Carmike cinema

Carmike Cinemas: The company known as Carmike Cinemas, Inc., is an exhibitor of motion pictures in the US. It owns and operates, or has partial ownership or interest in over 300 theaters with almost 2,500 screens in 37 states of the US. The company owns, leases, or operates these theaters under a system of shared ownerships. More than 250 of these theaters show films on their first-run, which the company licenses from major studios, or independent distributors, and about 50 are of the discount theater category. You can buy tickets in advance via phone or on the Internet at over 50 of these theaters. Some of the first run theaters show these films at reduced prices too. Carmike Cinemas caters to a target audience of small to mid-size towns and of non-urban areas in the United States. Its revenue is generated mainly through ticket and concession stalls sales. Concession sales are its second largest source of revenue. The concession stands provide efficient services and a menu of items like popcorn, candy or soft drinks. In addition, there are electronic video game arcades located in or near the lobby in most of these theaters. The company also runs two family oriented “Hollywood Connection” entertainment centers. These have multiplex theaters combined with other forms of family entertainment.

Location: With its head office at 1301, First Avenue, Columbus, Georgia, Carmike Cinemas is the country’s third-largest theater chain. They have come a long way from a Chapter 11 filing for bankruptcy in 2000 and a complete restructuring in 2005. Their strategy is to seek out smaller cities that are underserved with regard to movie theaters. When they find a good location, they purchase and expand the existing movie theater or build a completely new multi-screen theater, often at a place right next to the local mall. Using this business strategy, Carmike Cinemas has expanded rapidly throughout the South. In May 2005, Carmike Cinemas acquired GKC Theaters, which operated a total of 30 theaters with over 260 screens in four midwestern states, thereby expanding its limited presence in the region into a considerable one.

Fairgrounds, Reading and other major theatres: Following its strategy of combining movie going with the mall experience, the Carmike Cinema Center at Reading is in a large mall, called the Fairgrounds Square Mall, which offers everything from a JC Penney Outlet to the American Bistro, besides the spacious Cinema Center.

Digital cinema projection has recently been added to places like the Carmike Oakwood Mall Cinema, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with an installation of digital projectors. There are also multi-screen theaters at places like Fort Smith, AR and Fort Henry, TN. The Fort Wayne, IN Theater almost closed down due to the Delaware bankruptcy court proceedings. This 20-screen complex located on Dupont Road was expanded, and plans that included a multiplex on the south side were temporarily shelved and then restarted. Among the better known multiple screen complexes, are the Carmike Cinema 9 at Brannen Street, Statesboro, GA, and the Carmike Cinema 8, at Olean, NY.