Trial Win For Cinemark With $3.75M Antitrust Fine Reversed

A trial win for a Bryan Cranston-owned movie theater was wiped out with a California appellate court taking a long look at the relationship between film studios and exhibitors, reported The Hollywood Reporter. 

Just a month ago, the Paramount Consent Decrees officially terminated. If the end to decades-old rules that governed the relationship between film studios and movie theaters wasn’t enough proof of a new day in the exhibition business, now comes a California appeals court wiping out a US$3.75 million judgment against Cinemark for using its nationwide footprint to score exclusive first-run movies to the detriment of one independent theater.

On the losing end of the latest appellate decision is Flagship Theatres of Palm Desert, which was owned by an investment group that included Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston. Flagship operated the Cinemas Palme d’Or in Palm Desert, California, before it closed in 2016, or more precisely, before that theater was taken over by new management. The Cinemas Palme d’Or competed with another theater two miles away called Century at the River, which was acquired in 2006 by Cinemark.

Full Content: Hollywood Reporter

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