Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Former American cinema-chain operator created through the merger of Loews Theatres and Cineplex Odeon.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Loews Cineplex Entertainment was a multinational cinema exhibition company formed in 1998 through the combination of Loews Theatres and Canadian-based Cineplex Odeon Corporation. It inherited one of the oldest names in American theatrical exhibition: Loew's, the chain established by Marcus Loew in 1904. The original business began with nickelodeon storefronts and later expanded into vaudeville venues, urban movie palaces, and conventional cinemas across the United States. The Loew's organization developed a close relationship with the film industry. Marcus Loew helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924, and Loew's functioned for many years as the studio's distribution and exhibition affiliate. The theater and studio businesses were separated after the legal and regulatory consequences of the United States v. Paramount Pictures litigation, with the formal separation completed in 1959. That same period also saw the company become associated with the Tisch family, after the Tisch brothers acquired control and the brand generally became known as Loews. During the 1980s and 1990s, the theater business passed through several ownership and branding changes. Loews Corporation sold the theater operation to an investor group led by A. Jerrold Perenchio in 1985. The business was subsequently acquired by Tri-Star Pictures and then became part of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, which was acquired by Sony in 1989. For a period during Sony ownership, the chain was presented as Sony Theatres and was used to support Sony-related cinema technology, including Sony Dynamic Digital Sound. The Loews name began returning in 1996. The 1998 merger with Cineplex Odeon created a large North American operator with additional activities and affiliated operations in Mexico, South Korea, and Spain. The combined company operated under multiple regional and historical identities, including Loews Theatres, Cineplex Odeon, Star Theatres, Magic Johnson Theatres, Cinemex, and MEGABOX. It also sold the film-distribution subsidiary Cineplex Odeon Films to Alliance Atlantis after the merger. Loews Cineplex entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in 2001. The restructuring included the closure of 46 North American theaters, comprising 21 Loews locations in the United States and 25 Cineplex Odeon locations in Canada. In 2002, Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management acquired the reorganized business from Sony and Universal and prepared it for a proposed public offering. In 2004, the company was sold to a private investor group that included Carlyle Group and Bain Capital. Onex retained the Canadian operations, which were combined with Galaxy Cinemas to create Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, the predecessor of the later Cineplex organization. In 2005, AMC Theatres announced an agreement to combine with Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The transaction was completed on January 26, 2006, and the combined company adopted the AMC name. At the time of the combination, Loews Cineplex operated 198 theaters with 2,235 screens. A number of locations initially used the transitional AMC Loews identity. AMC eventually discontinued the Loews name in 2017 as it simplified its operating divisions after acquiring Carmike Cinemas. Loews Cineplex therefore survives primarily as a historical predecessor and brand family within AMC's theater network, while the Canadian business developed separately through Cineplex.
History
Loew's Theatres was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1904 by Marcus Loew. Its earliest venues were nickelodeons, small storefront theaters that showed short silent films. The company expanded into vaudeville houses and elaborate movie palaces, establishing a network concentrated in major cities and in the eastern and midwestern United States. Marcus Loew also sought to secure a reliable supply of motion pictures for his theaters. In 1924 he helped establish Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer through the combination of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Productions. For decades, Loew's and MGM operated as closely connected companies, with Loew's serving as an important exhibition and distribution channel for the studio. The relationship was altered by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1948 decision in the Paramount antitrust case. The theater and studio businesses were ultimately separated in 1959. After the separation, the company became associated with the Tisch brothers, who acquired control of the business and used the Loews name. In 1985, Loews Corporation agreed to sell the theater operation to an investor group led by A. Jerrold Perenchio. The chain then moved through a series of corporate owners. Tri-Star Pictures acquired Loews Theatre Management in 1986, and the theater assets later became part of Columbia Pictures Entertainment. Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment in 1989, thereby inheriting the theater business. Sony used the chain for several branding and technology initiatives. In 1994, the company announced that Loews Theatres would be renamed Sony Theatres. It also partnered with basketball player Magic Johnson in 1994 to create Magic Johnson Theatres, a theater concept intended to serve urban communities, particularly in Los Angeles. Sony Dynamic Digital Sound was installed in some locations as part of Sony's effort to promote its cinema sound technology. The chain began restoring the Loews Theatres identity in 1996. In 1997, Cineplex Odeon Corporation announced an agreement to merge with Loews Theatres. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the merger in April 1998, and the combination was completed later that year. The resulting Loews Cineplex Entertainment became a major theater operator with a footprint in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Spain. It retained or operated several brands reflecting different markets and acquisition histories, including Loews Theatres, Cineplex Odeon, Star Theatres, Magic Johnson Theatres, Cinemex, and MEGABOX. The newly combined business also disposed of Cineplex Odeon Films, selling that subsidiary to Alliance Atlantis. The company experienced financial difficulty and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001. As part of the restructuring, 46 theaters were closed across North America, including 21 Loews locations in the United States and 25 Cineplex Odeon locations in Canada. In 2002, Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management purchased the reorganized company from Sony and Universal. The owners prepared the company for an IPO, but the business was sold in 2004 to a private investment group that included Carlyle Group and Bain Capital. Onex retained the Canadian division and combined it with Galaxy Cinemas, creating Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund. AMC Theatres announced in 2005 that it would merge with Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The transaction closed on January 26, 2006. The combined organization adopted the AMC name, while many former Loews locations used the AMC Loews identity for a transitional period. At the time of the merger, Loews Cineplex operated 198 theaters containing 2,235 screens. AMC continued to use the Loews name for selected locations until 2017, when it simplified its theater branding after acquiring Carmike Cinemas. Loews Cineplex Entertainment is consequently a defunct corporate entity and historical theater brand family whose American assets became part of AMC and whose Canadian operations developed separately through Cineplex.
- 2017
Loews name phased out by AMC
[1]AMC discontinued the Loews identity as part of a broader simplification of its operating brands.
- 2006
AMC merger completed
[1]Loews Cineplex merged with AMC Theatres on January 26, 2006, ending its independent corporate existence.
- 2004
Canadian operations separated into Cineplex Galaxy
[1]Onex retained the Canadian business and combined it with Galaxy Cinemas to form Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund.
- 2002
Onex and Oaktree acquire the reorganized company
[1]Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management purchased Loews Cineplex from Sony and Universal.
- 2001
Chapter 11 restructuring
[1]The company entered bankruptcy protection and closed 46 theaters in the United States and Canada.
- 1998
Loews Cineplex Entertainment created
[1]The merger of Loews Theatres and Cineplex Odeon was completed after regulatory approval.
- 1996
Loews branding returns
[1]The company began reverting from Sony Theatres to the Loews Theatres name.
- 1994
Sony Theatres and Magic Johnson Theatres initiatives
[1]The chain announced a Sony Theatres identity and partnered with Magic Johnson on an urban-oriented theater venture.
- 1986
Tri-Star acquires Loews Theatre Management
[1]Tri-Star Pictures acquired the theater management company, beginning a period in which the chain was controlled by major entertainment companies.
- 1985
Loews Corporation sells the theater operation
[1]Loews Corporation agreed to sell Loews Theatres to an investor group led by A. Jerrold Perenchio.
Products and positioning
A large-scale, multi-brand cinema operator combining an established American movie-palace heritage with North American and international theater operations.
Cinema chain · 1904
Loews Theatres
The principal American theater identity inherited from Marcus Loew's original exhibition business. Loews Theatres encompassed urban movie palaces, multiplexes, and other conventional cinemas and remained the most recognizable consumer-facing name associated with the company before the AMC integration.
Cinema chain
Cineplex Odeon
A Canadian-origin theater brand and operating business that merged with Loews Theatres in 1998. Cineplex Odeon locations formed an important part of the combined company's Canadian footprint and were among the theaters affected by the 2001 restructuring.
Specialty cinema chain · 1994
Magic Johnson Theatres
A theater venture created through a partnership between Sony and basketball player Magic Johnson. The concept was designed for urban communities, particularly in Los Angeles, and represented an effort to extend cinema exhibition into underserved inner-city markets.
Regional cinema brand
Star Theatres
One of the regional or historical theater identities operated within the broader Loews Cineplex portfolio. The brand reflected the company's practice of retaining different names across markets and ownership periods.
Cinema chain
Cinemex
A Mexican cinema identity associated with the company's international portfolio. It represented Loews Cineplex's participation in theater exhibition outside the United States and Canada.
Cinema chain
MEGABOX
A South Korean cinema identity associated with the company's international operations. It was one of several market-specific brands connected with the combined theater group.
Marketing campaigns
- 1994Magic Johnson Theatres urban-market partnership
United States · Los Angeles
Sony partnered with Magic Johnson to establish a mini-chain aimed especially at inner-city communities. The initiative used a high-profile sports figure and a targeted theater-development strategy to address urban entertainment access.
Outcome. The theaters became one of the specialty identities associated with the later Loews Cineplex portfolio; the reference material does not provide a separate long-term performance outcome.
- 1993Sony Dynamic Digital Sound theater installations
United States
Sony installed its Dynamic Digital Sound technology in selected theaters as part of a broader effort to promote Sony's cinema sound business through its exhibition network.
Outcome. The technology remained associated with the chain during Sony ownership, although Sony's cinema sound division later shut down in 2002.
Brand decisions
2005
Combine Loews Cineplex with AMC TheatresM&ABackground
Loews Cineplex was operating as a large but financially and operationally complex multi-brand theater group after bankruptcy and successive ownership changes.
Action taken
AMC announced a merger with Loews Cineplex, with the combined company adopting the AMC name.
Aftermath
The merger closed on January 26, 2006. Loews locations initially used the AMC Loews identity in many markets, and AMC fully phased out the Loews name in 2017.
2004
Separate the Canadian operations from the broader companyM&ABackground
After the acquisition and restructuring by Onex and Oaktree, ownership arrangements were changed before the eventual AMC combination.
Action taken
Onex retained the Canadian Loews Cineplex operations and combined them with Galaxy Cinemas to form Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund.
Aftermath
The Canadian business followed a separate corporate path from the U.S. assets that later joined AMC.
2001
Restructure through Chapter 11 bankruptcyStrategyBackground
Loews Cineplex faced financial distress after the 1998 combination and entered Chapter 11 proceedings.
Action taken
The company used bankruptcy protection to reorganize and closed 46 theaters in North America, including 21 Loews locations in the United States and 25 Cineplex Odeon locations in Canada.
Aftermath
The reorganized company was acquired by Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management in 2002.
1998
Merge Loews Theatres with Cineplex OdeonM&ABackground
The two theater operators sought to combine their North American businesses and create a larger platform with international operations.
Action taken
Following U.S. Department of Justice approval, Loews Theatres and Cineplex Odeon completed their merger and formed Loews Cineplex Entertainment.
Aftermath
The combined company operated across the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Spain, while retaining several regional theater brands.
Announced transaction value. $1 billion (1997 announcement)
1994
Rebrand the chain as Sony TheatresStrategyBackground
After Sony inherited the theater business through its acquisition of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, the parent company sought a closer connection between its corporate identity, entertainment assets, and cinema technology.
Action taken
The company announced that Loews Theatres would change its name to Sony Theatres.
Aftermath
The chain began returning to the Loews Theatres name in October 1996, indicating that the Sony-facing identity was not retained as the long-term consumer brand.
Sources1 sources
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