel" aka "The City of The Dead" [1961]; William Castle's "House On Haunted Hill" [1959]; "Invasion of The Body Snatchers" [1956]; "The Invisible Boy" [1957]; "Kill Baby Kill" [Italy 1966]; "Night of The Blood Monster" aka "The Bloody Judge" [1970]; "Prehistoric Women" [which one?]; "Robot Monster" [1953]; "Satan's Satellites" [1958]; "Scream and Scream Again" [1970]; "Terror In The Haunted House" aka "My World Dies Screaming" [1958]; "20 Million Miles To Earth" [1957]; William Castle's "Zotz" [1962] – and more! P.R. Studios DVD [8/2009] for $13.99
	"Trailers From Hell, Volume 1" [March 2010] Commentary by five movie directors on four trailers each; the directors are Joe Dante, Mick Garris, John Landis, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright; the movies/trailers are: Alfred Hitchcock "The Birds" [1963]; Roger Vadim's "Blood and Roses" [France 1960]; "Corruption" [1968]; "The Curse of Frankenstein" [1957]; "Curse of The Were-wolf" [1961]; "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" [1956]; classic "Forbidden Planet" [1956] starring Robby the Robot; "Green Slime" [Toei Japan 1968]; "Horrors of The Black Museum" [color 1959]; "Mighty Joe Young" [1949]; Brian De Palma's "Phantom of The Paradise" [1974]; "Private Parts" [1972]; "Rabid" [1977]; "Scream and Scream Again" [1970]; "The Sentinel" [1977]; "Silent Running" [1972] starring Bruce Dern; "Squirm" [1976]; "Three On A Meathook" [1973]; "The Tingler" [1959]; and "The Valley of Gwangi" [1969] with SFX by Ray Harryhausen – extras include 1933 feature film "The Vampire Bat" and two cartoon shorts Trailers From Hell b&w/color DVD [3/2010] out of prodn / SOLD OUT! production company official website
	"Classic Horror Movie Trailers" on DVD [2010] Nearly 2½ hours of classic horror & sci-fi movie trailers and coming attractions from the 1930s through the 1980s: Robert Bloch's "Asylum" [1972]; Roger Corman's "Battle Beyond The Sun" [1980]; "The Beast Must Die" [1974]; "The Being" [1983]; "The Black Cat" [which one?]; "The Blood Drinkers" [2000 spoof]; "Evilspeak" [1981]; "Don't Go Near The Park" [1981]; "Don't Open The Door" [1975]; "The Horror of Party Beach" [1964]; "Horror of The Blood Monsters" [1970]; "House of Whipcord" [1974]; "Invasion of The Star Creatures" [1962]; "Just Before Dawn" [which one?]; "Mad Love" [which one?]; "Master of Horror" [1965]; "Mission Stardust" [Italy 1967]; "The Monolith Monsters" [1957]; "Monster From Green Hell" [1957]; "Monster On Campus" [1958]; Roger Corman's "Night of The Blood Beast" [1958]; "One Dark Night" [which one?]; "The Plague of The Zombies" [1966]; "Planet of Vampires" [Italy 1965]; Robert Heinlein's "Project Moon Base" [1953]; "She Demons" [1958]; "Shock Waves" [1977]; "Son of Dracula" [which one?] – and many more! P.R. Studios color DVD [6/2010] for $13.99

"Classic Drive-In Intermission Ads" on DVD [2010] intermission ads from the heyday of drive-in movie theaters for drive-in snacks such as hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks, pizza, candy, popcorn, ice cream, snow cones, and more! PR Studios 136-minute color DVD [12/2010] for $14.99

watch "Let's all go to the lobby!" concessions ad [0:40] online at YouTube
watch 1-hour compilation of vintage drive-in intermission ads [1:01:41] online at YouTube

	"Trailers From Hell, Volume Two" [July 2011] 88-minute compilation with commentary by Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro, Ernest Dickerson, Mick Garris, Jack Hill, Larry Karaszewski, Mary Lambert, John Landis, Josh Olson, and Michael Peyser; the 20 movies/trailers are: "The Creeping Unknown" aka "The Quatermass Experiment" [1955]; Dario Argento's "Deep Red" [Italy 1975]; "The Devil-Ship Pirates" [1964]; "Donovan's Brain" [1953] with Nancy Davis Reagan; "Fire Maidens From Outer Space" [1956]; "Flesh Gordon" [1974]; Ishirô Honda's "Godzilla vs. Mothra" [1964]; "Gorgo" [1961]; "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" [1956] starring Anthony Quinn; "The Invisible Ghost" [1941] starring Bela Lugosi; Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Jaws" [1975]; Frank & Eleanor Perry's "Last Summer" [1969]; Don Siegel's noir "The Lineup" [1958]; Roger Corman’s classic "Little Shop of Horrors" [1960]; "Pit Stop" [1969]; Roger Corman’s "Premature Burial" [1962]; "Seven Days In May" [1964]; Roger Corman’s "Ski Troop Attack" [1960]; "Stranglers of Bombay" [1959]; and Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" [1976] – extras include 1960 "Little Shop of Horrors" in its entirety • production company official website Shout! Factory widescreen color DVD [7/2011] for $13.85
	"Trailer War" [Drafthouse Films Dec 2012] Curators Lars Nilsen & Zack Carlson of American Genre Film Archive put together this feature-length compilation of rare, vintage 35mm exploitation trailers in HD; Drafthouse set up a 35mm theatrical tour in December 2012, with DVD/Blu-ray packs available that month. Trailers shown include "Black Samurai" [1977]; Charles Band's "The Dungeonmaster" [1984]; "Girls Nite Out" [1982]; "Infra Man" [China 1975]; "Maniac Cop" [1988]; "Stunt Rock" [1980]; "Thunder Cop" [Hong Kong 1996]; "Voyage of The Rock Aliens" [1984], many others, and 'two hours of bonus material' Drafthouse Films color Blu-ray [12/2012] out of prodn/used Drafthouse Films color DVD [12/2012] for $22.99 bare credits at IMDb • official movie website • watch 9/2012 official trailer [1:23] online at YouTube
	"Trailers From Hell!" [Dec 2015] Film director Joe Dante edited the highlights of twenty feature films into 2-minute mini-movies - the films are: "Black Sabbath" [Italy 1963] with Boris Karloff; "Black Sunday" [Italy 1960]; "Carnival of Souls" [1962]; "City of The Living Dead" [Italy 1980]; George Romero's "Day of The Dead" [1985]; "Dead and Buried" [1981]; Dario Argento's "Deep Red" [Italy 1975]; "Eaten Alive" [1976]; "Horror Express" [Spain 1973]; "How To Make A Monster" [1958]; "Lisa and The Devil" [Spain 1973]; "Maniac" [1980]; "Mother's Day" [1980]; George Romero's classic "Night of The Living Dead" [1965]; "Spider Baby" [1967]; Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" [1977]; "Horror of Party Beach" [1964]; "The Stuff" [1985]; "Werewolves On Wheels" [1971]; and "White Zombie" [1932] starring Bela Lugosi DVD/Blu-ray not available • Amazon Instant Video [12/2015] available only on Shudder - signup at $4.99/month

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	"Coming Attractions: Horror Trailers" [2012] 82-minute compilation of trailers for 48 b&w horror & scifi feature films made from 1955 to 1989: "The Alligator People" [1959] starring Lon Chaney, Jr.; Edgar G. Ulmer's "The Amazing Transparent Man" [1960]; "The Astounding She-Monster" [1957]; "Atom Age Vampire" [Italy 1960]; Roger Corman's "Beast From Haunted Cave" [1959] directed by Monte Hellman; "The Beast of Yucca Flats" [1961] starring Tor Johnson; Roger Corman's "The Beast With A Million Eyes" [1955]; "Beauty and The Beast" [1962]; Edgar G. Ulmer's "Beyond The Time Barrier" [1960]; Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" [1963]; "Blacula" [1972] srtarring William Marshall; "The Blob" [1958] starring Steve McQueen; "The Bride and The Beast" [1958]; "Chamber of Horrors" [1966]; "The Crawling Hand" [1963]; "Curse of The Voodoo" aka "Voodoo Blood Death" [1965]; "The Curse of The Werewolf" [1961]; "The Devil's Messenger" [1961] starring Lon Chaney, Jr.; "Doctor Blood's Coffin" [1961]; "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" [1968]; "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" aka "The Deadly Invention" [Czechia 1958]; "Frankenstein 1970" [1958] starring Boris Karloff; "Fright Night" [1985]; Ishirô Honda's "Half Human" [1958]; "Hands of The Ripper" [1971]; "The Headless Ghost" [1959]; "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus" aka "Eyes Without A Face" [France 1960]; "Horror of Dracula" [1958]; Sherlock Holmes in "The Hound of The Baskervilles" [1959]; "House of Dark Shadows" [color 1970]; "House of Fright" aka "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" [1960]; "The Lost Boys" [color 1987]; "Love At First Bite" comedy [color 1979]; "The Manster" [Japan 1959]; Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu The Vampyre" [1979] starring Klaus Kinski; Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" [1960]; "Psycho-Circus" aka "Circus of Fear" [1966]; "The Revenge of Frankenstein" [color 1958]; "She Devil" [1957]; "The Snake Woman" [1961]; "Sssssss" [color 1973]; "Tales From The Crypt" [color 1972]; Roger Corman's "The Twilight People" [color 1973]; "The Unknown Terror" [1957]; "Vampire's Kiss" comedy [color 1989]; "Voodoo Woman" [1957]; Roger Corman's "The Wasp Woman" [1959]; and "Werewolf In A Girls' Dormitory" [Italy 1961] Grapevine Video b&w/color DVD [11/2012] for $9.95
	"Coming Attractions: Classic Cliffhangers, Volume 1" [2013] 86-minute compilation of trailers for 22 b&w movie serials made from 1935 to 1946: "Adventures of The Flying Cadets" [1943]; "Don Winslow of The Navy" [1942]; "Gang Busters" [1942]; "The Great Alaskan Mystery" [1944]; "The Green Archer" [1940]; "Jungle Queen" [1945]; "Junior G-Men of The Air" [1942]; "The Lost City" [1935]; "The Lost City of The Jungle" [1946]; "The Master Key" [1945]; "The Miracle Rider" [1935]; "The Mysterious Mr. M" [1946]; "Mystery of The River Boat" [1944]; "The Oregon Trail" [1939]; "The Phantom Creeps" [1939]; "Raiders of Ghost City" [1944]; "Riders of Death Valley" [1941]; "The Royal Mounted Rides Again" [1945]; "Scouts To The Rescue" [1939]; "Sea Raiders" [1941]; "Sky Raiders" [1941]; and "Winners of The West" [1940] Alpha Video b&w DVD [10/2013] for $4.99
	Coming Attractions: Classic Western Trailers [2013] 73-minute compilation of trailers for 41 b&w B-movie Western films made from 1932 to 1947: "A Thunder River Feud" [1942]; "Ambush Trail" [1946]; "Bulldog Courage" [1935]; "Courage of The North" [1935]; "Dead or Alive" [1944]; "Fighting Mad" [1939]; "Forbidden Valley" [1938]; "Gun Justice" [1933]; "The Lone Rider Crosses The Rio" [1941]; "Man's Country" [1938]; "The Navajo Kid" [1945]; "Outlawed Guns" [1935]; "Outlaws of Boulder Pass" [1942]; "Outlaws' Paradise" [1939]; "Overland Riders" [1946]; "Pony Post" [1940]; "Raiders of The West" [1942]; "The Range Busters" [1940]; "Renfrew of The Royal Mounted" [1937]; "Riders of The Desert" [1932]; "Riding The Trail" [1940]; "Rock River Renegades" [1942]; "Rocky Rhodes" [1934]; "Roll On Texas Moon" [1946]; "Rolling Down The Great Divide" [1942]; "Secret Valley" [1937]; "Sheriff of Sage Valley" [1942]; "Smoking Guns" [1934]; "Springtime In The Sierras" [1947]; "Stick To Your Guns" [1941]; "Texas Manhunt" [1945]; "Thunder Over Texas" [1934]; "Thunder Town" [1946]; "Timber Terrors" [1935]; "Tracy Rides" [1936]; "Trapped" [1942]; "Tumbleweed Trail" [1942]; "Valley of Terror" [1937]; "Wanted" [1944]; "Western Mail" [1942]; and "The Whispering Skull" [1944] Alpha Video b&w DVD [11/2013] for $4.99
	"Coming Attractions: Classic Cliffhangers, Volume 2" [2016] 90-minute compilation of trailers for 32 movie serials made from 1932 to 1955: "Adventures of Captain Marvel" [1941]; "Dangers of The Canadian Mounted" [1948]; "Darkest Africa" [1936]; "Desperadoes of The West" [1950]; "Dick Tracy's G-Men" [1939]; "Don Daredevil Rides Again" [1951]; "Federal Operator 99" [1945]; "The Fighting Marines" [1935]; "G-Men vs. The Black Dragon" [1943]; "The Hurricane Express" [1932]; "The James Brothers of Missouri" [1949]; "Jesse James Rides Again" [1947]; "King of The Carnival" [1955]; "King of The Rocket Men" [1949]; "The Lost Jungle" [1934]; "Man With The Steel Whip" [1954]; "Manhunt In The African Jungle" [1943]; "Manhunt On Mystery Island" [1945]; "Nyoka and The Tigermen" [1942]; "The Painted Stallion" [1937]; "Panther Girl of The Congo" [1955]; "The Phantom Empire" [1935]; "Radar Men From The Moon" [1952]; "The Royal Mounted Rides Again" [duplicate]; "The Shadow of The Eagle" [1932]; "S.O.S. Coast Guard" [1937]; "The Tiger Woman" [1944]; "Undersea Kingdom" [1936]; "The Vigilantes Are Coming" [1936]; "Zorro Rides Again" [1937]; "Zorro's Black Whip" [1944]; and "Zorro's Fighting Legion" [1939] Alpha Video b&w/color DVD [11/2016] for $4.99

Distribution
Domestic [U.S. & Canada] boxoffice revenue for 2009 was up 10 percent to $10.6 billion,
while foreign boxoffice revenue climbed 6 percent to $19.3 billion. {per M.P.A.A. 3/2010}

Movies released in stereoscopic 3-D accounted for 11 percent of domestic boxoffice revenue
in 2009, up from just 2 percent in 2008. A total of 20 films were released in 3-D in 2009,
compared with 8 the previous year. {per M.P.A.A. 3/2010}

Twentieth Century Fox officially announced in a letter to exhibitors prior to the N.A.T.O. conference in April 2012
that it will distribute all of its films domestically in a digital format within the next year or two, bringing an end to 35mm
film prints. Overseas, Fox has already ceased distributing 35mm prints in Hong Kong, effective January 1.

U.S. consumers spent $4.5 billion on home entertainment in the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 2.5 percent
over the same frame a year ago. — per Digital Entertainment Group, 4/2012

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A24 Films was founded in mid-2012 in time to lease office space at 601 West 26th Street (the Starrett-Lehigh Building) in New York City
and then grab several major films at the Toronto Film Festival. The three principals are David Fenkel (ex-THINKfilm, ex-Oscilloscope Labs),
Daniel Katz (ex-THINKfilm), and producer John Hodges.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

        
Acorn Media was founded in Silver Spring, Maryland in 1984 to sell British television fare on video & DVD; they expanded to U.K. in 1997, and to Australia in 2007. The company sells online and thru Acorn Catalog mailings. The sub-brand Acacia (yoga, organic lifestyle videos) launched in 2006; the sub-brand Athena (longer learning curricula on DVD) launched in 2009. Acorn TV online streaming launched in July 2011; free access is limited (registration required) and Premium Access to all Acorn TV content is $24.99 per year. The company was purchased in April 2012 by Robert L. Johnson's R.L.J. Entertainment, Inc. (based in Hollywood, California) in a cash & stock deal.

official Acorn Media North America website • no entry at Wikipedia
official Acorn Media U.K. website • entry at Wikipedia
official Acorn Australia website • no entry at Wikipedia
official Acorn TV website • no entry at Wikipedia

                
Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) was founded in 2001 and is still owned by the Greene family. The company is based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and specializes in the replication & marketing of public domain movies & TV shows on DVD. Alpha Video releases over 20 new DVD titles monthly and has over 2,200 DVDs in their active catalog, including hundreds of rare films and TV shows from Hollywood's past (and a lot of 'schlock' movie
product for the cinematically tolerant).

Alpha Video: official website • entry at Wikipedia
sister company Oldies.com [est. 1980]: official website • entry at Wikipedia
sister company Collectables Records [est. 1980]: official website • entry at Wikipedia

AtomFilms was founded in 1998 as a broadband online venue, then was purchased by MTV Networks
and renamed & re-launched in June 2008 as a comedy venue; by 2009, AtomFilms 'closed up shop' and set up redirects to
Comedy Central Studios, which they comedically describe as 'moving in with their parents'.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

The first Blockbuster retail video store was opened in 1985 in Dallas, Texas. The still-small chain was purchased by John Melk & Wayne Huizenga (both connected with Waste Management, Inc.), and rapidly expanded; the company sold for $8.4 billion to Viacom in 1994, and was split off in 2004. Blockbuster had over 9,000 stores in 25 countries worldwide (3,750 U.S. stores), and recently began closing stores and replacing them with Blockbuster Express kiosks. In August 2010, Blockbuster announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the company has already shuttered 1,000 stores. Attempts to reorganize failed, so the chain was put up for auction, with results from the judge due in April 2011; eager takeover investor Carl Icahn lost out, Dish Network's bid of $320 million was accepted. Dish closed the Blockbuster retail and DVD-by-mail operations in January 2014, retaining the brand and the film library.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Boulevard Movies self-promotes as a distributor of "hard-to-find horror movies, cult classics, sci-fi,
exploitation & arthouse films" and their online catalog covers all those genres & more; the company
is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. is based in New Jersey, with offices in California, Minnesota & New York City; divisions include AccessIT, CineLive™, Trailer Xpress & UniqueScreen Media. The company was founded in 2000 by Bud Mayo, who retired in 2010. Cinedigm’s services include a digital movie delivery network, pre-show in-theater advertising, distribution platform for live events & independent movies, and digital theater conversion (Cinedigm has converted over 4500 movie theaters to digital, as-of May 2010). Announced in July 2011: Cinedigm is selling its physical & electronic distribution business to Technicolor, so that Cinedigm can 'concentrate on content creation'. In September, Cinedigm sold Unique Screen Media to Screenvision (below).

Cinedigm: official website • no entry at Wikipedia
UniqueScreen Media: official website • no entry at Wikipedia
AccessIT: official website • entry at Wikipedia

Announced 1/2012: A new partnership between digital exhibitor Cinedigm Entertainment Group and veteran indie distributor New Video offers independent directors cross-platform theatrical release as well as digital & physical distribution; the partnership will acquire & distribute independent films theatrically in North America, followed by platform release across cable, VOD, digital, and DVD/Blu-ray. Announced 4/2012: Cinedigm Digital Cinema has acquired New Video Group as part of plans to become a new full service studio; Cinedigm will pay $14 million in a deal that could swell to $20 million in three years, if Cinedigm financial goals are met.

Cinema Libre Studio was founded in 2005 for production & distribution of foreign & independent films, especially
for antiwar, pro-environment & liberal-progressive causes; based in Los Angeles. Cinema Libre's film library
includes works by directors Philippe Diaz, Robert Greenwald, Danny Schechter & Oliver Stone.

Cinema Libre Studio: official website • no entry at Wikipedia • Cinema Libre Store

Cohen Media Group was founded in 2008 for the production & distribution of independent films, and is based on New York City & Los Angeles.
Chairman/CEO Charles Cohen recently hired British film executive Daniel Battsek (ex-Miramax, ex-National Geographic Films) as president.
The 'Cohen Film Collection' includes The Rohauer Library of 700 sound & silent titles.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

        
The Criterion Collection was founded in 1984 as a joint venture of Janus Films and Voyager Company, starting with
laserdisks, moving to DVDs and Blu-ray, and recently adding online downloads. After many changes, the company
is still privately held. The Eclipse brand/division began releases of budget-priced DVD box sets in March 2007.
Announced March 2011: Criterion made a deal to add their library of classic & recent foreign & independent films
to the online Hulu service {below}, starting with 150 titles and adding more each month.

Criterion: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Eclipse: official website • entry at Wikipedia

D Street Media Group is based in New York City; their D Street Releasing existed in 2007, then shut down,
but was reopened in April 2011. The website is a mess, maybe the movies are not.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

                 

Dish Network satellite television provider was founded in 1996 and is based in Meridian & Englewood, Colorado; The company has just over fourteen million subscribers (11/2013); it has 25,000 U.S. employees and 9,000 foreign employees. Dish also offers divisions Dish Latino, and Dish México, plus a new Dish Worldwide service [launched 12/2012] for rural customers. Dish Network's bought the bankrupt Blockbuster retail chain for $320 million in 2012 and closed operations in January 2014, retaining the brand and the film library. In late December 2014, Fox News Channel decided to play hardball and not negotiate for renewed carriage on the Dish Satellite Network, so when the contract expired, Dish removed Fox from its scheduling. Fox's audience dropped 45% (1.65 million in 2013 versus 939,000 same week in 2014). By year's end, Fox had promoted 20,000 telephone calls threatening to cancel their Dish subscription. But Dish doesn't much care about that, since the satellite service has 14 million subscribers (and 25,000 U.S. employees).

official website • entry at Wikipedia
Dish Latino: official website • no entry at Wikipedia
Dish México [est. 2008]: official website • entry at Wikipedia

The Film Detective [est. 1999] restores & distributes classic silent & sound films of many genres.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Film Movement was founded in 2003 and describes itself as "a full service North American distributor of
award-winning independent & foreign film"; company is based in New York City. There are two main functions:
the DVD of The Month Club distributes new releases to subscribers only; after a time, all such DVDs are
available to anyone for purchase from their online general catalog.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

FilmBaby was founded in 2005 to distribute the work of independent filmmakers,
and the catalog now exceeds 2,000 films; based in Portland Oregon.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

The Filmbay 'global independent film community and shop' was founded in 2007 and is based in Oakville, Ontario, Canada; they will distribute your music or art or film material on CD or DVD; the free registration gets you on board (profile, etc.), then you can upgrade to for-fee services that include protected on-demand download via the internet.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

First Run Features was founded in 1979, and is an independent film distribution company based
in New York City. Their library includes U.S. & foreign independent drama & documentary films,
with an emphasis on gender issues & other human rights.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

        
FlixChip was founded in 2012 with an I.P.O. already pending. With the size of the 'thumb drive' slash 'flash drive' hardware shrinking, this company has created
a muvichip package the size of a credit card that comes preloaded with a movie (and extras) and can be plugged into any USB port. A separate device called muvifi
will be available to deliver the same content to devices without USB, using existing wi-fi systems. FlixChip has already made a deal with UltraViolet for content.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Chatsworth, California-based Gigapix Studios was formed to develop, produce & distribute CGI family-oriented film & television. Divisions include Recess Films (children's fare), Gigapix Animation, Gigapix Films, Gigapix Television, and Gigapix Releasing [est. 10/2010]. The latter is a joint venture with longtime print & advertising fund source partner New Legacy Media.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

The G.M.X. website provides contact between filmmakers and professional disributors, much like live film markets (without the travel and-or expense). Website created April 2008 requires vetting of participants; plans include online streaming of movies in full, and cross-indexing of content to market/territory availability. G.M.X. is a subsidiary of Ascent Media Group [est. 1999; spinoff 9/2008] formerly part of Discovery Holdings, which is connected to John C. Malone's Liberty Media.

G.M.X.: official website • no entry at Wikipedia
Ascent Media [est. 1999]: official website • entry at Wikipedia

Guangzhou Beauty Culture Communication Company, Ltd. was founded in 1993, and seems to have a hand in every facet
of China's entertainment business, from live performance to animation to video distribution; headquartered
in Guangzhou City (formerly Canton), with many branches in China and a USA branch in the Los Angeles area.
Their library consists of over two thousand new and old Chinese movies and TV dramas, most of which have been
subtitled in English.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

                          
Icarus Films was founded in 1978 for 'distributing innovative and productive documentary films from independent producers around the world'. Icarus moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2000; their online home video sales operation bagan in September 2008; they acquired Fanlight Films, a distributor of healthcare educational content, in October 2009; they acquired Program Development Associates, another distributor of healthcare educational content, in September 2011; and in July 2012, Icarus announced obtaining distribution rights to dGenerate Films's catalog of independently-produced Chinese films {independent as in made using digital media and without the sanction of the Chinese government}.

Icarus Films: main website • home video website • no entry at Wikipedia
Fanlight Films official website • P.D.A. official website • dGenerate Films official website

The Independent Film Channel [est. 1994] launched its independent theatrical distribution arm in 1999.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Founded in 1981 as a public company, Image Entertainment, Inc. began as a distributor of laserdiscs, secured
exclusive contracts for VHS & DVD with major studios, and grew to become the dominant distributor of the
DVD format; the company merged with Nyx Acquisitions in November 2008, in a stock deal worth $100 million
(at $2.74 per share); headquarters in Chatsworth, California. The company was purchased in April 2012 by Robert L. Johnson's
R.L.J. Entertainment, Inc. (based in Hollywood, California) in a cash & stock deal.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

IndieFlix was founded in 2005 to market independent films. Membership of around $8 brings online access to
the 2,500 shorts & features in the library; films are also available in DVD format and as a webstream download
(typically with a 30-day limit for a couple bucks). Company is based in Seattle, Washington.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

        
IndieGoGo is an incubator platform for independent film, music and other artisitic and community projects,
founded in 2008. Artists who join can then seek funding, collaboration, distribution – whatever is needed to realize
the project. In March 2010, IndieGoGo acquired the online distributor Distribber [est. 2009] which will add
your video content to the iTunes and-or Amazon Video-On-Demand and-or Netflix Watch Instantly streaming sites.
(The service requires an up-front fee and pays royalties.)

IndieGoGo official website • Distribber official website

                

Kino International was founded in 1977 in New York City, specializing in distribution of art house and early silent films, and most of the Janus film library. Most releases are digitally-restored and include many extras such as interviews, trailers, etc. Richard Lorber launched Koch-Lorber Films in February 2003 to distribute independent & foreign films for theatrical & video markets; Lorber serves as president with Michael Koch as CEO; the company's name was changed to E1 / Entertainment One in January 2009. Lorber purchased Kino in December 2009; Richard Lorber serves as co-president of Kino Lorber, Inc. with Kino founder Donald Krim. Toronto-based eOne is now the largest wholesaler of DVDs, CDs & music games in Canada, and the largest independent distributor of video & music in the U.S.A. In May 2012, the company confirmed plans to acquire rival Alliance Films.

Kino Video: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Koch Lorber Films official website
E1 / Entertainment: eOne official website • entry at Wikipedia
KinoLorber, Inc.: official website • entry at Wikipedia

Alive Mind Cinema has been around since 2007, as a distributor of 'documentary programming in the areas of
enlightened consciousness & cultural transformation', and at some point became a division of KinoLorber.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Legend Films [est. 2001] specializes in colorization, restoration, and 2D-to-3D image conversion, which
they then distribute; their retail catalog includes U.S. & foreign films on DVD & Blu-ray; headquarters in
San Diego, California, with technical operations is Patna, India.

official website • entry at Wikipedia
Legend 3D [est. 2000] 2D-to-3D conversion in San Diego, California

Founded in 2004, LoveFilm International is the largest online & mail-order movie rental service in Europe,
with operations in the U.K., Germany, Sweden, Norway & Denmark; merged with rival Video Island in April 2006;
based in London, U.K.; ads on the Amazon UK website say "Amazon's choice for DVD rental".
LoveFilm was purchased by Amazon, Inc. in 2011.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Milestone Films was founded in 1990 to distribute films of the Silent Era and modern independent works;
website is confusing, but the offerings are often restored prints not available elsewhere; headquartered
in Harrington Park, New Jersey.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Mill Creek Entertainment was founded in 2002 to distribute public domain and recent independent genre films; headquartered outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE: Mill Creek product is known for bargain-level quality, i.e. four color movies squoze down onto a single disk; the 'bargain' part is very popular, however: their DVD collections of 100 films sell for roughly 25 cents per film. ALSO: Their website treats visitors badly, taking 5 minutes for each and every page to load and displaying search results in random patterns across the page {April 2017}.

terrible official website • entry at Wikipedia

Monarch Films, Inc. was founded in 2004 in New Jersey. Their services include syndication & online distribution of 'reality series and
documentary programming', some of which are "Tankboy", "X-Treme Girl Games", "Scary and Deadly Incidents In Space", and the like.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

                
Movie Gallery, Inc. was founded in 1985; expansion included an I.P.O. in 1994, purchase of Blowout Entertainment in 1999 and Video Update in 2001, and merger
with Hollywood Entertainment in 2005, making Movie Gallery the second-largest video store chain in the U.S.A. (behind Blockbuster) with 4,700 stores. Movie Gallery began
having financial problems in 2007; sold the MovieBeam division in June 2008, filed bankruptcy in February 2010, and announced closing of all Movie Gallery, Hollywood
Video & Game Crazy stores effective May 2010.

Movie Gallery [1985-2010]: official website {now a 'movie news curator' site} • entry at Wikipedia
Hollywood Video [1988-2010]: official website {now an 'entertainment news curator' site} • entry at Wikipedia
Game Crazy [1999-2010]: official website {now a 'game news curator' site} • entry at Wikipedia

Movielink was bought by Blockbuster in August 2008

MovieMart is India's first online DVD rental and online movies store.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Founded in 1978, Movies Unlimited is a Philadelphia-based mail order DVD and video distributor;
made a deal to distribute for Turner Classic Movies in February 2007.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Music Box Films was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 2007 and is one of the leading independent distributors of
arthouse feature films in the U.S. in theaters, on DVD & Blu-ray, and via video-on-demand.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

The mail-order movie rental service Netflix, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. As-of mid-2013, Netflix became the dominant streaming platform, accounting for one-third of all U.S. video streaming - double the activity on YouTube. Netflix signed a deal in September 2015 for their own TV content production facility, with plans for an early 2017 move-in; they leased 200,000 square feet of office and pre-production space in a tower at Sunset Bronson Studios (owned by Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc.), with the possibility of adding another 120,000 square feet for sound stages. Netflix is producing 700 original series episodes and movies in 2018.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

details (history, compqany & execs, books & ebooks, merchandise, links) on
Spirit of America Bookstore's Netflix, Inc. Page

New Day Films is a coöperative, established in 1971 for the distribution of independent documentaries and other
films to educational institutions, especially on topics like feminism, human rights, and LGBT issues. The company
is based just north of New York City. The present catalog is available to institutions on license, to website visitors
on DVD, and 86 films can be streamed online.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

        
New Video Group was founded in 1991, and is based in New York City; the company distributes movie & TV
content in all markets and all formats, including online streaming. New Video created Docurama Films in 1999
specifically for the distribution of documentary shorts & feature films. Other brands & partners include
A&E Networks, China Lion Film Distribution & Flatiron Film Company.

New Video Group official website • entry at Wikipedia {empty}
Docurama Films official website

Announced 1/2012: A new partnership between digital exhibitor Cinedigm Entertainment Group and veteran indie distributor New Video offers independent directors cross-platform theatrical release as well as digital & physical distribution; the partnership will acquire & distribute independent films theatrically in North America, followed by platform release across cable, VOD, digital & DVD/Blu-ray. Announced 4/2012: Cinedigm Digital Cinema has acquired New Video Group as part of plans to become a new full service studio; Cinedigm will pay $14 million in a deal that could swell to $20 million in three years, if Cinedigm financial goals are met.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

As mergers and acquisitions reduced the number of U.S & Canada theatrical distributors, number one U.S. exhibitor Regal Cinemas
and number two U.S. exhibitor A.M.C. decided to form a new distributor. Open Road Films was announced in March 2011, with Tom Ortenberg
as head of the company; company is based in West Los Angeles, California.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Oscilloscope Laboratories was founded in 2008 by Adam Yauch of the rock band Beastie Boys and David Fenkel of THINKfilm;
Yauch died at age 47 in May 2012. The company has distributed ten or so films each year, of many genres including concert films,
documentaries, and dramatic feature films.

official (godawful) website • entry at Wikipedia

Founded in 2003, Redbox Automated Retail was funded by McDonald's Ventures. CoinStar bought 47% in 2005,
and the rest in February 2009. The company now has 22,400 kiosks around the world, and in 2010 negotiated
with the movie studios for the policy of starting kiosk sales 28 days after the official retail DVD release.
Redbox added Blu-ray disks to kiosk inventory (same price) in Summer 2010. The company confirmed in
February 2011 plans to launch an online streaming subscription service similar to that of Netflix.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Founded in 1997, Rialto Pictures very successfully specializes in restoring & distributing
reissues of foreign & domestic films.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

"10 Years of Rialto Pictures" Anniversary DVD Box Set [2008] Criterion Collection widescreen b&w/color DVD set [10/2008] 10 disks for $129.99 contains "Army of Shadows" [France 1969, USA 2006] written & directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret & Paul Meurisse; "Au Hasard Balthazar" [France 1966] directed by Robert Bresson; "Band of Outsiders" [France 1964, USA 1966] directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Anna Karina, Sami Frey & Claude Brasseur; "Billy Liar" [U.K. 1963] directed by John Schlesinger, starring Tom Courtenay & Julie Christie; "The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie" [France 1972] directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Bulle Ogier & Jean-Pierre Cassel {won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film}; "Mafioso" [Italy 1962, USA 1964] directed by Alberto Lattuada, starring Alberto Sordi; "Rififi" [France 1955, USA 1956] co-written & directed by [blacklistee] Jules Dassin, starring Jean Servais, Carl Möhner & Robert Manuel; "The Third Man" [U.K. 1949, USA 1950] directed by Carol Reed, starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles & Alida Valli; and "Touchez Pas au Grisbi" [France 1954, USA 1959] co-written & directed by Jacques Becker, starring Jean Gabin, Jeanne Moreau & Lino Ventura

Screenvision was founded in 1995 as a joint venture/merger of Thompson SA & Britain's I.T.V., and is presently the world’s leading cinema advertising company, operating at 2,400+ U.S. theatre locations (15,000+ screens) and nearly 400 U.S. universities, plus locations in Europe. The company provides cinema advertising sales & media management; production services; high definition digital network installation & management; digital entertainment preshow production; live special events production & distribution; and alternative content services. Announced in September 2010: I.T.V. is selling its entire 50% stake. Thomson/Technicolor will retain a minority stake; Carmike Cinemas will take on a 20% stake; and the majority owner is now Los Angeles-based Shamrock Capital Holdings, which was founded by Roy E. Disney in 1978. In September 2011, Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. sold its Unique Screen Media direct distribution subsidiary to Screenvision.

Screenvision: official website • entry at Wikipedia
UniqueScreen Media: official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Shorts International represents over 3,000 short films for showing on their cable channels in USA, U.K.
& France, and other venues; acquisitions are handled thru their London headquarters.

Shorts International official website • Shorts TV entry at Wikipedia
Shorts TV U.K. official website
Shorts HD [USA] official website
Shorts TV France [est. 2007] official website

Shout! Factory was founded in 2003 by three execs formerly of Rhino Records & Warner Music; the company
focuses on music reissues, retro TV shows, and independent short & feature films; they have a long-term deal
with DIC Entertainment, and distribute thru Vivendi & Sony.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

          
SkyLand Entertainment was formed in August 2011 by Relativity Media as a joint venture to distribute American
movies in China, as well as to develop, co-produce, and distribute new China-themed motion pictures around the
world. Partners include China’s Huaxia Film Distribution, SkyLand (Beijing) Film-Television Culture Development,
the S.A.I.F. Partners private equity firm, and the I.D.G. China Media subsidiary of Boston’s International Data Group.

Relativity Media • no entry at Wikipedia

          
Anchor Bay was founded in 1985 as distributor Video Treasures in Troy, Michigan; sold to Handleman Company
in 1989; changed name to 'Anchor Bay Entertainment' in January 1997; acquired by I.D.T. Entertainment in 2003;
telecomm giant I.D.T. sold off its U.S. video distribution operation to John Malone's Liberty Media in September 2006,
which became Starz Media. In January 2011, The Weinstein Co. purchased a 25% stake in Starz Media.

Starz Media: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Anchor Bay: official website • entry at Wikipedia

Strand Releasing - independent film distributor [est. 1989]

Tai Seng Entertainment was founded in 1996, and describes itself as 'the leading content provider
& distributor of Asian motion pictures & television series in the United States'. Tai Seng also operates
Chinese & Vietnamese video channels on DirecTV in U.S.A.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Tidepoint Pictures was founded in 1996, and bills itself as "a motion picture distribution company
that bridges the Pacific to bring contemporary and cutting–edge Asian films to North American audiences".
Tidepoint is based in San Francisco and run by filmmaker Tetsuki Ijichi.

official website • {empty} entry at Wikipedia

          
The Warner Archive began in 2009 as online seller of custom DVDs & Blu-ray from the vast Warner Bros. library, which also includes
the M.G.M. & United Artists titles obtained with Turner Entertainment in 1996. Warner Archive acquired exclusive distribution rights to the 70-film
Sam Goldwyn library in March 2012. The agreement with Netflix ended in Spring 2013 at which time the Warner Archive Instant service was launched.

Warner Archive: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Warner Archive Instant: official subsite • no entry at Wikipedia

Yekra is a "revolutionary, democratic, and DIY film distribution, marketing, and technology company created to digitally deliver movies direct to consumers through socially connected communities". Founded in 2012, Yekra is based in Downtown Los Angeles and provides streaming and download and DVD copies of dramatic and documentary films, from obscure and independent filmmakers to major companies.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Zeitgeist Films was founded in 1988, and is an independent film distribution company based in New York City. Their library includes U.S. & foreign independent drama & documentary films.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Founded in February 2004, Zip Canada was the largest online & mail-order movie rental service in Canada; the company was privately owned & based in Ottawa, Ontario.
In August 2014, the company announced on its website that it was closing its doors and was no longer shipping discs to its members.

official website is shut down • entry at Wikipedia

Online Channels
As online delivery of motion pictures morphs into new territory, what were adjunct websites to larger companies
have now become a major force in distribution of cinema content. The entries included are companies that
are not a direct part of any movie studio or media conglomerate, but provide users with free or for-fee content directly
delivered online, or using 'set-top box' devices: instant downloads, streaming video, live channels, and such.

Magic Lantern's Motion Picture
Distribution - Online Channels Page

Exhibition

Natl. Assn. of Theatre Owners [est. 1965]
Cinema Foundation nonprofit [] of N.A.T.O.
MovieTunes [est. 1992] {website parked?}
Access Integrated Technologies & PreFlix services
in-theater advertiser National CineMedia LLC

list of U.S. movie theater chains at Wikipedia

2022 Sept: First-ever National Cinema Day, sponsored by the Cinema Foundation nonprofit of National Association of Theatre Owners [est. 1965] - the intention is
to get viewers in on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, a traditionally slow attendance day, to see the previews; more than 3,000 movie theaters across the U.S.
offered a ticket to any movie or screening for $3 or less. (There are around 40,700 movie screens in the U.S., and at least 30,000 of them participated.)

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain was established in 1996 basically so that the student & movie fan crowd
in Austin, Texas could watch movies on the big screen while drinking beer. Their success has expanded to Houston,
Katy & San Antonio in Texas, Littleton in Colorado, and two sites in Virginia, with locations soon to open in
New York City, in San Francisco, in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and in Kansas City, Missouri.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Allen Theatres of New Mexico [est. 1912] official website

A.M.C. Theatres
second-largest U.S. chain, with over 5,000 screens
Announced 9/2012: Chinese media conglomerate Dalian Wanda has completed its $2.6 billion acquisition of A.M.C. Entertainment;
Wanda, one of the largest exhibitors in China, said that it would retain A.M.C.’s management team.

American Cinematheque

The Arclight Cinemas chain was established in 2002 next to the former Cinerama Dome theater in Hollywood, California;
after opening more locations in California, they expanded to other states, including Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

official website • parent Decurion Corp. entry at Wikipedia

Arclight Cinemas #1 Hollywood [built 1963, reopened 2002], 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, CA
Arclight Cinemas #2 Sherman Oaks [built 1980, reopened 11/2007], 15301 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, CA
Arclight Cinemas #3 Pasadena [built 2001, reopened Summer 2010] at Paseo Colorado in Pasadena, CA
Arclight Cinemas #4 Beach Cities [opened 11/2010], 831 So. Nash Street in El Segundo, CA
Arclight Cinemas #5 La Jolla [opened 11/2012] in San Diego, CA
Arclight Cinemas #6 Westfield Montgomery [opened 11/2014] in Potomac/Bethesda, MD
Arclight Cinemas #7 Glenview [10 screens; opened 5/2015] on Chicago's North Shore
Arclight Cinemas #8 Culver City [12 screens; built 2003, reopened 5/2015], 9500 Culver Blvd. in Culver City, CA
Arclight Cinemas #9 Chicago [14 screens; opened 11/2015] at New City Mall in Chicago, IL
Arclight Cinemas #10 Santa Monica [12 screens; opened 11/2015] on top of Santa Monica Place Mall
planned ArcLight Cinemas #11 Fourth Street in Santa Monica, CA - hoping to begin construction in 2016 or 2017
Arclight Cinemas #12 Boston at The Hub on Causeway (15 screens) in Boston, Massachusetts - the grand opening is set for early 2018

Brenden Theatres
Brenden Theatres was founded in 1990, and currently operates over 90 screens in Arizona, Southern Nevada,
and the East Bay Area of Northern California from its headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. The owner/president/CEO
is Johnny Brenden, who is the grandson of movie exhibitor Ted Mann and movie star Rhonda Fleming.

official website • no entry on Wikipedia

Brown Paper Tickets bills itself as "the fair-trade ticketing company". Founded in 2000, headquartered
in Seattle, Washington, with operations also in Europe; call center speaks English, French & Spanish.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Carmike Cinemas

Cinebarre

Cinelux Theatres is a local chain operating 33 screens in 7 cities
in California's Bay Area - from east of Oakland southward to Santa Cruz.

official website • no entry on Wikipedia

        
CineMark Theatres Corp. {now Cinemark Holdings} was founded in 1984, and is third largest in the U.S. with 3,842 screens at 296 theatres
in 39 states; in Latin America, they operate 1047 screens at 128 theaters in 13 countries; the corporation is based in Plano (Dallas), Texas
and operates the CineMark chain, the Century Theatres chain, the CinéArts chain & the Tinseltown USA chain. After shutting down for the
2020 coronavirus epidemic, CineMark announced plans for reopening theatres starting Friday July 10.

CineMark USA: official website • Wikipedia
CinéArts official website
Century Theatres [est. 1941, sold to Cinemark in 2006]: redirect • Wikipedia
Tinseltown Cinemas has no separate website

Cineplex Entertainment is the largest exhibitor in Canada, based in Toronto, Ontario. Famous Players Theatres, a division of Paramount Pictures, was founded in 1920. Odeon Theatres of Canada was founded in 1941, sold to Britian's Rank Organisation in 1946, and merged with the Canadian Theatres chain in 1978, becoming Canadian Odeon Theatres. In April 1979, Nathan (Nat) Taylor and Garth Drabinsky opened the first multiscreen theater, the 18-screen Cineplex complex in the basement of Toronto's Eaton Centre; backed by Bronfman family money, they purchased Canadian Odeon and formed Cineplex Odeon Corp. in 1984. In 1998, Bronfman's Seagram had gained control and merged Cineplex with Loews; Loews Cineplex filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001. Venture capitalists Onex & Oaktree bought Loews Cineplex in 2002 and sold the U.S. assets to Carlyle Group; the A.M.C. Theaters chain absorbed the U.S. Cineplex theaters in 2005. Two former Cineplex execs formed Galaxy Entertainment in 1999, with backing by Onex and Famous Players; in October 2003, Loews Cineplex merged its Canada operations with Galaxy, forming Cineplex Galaxy Cinemas; in July 2005, they purchased Famous Players from Viacom. The corporation currently operates 1,353 screens at 131 locations in Canada.

Cineplex: official website • entry at Wikipedia

        

Longtime family-owned Cobb Theatres was founded in Alabama in 1921. They built the first-ever four-plex location in the U.S. in 1971, purchased the General Cinema chain in 1992, and reached 643 screens before a $200 million merger with Regal Entertainment in 1997. Theaters were re-branded and Cobb shrank, but recently expanded to 200+ screens at 18 locations. In 2008, they launched the CinéBistro 'premium movie experience' chain {7 locations}. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama; the company now operates in AL, CO, FL (11), GA & VA.

Cobb Theatres: official website • entry at Wikipedia
CinéBistro: official website • no separate entry at Wikipedia

Curzon Cinemas [est. 1934] is London’s leading art-house cinema chain with six venues across the capital (and two outlying). Curzon Cinemas locations include Riverside Kinema [built 1914], Mayfair [built 1934], Soho [built 1959], Renoir / Bloomsbury [built 1972], Chelsea [opened 1983], and HMV Wimbledon, plus outlying venues at Bridport Arts Centre in West Dorset and at Ivybridge in southwest Devon.

official website • no entry on Wikipedia

Edwards Theatres

Founded by Regal Entertainment to prevent MovieTickets.com from having a monopoly; acquired by Comcast
in April 2007; purchased the movies.com website from Disney in June 2008.

Fandango: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Movie Trailer Gallery at Fandango
Movies.com: official website • entry at Wikipedia

NOTE: The search engine function on the Fandango website does not work {4/2012}

Golden Screen Cinemas is the largest movie exhibitor in Malaysia, with 250 screens at 23 locations; variations include Premiere Class,
Gold Class & G.S.C. Lite halls, three Glitter cafes, and three gift shops. The company began as Golden Communications Circuit in 1981,
then merged with Cathay Cinemas in 1998 to form G.S.C.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Hold My Ticket LLC, the 'event ticketing & box office solutions' service is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico
and serves clients there and in nearby Santa Fe & Taos, as well as venues in other states from California to Maine.
Clients in New Mexico include venues Kimo Theater, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Sunshine Theater, and events
such as the Albuquerque Film Festival, ¡Globalquerque!, and the annual Zozobra Festival.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Hollywood Theatres chain [est. 1991] of Portland, Oregon {48 theaters}

The IMAX {Image Maximum} system originated at Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada; the first permanent IMAX
theater opened in Toronto in 1971; IMAX 3-D launched at Expo 86 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The system uses
70mm by 48.5mm frames, projected in various ways to a gigantic screen that is usually 22 metres (72 ft.) wide and
16.1 metres (53 ft.) high; there are currently 320 IMAX theaters in 42 countries {23 in Canada, 200+ in USA}.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Kerasotes Theatres

Laemmle Theatres chain [est. 1938] official website

     
The Landmark Theatres independent 'art house' chain began in 1974 at the Nuart Theatre in
West Los Angeles, California. The chain expanded and was purchased by The Sam Goldwyn
Company, circa 1995. Landmark now operates 224 screens at 55 theaters in 15 states,
and is owned by The Wagner/Cuban Companies (based in Dallas, Texas).

Landmark Theatres: official website • entry at Wikipedia

         

Ticketmaster was founded in 1976 in Arizona as a ticket sales & distribution company, mostly for live performance & concert venues. Live Nation was spun off from Clear Channel Communications in 2005, quickly becoming the world's largest concert/live performance promoter. In 2010, the two companies merged, with plans to operate the tickets and promotions functions under the Live Nation Entertainment name; there was much concern about antitrust & monopolist practices, but the merger was finally approved.

Ticketmaster fees are too durn high: tickets purchased online in July 2010 for several movies at an out-of-town festival
were $2.00 for the actual admission and had $10 in fees added to each ticket.

Live Nation: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Ticketmaster: official website • entry at Wikipedia

Mann Theatres chain [est. 1973] official website

Mann Theatres chain in Minnesota [est. 1935]

The Marcus Theatres chain was founded in 1935 in Ripon, Wisconsin; now part of a larger
entertainment & lodging concern, the theaters division is based in Milwaukee and operates 684
screens at 55 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Ohio.

Marcus Theatres: official website
Marcus Corporation: official website • entry at Wikipedia

The Maya Cinemas North America, Inc. mini-chain was founded in 2005 by Hispanic movie producer
Moctesuma Esparza; the company operates 30 screens in Salinas and Bakersfield, California
while searching for financing to expand into Texas & New Mexico.

official website • sub-entry at Wikipedia

Mingalar Cinemas Company, the largest film exhibitor in Myanmar (formerly Burma)

Mitchell Theatres is part of a family-owned conglomerate based in Elkhart, Kansas; purchased the Starlight Cinema 10 in Los Lunas, New Mexico
and the Storyteller 7 in Taos, New Mexico {7/2012} and the Dreamcatcher 10 in Española, New Mexico {2/2013} from the shrinking Storyteller chain.
In June 2014, Mitchell acquired the Oasis Cinema 9 in Nogales, Arizona. As-of mid-2016, Mitchell operates 102 screens at fourteen locations
across six states: Arizona (1), Colorado (1), Kansas (6), Missouri (1), New Mexico (3), and Oklahoma (2) – plus two shopping centers.

official website • no entry at Wikipedia (2016)

Mitchell Theatres Starlight Cinema 8 in West Los Lunas, New Mexico
Mitchell Theatres Dreamcatcher 10 in Española, New Mexico
Mitchell Theatres Storyteller Cinema 7 in Taos, New Mexico
Mitchell Theatres Oasis Cinema nine-plex theatre in Nogales, Arizona

MovieTickets.com service

                  

Founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone; son Sumner Redstone [b. 1923] holds 80% ownership, and his daughter Shari Redstone owns the remaining 20%. Today's National Amusements Corp. owns major stakes in C.B.S., Viacom, MTV Networks, B.E.T., Paramount Pictures, MovieTickets.com, and DreamWorks SKG. Headquarters is in Dedham, Massachusetts; theater divisions include Showcase Cinemas, Multiplex Cinemas, Cinema de Lux, and KinoStar de Lux in Russia; the company operates over 1,500 screens worldwide.

National Amusements: official website • entry at Wikipedia
Showcase Cinemas: official U.S. website • entry at Wikipedia
Cinema de Lux: no separate website • entry at Wikipedia

Premiere Cinema Corp. of Texas operates 256 screens at 22 locations in Texas, New Mexico, Alabama & Florida
official website • entry at Wikipedia

Premiere Cinemas of California [est. 1994]
operates in Hollister & Los Banos, CA

Krikorian Premiere Theatres, LLC [est. 1996] of Southern California
filed for bankruptcy in May 2010

R/C Theatres

         
Rave Motion Pictures was founded in 1999; Rave Cinemas LLC acquired the company in 2009, and then bought 35 theaters from National Amusements, including the several sites of The Bridge Cinema De Lux chain. The combined company was the fifth-largest exhibitor in the U.S. market, with 61 theatres and 918 screens; the theaters were being re-branded during the Summer of 2010. Rave sold its Digital Media brand to A.M.C. Theatres in January 2013 and sold most of its theater operations to Carmike Cinemas and Cinemark Theaters in July 2013.

Rave Motion Pictures: official website {at Cinemark} • Rave entry at Wikipedia
The Bridge Cinema De Lux: official website {given up} • no entry at Wikipedia

Regal is the second-largest U.S. exhibitor, with over 7,300 screens in 564 theaters {as of June 2016}. After shutting down for the 2020 coronavirus epidemic,
Regal Movie Theatres announced plans for reopening theatres starting Friday June 19.
Regal Cinemas [est. 1989, merger 2001] • entry at Wikipedia
United Artists Theatres [est. 1924, merger 2001]
Edwards Cinemas [est. 1930, merger 2001]
Hoyts USA [purch 2004, rebranded]

Regal offers membership in their Regal Crown Club at the box office; each penny spent for admission counts as one point,
with many other offers & discounts; however, a free admission ticket costs 15,000 points ($150 spent).

Roush Cinema Group of Atascadero, California
Roush Cinemas currently operates 27 screens at 3 locations in California.

Roush Cinema Group: official website • no entry on Wikipedia
Lemoore Stadium Cinemas 10 in Lemoore, CA
Park Cinemas 9 in Paso Robles, CA
Heavenly Village Cinemas 8 in South Lake Tahoe, CA

The SpectiCast Digital Theatre Network™ simulcasts theatrical films and live cultural, performing arts & entertainment special events in digital
format (with 2-D & 3-D options) to non-theatrical venues, such as retirement homes; they are privately-held & based in Philadelphia, PA.

official website

Trans-Lux Theatres Corp. was founded in 1923, and operated 69 screens in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado & Wyoming; the chain
was sold to venture capitalists Marwit Capital in July 2008, who renamed the company Storyteller Theatres. Storyteller sold off most
of their locations during 2012; Dreamcatcher 10 in Española, New Mexico was sold to the Mitchell chain {2/2013} and the Desert Sky 6
in Sahuarita, Arizona was sold to owner-operators High Sierra Theatres {5/2013} – so that Storyteller is now out of business.

The Sundance Cinemas 'art house' chain was announced in May 2005,
a joint venture of Robert Redford and the Landmark Theatres chain.

Sundance Cinemas: official website • entry at Wikipedia

Sundance 608 [opened May 2007] in Madison, Wisconsin
Sundance Kabuki [re-opened Dec 2007] in San Francisco, California
eight-screen Sundance Cinemas [to open Spring 2009] in Chicago, Illinois
six-screen Sundance Cinemas [to open Spring 2010] at Metropolitan Gardens in Denver, Colorado

Magic Lantern's The Sundance Companies Page

The Tanjong Golden Village cinema chain was founded in 1995; they are the second-largest cinema exhibitor in Malaysia (after Golden Screen Cinemas), and have recently re-branded themselves as T.G.V. Cinemas. T.G.V. operates 185 screens at 20 locations across the country; variations include their first IMAX (opened in December 2011), three Cantina 'lifestyle' cafes, and 'Beaniplex' theaters, with beanbag furniture. Expansion plans (mid-2012) include adding four new multiplex locations, plus another seven IMAX theaters at existing locations.

official website • entry at Wikipedia

Wehrenberg Theatres

Winchester Theatres

Movie Exhibition Equipment

Amazon Buying Guide: What Do You Need To Get 3-D At Home?
Home Audio & Home Theater Store at Amazon

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Soundies: The Music Videos of The 1940s
'Soundies' were three-minute short films produced from 1940 to 1946 and exhibited on coin-operated
Panoram™ jukebox machines in bars, restaurants, etc. The content was usually music-oriented, and
ranged across all genres; comedic non-musical content was less popular.
Soundies entry at Wikipedia
Soundies U.K. fansite

	"The Soundies Book: A Revised & Expanded Guide" [2007] by Scott MacGillivray & Ted Okuda iUniverse 9x5¾ pb [2/2007] for $26.95 iUniverse 9x6 hardcover [2/2007] for $36.95
	"Soundies: A Musical History" [P.B.S. March 2007] Co-producd, co-written & directed by Chris Lamson; hosted by Michael Feinstein Adrenaline Records DVD [10/2007] for $17.99 full credits at IMDb • official movie site {placeholder}
	"Jazz Legends: The Big Bands, Volume 1 - The Soundies" [2007] Storyville Films color/b&w DVD [7/2007] for $14.49 not listed on IMDb "Jazz Legends: The Big Bands, Volume 2 - The Soundies" [2007] Storyville Films color/b&w DVD [10/2007] for $14.49 not listed on IMDb

Da-Lite Screen Company was founded in 1909 and is today the "leading producer of high-quality
commercial and residential projection screens worldwide"; headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana.

Da-Lite Screen Co. official website

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Epson® Home Theater Projectors

Model 25 Projector with built-in DVD/music combo player out of prodn/used MovieMate® Model 50 Portable Projector with built-in DVD player list $800, Amazon price available online MovieMate® Model 55 Portable 3 LCD Projector with built-in DVD player    list $700, Amazon price available online MovieMate® Model 72 Projector with built-in DVD/music combo player Amazon price $1,088 MovieMate® Model 72 HD 720 pixel Projector with built-in DVD player   list $1200, Amazon price available online PowerLite® Model 77c Portable 3 LCD / 2000 lumen Projector weighs 6 pounds; Amazon price $1,156 Model EX30 Portable 3 LCD / 2000 lumen Projector weighs 6 pounds; list $550, Amazon price available online Model EX50 Portable 3 LCD / 2000 lumen Projector weighs 6.2 pounds; list $650, Amazon price available online Model EX70 Portable 3 LCD / 2000 lumen Projector list $800, Amazon price available online Model S5 800x600 pixel Portable 3 LCD / 2000 lumen Projector Amazon price $713

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InFocus® Corporation in Wilsonville, Oregon
InFocus Corp. [est. 1995] bills itself as "the industry pioneer in digital projection"

InFocus Corp. official website • InFocus products at Amazon

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LightspeeD Design, Inc. [est. 1993] in Bellevue, Washington

exclusive distributor of DepthQ® Stereoscopic HD 3D Video Projectors

       
LightspeeD Design official website

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Image  Gallery

Related  Links
Drive-In & Hardtop Intermission Films Archive
Filmack Studios in Chicago - stock trailers [est. 1919]
Andrew J. Kuehn, Jr. [1937-2004] Foundation

Magic Lantern's Drive-In Movie Theaters Page
Magic Lantern's Movie Palaces Page

Magic Lantern's Drive-In Movie Theaters Page

Magic Lantern's Movie Palaces Page

Magic Lantern's Stereoscopic {3-D} Cinema Page

Magic Lantern's Motion Picture Distribution - Online Channels Page

here on the Motion Picture Distribution & Exhibition Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

top of page • books on the subject • previews / trailers • distribution • exhibition • equipment • image gallery • links

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