History of Regal Cinemas in Timeline

Regal Cinemas, founded August 10, 1989, is the second-largest movie theater circuit in the United States, boasting 5,720 screens across 420 theaters as of December 31, 2024. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, it is owned by the British company Cineworld. Regal Entertainment Group operates under three main brands: Regal Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, and United Artists Theatres.

1924: United Artists Theatres Established

In 1924, United Artists Theatres was established, originating from the movie studio founded by Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith.

1930: Edwards Theatres Founded

In 1930, Edwards Theatres was started by William James Edwards Jr. The company became one of California's best-known and most popular theater chains.

1949: Acquisition of San Francisco Theatres

Around 1949, the Naify Brothers' Golden State Theatres acquired San Francisco Theatres owned by Samuel H Levin, including the Balboa, Alexandria, Coliseum, Vogue, Metro, the Harding, and Coronet, which had just opened.

1988: UA Buys Sameric chain and Relocates Main Office

In 1988, United Artists (UA) bought the Philadelphia-based Sameric chain and the UA Theatres main office was sold to TCI and relocated from San Francisco to Englewood, CO.

August 10, 1989: Regal Cinemas Founded

On August 10, 1989, Regal Cinemas was founded. The company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is owned by the British company Cineworld.

1989: Regal Cinemas Established

In 1989, Regal Cinemas was established in Knoxville, Tennessee, with Mike Campbell as CEO. Its first location was the Searstown Cinema in Titusville, Florida, initiating a period of rapid growth with larger, upscale cinemas.

June 8, 1991: TCI Purchases Remaining Stake in United Artists

On June 8, 1991, Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI) purchased the remainder of United Artists, becoming the full owner of the company.

February 19, 1992: TCI Sells United Artists Theatre Chain

On February 19, 1992, TCI sold the United Artists theatre chain in a leveraged buyout led by Merrill Lynch Capital Partners Inc and UA management.

1997: Death of William James Edwards Jr.

In 1997, William James Edwards Jr., the founder of Edwards Theatres, passed away. At the time of his death, Edwards Theatres operated approximately 90 locations with 560 screens.

1998: Acquisition of Act III Theatres

In 1998, Regal Cinemas combined with Act III Theatres, marking its largest acquisition during its initial expansion period.

1998: Attempted Merger of Regal and United Artists

In 1998, Regal and United Artists attempted to merge using a similar method to the later consolidation. UA eventually dropped out, but the merger between Regal and Act III went through.

2000: Edwards Theatres Files for Bankruptcy

In 2000, Edwards Theatres filed for bankruptcy due to a crushing debt load resulting from an ambitious expansion plan.

2001: Regal Enters Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

By 2001, Regal Cinemas, overextended, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It later became the namesake for the theater chain formed by its merger with Edwards and United Artists.

2002: Consolidation Under Regal Entertainment Group

In 2002, Philip Anschutz consolidated his investments in Regal, Edwards, and United Artists under a new parent company, Regal Entertainment Group. Mike Campbell and Kurt Hall were named co-CEOs.

2002: Formation of REG and Acquisitions Begin

Since the 2002 formation of Regal Entertainment Group (REG), the company began acquiring several smaller chains.

February 2003: Debut of "The 2wenty" Preshow

In February 2003, Regal CineMedia debuted "The 2wenty," a new pre-film preshow replacing slides and film advertisements with digital content.

March 2003: Acquisition of Hoyts Cinemas US Assets

In March 2003, Regal Entertainment Group acquired the US assets of Hoyts Cinemas.

April 2004: Acquisition of Signature Theatres

In April 2004, Regal Entertainment Group announced the acquisition of San Ramon, California–based Signature Theatres.

April 2005: Acquisition of Eastern Federal

In April 2005, Regal acquired Eastern Federal, a theatre company in the Southeastern United States.

2005: Merger of Regal CineMedia and National Cinema Network

In 2005, Regal CineMedia merged with AMC Theatres' National Cinema Network (NCN) to form National CineMedia, effectively a takeover of NCN by Regal CineMedia.

2005: "Regal Roller Coaster" Trailer Discontinued

In the spring of 2005, the "Regal Roller Coaster" policy trailer, which had been shown before every movie since the early 1990s, was discontinued.

2007: Opens First All-Digital Theater and Sells Fandango

In 2007, REG opened its first all-digital projection theatre in Henderson, Nevada, and also sold Fandango to Comcast Corporation.

May 1, 2008: Acquisition of Consolidated Theatres Completed

On May 1, 2008, Regal Entertainment Group completed its acquisition of Consolidated Theatres for $210 million, adding 28 theaters and 400 screens.

May 17, 2009: Deal with Sony for 4K Digital Projection

On May 17, 2009, Regal signed a deal with Sony Corporation to equip all of its theaters with Sony 4K digital projection over the next three to five years.

April 2010: Launch of Regal Premium Experience (RPX)

In April 2010, Regal launched Regal Premium Experience (RPX), an upgraded theater format with enhanced features like a 60-foot screen, dual 30,000 lumen digital projectors, and advanced sound systems.

2010: "Regal Roller Coaster" Trailer Revived

In 2010, the "Regal Roller Coaster" policy trailer was revived.

June 2011: Downsizing Theater Workforce

In June 2011, Regal began downsizing its theater workforce by removing managers from projection and replacing them with lower-paid floor staff, which helped improve profits.

February 2013: Agreement to Purchase Hollywood Theaters

In February 2013, Regal agreed to purchase Hollywood Theaters, a nationwide chain of 46 theaters operating from Portland, Oregon.

April 1, 2013: Sale of Hollywood Theaters Closed

On April 1, 2013, the sale of Hollywood Theaters to Regal closed.

March 2014: Agreement to Add 4DX

In March 2014, AEG and Regal announced an agreement to add 4DX—a 4D film format—to its location at L.A. Live.

December 2015: Regal Takes Over Managing Operations of Cinebarre

In December 2015, Regal took over managing operations of Cinebarre, a former joint venture featuring a full bar and restaurant menu with in-theater food delivery.

2015: "Regal Roller Coaster" Trailer Update

In 2015, a current version of the "Regal Roller Coaster" trailer was created by The Tombras Group.

January 2016: RPX Locations Count

As of January 2016, there were 87 operating Regal Premium Experience (RPX) locations.

January 2016: Injunction Issued in Texas

In January 2016, a district court in Texas issued a temporary injunction against Regal following complaints by iPic Entertainment. The case revealed Regal had allegedly colluded with 20th Century Fox, Sony, and Universal to boycott smaller cinema chains.

May 2017: Regal Purchases Warren Theaters

In May 2017, Regal purchased Warren Theaters, a $200 million company based in Wichita, Kansas.

November 2017: Merger Talks with Cineworld

In November 2017, Regal began merger talks with the UK theater chain Cineworld.

December 5, 2017: Cineworld to Acquire Regal

On December 5, 2017, it was announced that Cineworld, a British theater chain, would acquire Regal for $3.6 billion, making it the second-largest global cinema exhibitor behind AMC Theatres.

2017: Purchase of Warren Theatres

In 2017, Regal purchased Wichita, Kansas–based Warren Theatres.

October 2018: New Logo and Corporate Color

In October 2018, Regal adopted a new logo featuring an emblem resembling a camera aperture and crown. The company also adopted orange as a corporate color to reflect its Knoxville heritage.

2018: Expansion of 4DX Screens

As of 2018, Regal operated six 4DX screens nationwide, with plans to expand to at least 79.

July 2019: Launch of Regal Unlimited

In July 2019, Regal announced a new movie ticket subscription service known as Regal Unlimited, offering unlimited movies and a discount on concessions.

January 7, 2020: PepsiCo Becomes Exclusive Beverage Supplier

On January 7, 2020, it was announced that PepsiCo would replace The Coca-Cola Company as the exclusive supplier of non-alcoholic beverages to all Regal cinemas, breaking Coke's monopoly among the top cinema chains in the United States.

March 16, 2020: Temporary Closure Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

On March 16, 2020, Regal Cinemas closed all 543 of its theaters in the United States indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the first major theater chain to do so.

August 21, 2020: Theaters Reopening

Regal Cinemas started reopening most of its theaters on August 21, 2020, with a few delayed until August 28, and others closed indefinitely due to local restrictions or having already been planned to close prior to the pandemic.

October 5, 2020: Cineworld to close Regal Cinemas indefinitely

On October 5, 2020, Cineworld announced it would close most Regal, Cineworld, and Picturehouse Cinemas locations in the US, UK, and Ireland indefinitely, beginning October 8. The main factor cited was the reluctance of New York to allow cinemas to open, as well as the lack of tentpole Hollywood films.

2020: Cineworld attempts to acquire Cineplex

In 2020, Cineworld had attempted to acquire Cineplex but backed out of the deal, resulting in US$1 billion in damages for breach of contract.

March 23, 2021: Cineworld announces reopening of Regal locations

On March 23, 2021, Cineworld announced that, given the go-ahead for theaters to reopen in New York City and Los Angeles earlier in the month, they would begin reopening select Regal locations on April 2, in time for the release of Godzilla vs. Kong. The company aimed to have most Regal locations reopened by April 16, in time for the release of Mortal Kombat, which was pushed back a week to April 23.

April 2021: Delay of "No Time to Die" film

In April 2021, the James Bond film "No Time to Die" was delayed, which Cineworld's CEO cited as the "last straw" contributing to the decision to close Regal Cinemas.

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June 19, 2021: Regal Cinemas acquires Arclight Cinemas lease

On June 19, 2021, Regal Cinemas acquired the lease of the former Arclight Cinemas at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles, with plans for a $10 million remodel.

August 2022: Cineworld to file for bankruptcy

In August 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported that Cineworld would file for bankruptcy after struggling to rebuild attendance and incurring debts of more than $4.8 billion amid the pandemic. Cineworld confirmed that Regal Cinemas would remain in operation.

September 7, 2022: Cineworld Files for Bankruptcy

On September 7, 2022, Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

September 28, 2022: Cineplex explores merger with Regal

On September 28, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Canadian exhibitor Cineplex was exploring the possibility of merging with Regal.

January 2023: Possible closure of Sherman Oaks Galleria location

In January 2023, it was announced that the Regal Cinemas location at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles would close on February 15 unless the lease was renegotiated.

April 2023: Regal acquires lease to former ArcLight theater

In April 2023, it was announced that Regal had acquired the lease to the former ArcLight theater at The Paseo in Pasadena, California.

May 2023: Cineworld bankruptcy emergence expected in July

In May 2023, Cineworld said that its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy was expected to happen in July of that year.

May 2023: New lease agreement for Sherman Oaks Galleria location

In May 2023, Regal announced that they had reached a new lease agreement with the Galleria to continue operating the theater.

2023: Cineworld plans to emerge from Chapter 11

In 2023, Cineworld planned to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and planned to pursue "a real estate optimisation strategy", including the closure or sale of theaters and other discussions with landlords on its cinema lease terms with Regal.