U.S. Scrutinizes Conduct of Movie Theaters AMC, Regal say Justice Department has asked for

Wall Street Journal ^ | 6/1/15 | Erich Schwartzel

[Nachum]

Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., the nation’s two largest movie theater chains, have received formal inquiries from the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, signaling growing government scrutiny of a tactic large theater operators commonly use to keep movies out of competing locations.

AMC, which has faced the most backlash in the exhibition industry over the practices, told investors the Justice Department wants information “in connection with an investigation,” according to an AMC notice filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, into “potentially anticompetitive conduct” at the company.

Regal made a similar disclosure on Monday.

That conduct includes the use of “clearances,” which are agreements that theater chains sometimes strike with studios in order to gain the exclusive right to play a given title in a particular market. The Justice Department is also looking into AMC’s participation into certain joint ventures, the notice said.

“We do not believe the Company has violated federal or state antitrust laws and are cooperating with the relevant governmental authorities,” AMC said in the notice. An AMC spokesman declined to comment further. AMC shares closed down 3.2%, or 91 cents, at $28 on Monday. Regal shares closed at $20.90, off six cents; it announced the notice after the market close.

[Nachum]

U.S. Scrutinizes Conduct of Movie Theaters AMC, Regal say Justice Department has asked for information in investigation

[Nachum]

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I trust AMC and Regal a lot more than I trust the feral government.

[DesertRhino]

All I know is that movies generally suck, and there isn’t much variety. Every theater is almost exactly the same. Nothing from outside a certain pipeline ever gets seen.

[virgil]

More fascism at work.

[Dr.Deth]

Remember the good ol’ days where you bought a politician, and they stayed bought?

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Remember a country where we were (somewhat) ‘free’?

[rockinqsranch]

The Fascist Democrat government wants their share of the profits.

[napscoordinator]

The last six months or so have been a breath of fresh air. Really great movies. I believe I have seen at least 10 really good ones in that timeframe.

[a fool in paradise]

Meanwhile venues repeatedly engage in “no-compete” clauses when booking bands to keep them out of the state (not just competing venues in a town) for a year (6-months on either side of their scheduled gig) especial on the festival circuit.

Other business practices in booking that stretch back many decades are bundling (If you book act A, you have to book act B to get act C in their artist roster...).

And in cable television tiered bundling has always been the case. Congress tried to break it up but Big Media always fought back to protect the bundling interests of Disney, WB, Viacom, and others.

[a fool in paradise]

I thought the federal government did their trust busting decades ago when the movie studios were forced out of the theater business (The Paramount, etc.).

So how is it Robert Redford gets to have his Sundance theater chain showing (primarily/exclusively?) Sundance distributed movies?

[TEXOKIE]

I agree! Darlin’ and I’ve seen some good ones lately! We saw “Tomorrow Land” twice! “San Andreas” was a roller coaster! And there certainly some other ones.

However, “mad max” was a huge disappointment in our opinion.

[SubMareener]

Who just got out of “jail” and makes movies critical of Obama? What movie chain ran his last one?

[Jack Hammer]

Good that they’re looking into this rather than wasting time on trivia like Moslem terrorists and Mexican drug cartels.

[Joe Boucher]

Movie theaters?
Really?
You bastards wouldn’t want to check in to say the Clinton family crime syndicate now would ya?

[SkyPilot]

The "Just us" Dept, now headed by the Bruce Jenner Erica Holder Lynch, is apparently upset that movie theaters are reacting to bad behavior and violence from black "youths" in recent years in and around movie theaters.

This is just one incident, there are dozens more:

Investigators said more than 200 juveniles were involved in a disturbance at the West Oaks Mall food court, and about 100 of them rushed into the AMC Theater… Meanwhile, investigators said the teens moved across Colonial Drive and gathered at a nearby gas station… “A whole bunch of kids came in the store and just started stealing stuff,” witness Taylor Davis said. “They (were) just taking everything out of the store, and then the kids (were) just trying to fight the owner, and everybody was just trying to fight.” “Our main concern is this: These are middle and high school kids going to a public movie theater, some armed with guns, some firing guns, some fighting in the parking lot, disturbing everyone else there. Not only that, but putting them in danger with the violence they’re creating,” Orange County Sheriff’s Office

Large black movie audiences have been involved in theft, rioting, and attacks on other patrons. The violence has usually spread to the adjoing mall or businesses very quickly.

This is not even mentioning the loud, rude behavior by the Amish Yutes that drives away other customers in droves.

There have also been several incidents recently where black mobs organize on social media, show up, rush the entrances, and basically "flash mob" then entire theater.

Lynch and her racist army of attorneys is looking for even one scrap of evidence that the theaters took action to protect themselves and their paying customers. If they find it, they will attempt to destroy these businesses.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Ooookay. A theater chain buys exclusive rights to the showing of a movie, either locally or nationwide and are then investigated by the DOJ for violation of anti-trust laws, perhaps because how the chain decides where in that market to show the movie?

Thinking out loud:
If Theater A will reap profits and Theater B will lose money, choosing Theater A is a wise business decision. If Theater B is in a less desirable part of town DOJ will not consider it a business decision, but a decision based on race, income, profiling, etc. which, we all know, is ripe for a shakedown.