Rave Cinemas, formerly known as "Rave Motion Pictures", is a movie theater brand founded in 1999 and owned by Cinemark Theatres. It previously was headed by Thomas W. Stephenson, Jr., former CEO of Hollywood Theaters, and Rolando B. Rodriguez, former Vice President and Regional General Manager for Walmart in Illinois and northern Indiana. The chain was headquartered in Dallas, Texas until it was acquired by Plano-based Cinemark Theatres.
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Company history
Rave Cinemas, LLC was formed in late 2009 by TowerBrook Capital Partners and investors Lambert Media Group and Charles B Moss, Jr. Rave Cinemas then acquired four properties, corporate infrastructure, and leadership, and the Rave Motion Pictures brand from Boston Ventures owned Rave Reviews Cinemas, LLC (RRC). RRC continues to own 21 other properties which will operate under the "Rave Motion Pictures" branding under a management services agreement with Rave Cinemas, LLC. Concurrently with the RRC acquisition, Rave Cinemas, LLC, purchased the business operations and real estate of 35 properties owned by National Amusements, Inc. (NAI), parent company of Viacom and CBS Corporation. The former NAI assets were rebranded "Rave Motions Pictures" in the second quarter of 2010.
In October 2012, Rave Reviews Cinemas, LLC, signed an agreement to sell 16 theaters with 251 screens to Carmike Cinemas for $19 million in cash and $100.4 million of assumed lease obligations. Of the 16 theaters being acquired, six are in Alabama, four in Florida, two in Indiana, and one each in Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. Before the sale Rave owned or managed 62 theaters and 939 screens located in 21 states across the country.
In November 2012, Cinemark entered into an agreement to purchase 32 Rave Cinemas locations for $240 million. The sale is subject to antitrust approval. Only two locations were to remain under the Rave Cinemas umbrella after the Cinemark sale was completed, however there was much speculation within the industry that these remaining two locations will either be sold or shuttered.
On November 27, 2012, AMC Theatres entered into an agreement to purchase four Rave Review Cinemas, LLC theaters not purchased by Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark, or Starplex. Of the four theaters being acquired, two were in Louisiana, and one each in Alabama and Florida.
On January 4, 2013, AMC Theatres entered into another agreement to purchase six more Rave Cinemas theaters not purchased by Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark or Starplex. Of the six theaters being acquired, two were in Ohio, one in North Carolina, one in Nevada, one in Nebraska and one in California.
On May 10, 2013, Starplex Cinemas bought the Berlin 12 located in Kensington, CT from Rave Cinemas.
On May 29, 2013, the sale of Rave Cinemas to Cinemark Theatres was completed. Cinemark was also required to sell the Rave Stonybrook 20 + IMAX theater in Louisville, Kentucky, the Rave Ritz Center 16 in southern New Jersey, and either the Rave Hickory Creek 16 in Hickory Creek, Texas or the Cinemark 14 in Denton, Texas due to the purchase of Rave Cinemas. In addition, Cinemark's chairman Lee Roy Mitchell was also required to sell the Movie Tavern Inc. to Southern Theatres. Some former Rave locations now have the Cinemark branding.
On July 18, 2013, Carmike Cinemas announced that they will be buying the Stonybrook 20 & IMAX, Ritz Center 16 and the Hickory Creek 16 theatres from Rave Cinemas, a division of Cinemark. Cinemark kept the Cinemark 14 in Denton, Texas. With this change, Hickory Creek will remain with Screenvision. Louisville KY and Voorhees NJ will switch to Screenvision from National CineMedia. Because Cinemark retained the Denton location, it remained with National CineMedia. The sale was closed on August 16, 2013. On September 12, 2013, Southern Theatres announced that they acquired the Movie Tavern from Lee Roy Mitchell after he was required to sell the Movie Tavern after Cinemark bought Rave Cinemas on May 29, 2013. As a result, Cinemark opened their own dinner-and-a-movie theatres called Movie Bistro. This concept was launched in August 2013 and is currently at four Cinemark locations in Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas. The Movie Tavern will remain a brand of Southern Theatres. As part of Southern Theatres' long-term deal with National CineMedia, the Movie Tavern will switch from Screenvision to National CineMedia in June 2014. As of December 2016, AMC now owns those former Carmike theatres, some of which are now AMC branded.
The company also owned "Rave Digital Media" along with Continental Retail Development, with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and operated six properties under the "Rave Digital Media" brand. The Rave Digital Media brand was sold to AMC Theatres on January 4, 2013.
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Amenities and features
Most theaters features multiple concession stands, arcade games, online and kiosk ticketing, and a futuristic environment with special lighting, LCD menu and film trailer displays, and some have a stylized special event room.
Every auditorium in Rave built theaters features the following:
- DLP Cinema Projection
- DTS digital surround sound
- Stadium seating
- Reclining seat backs
- Oversized luxury reclining seats
- Retractable arm rests / cup holders / tray tables
- 18 inch rise to each row (to promote clear line-of-sight)
- 48 inches of excess space between each row (to add additional leg room)
In addition, large auditoriums often feature two-floor exits with central seating for patrons with physical disabilities and elevator access. Several of the theaters are also equipped with Real D 3D cinema systems. Each newly opened building is completely digital in picture and sound.
Properties acquired from National Amusements may not have all of the features or designs listed above.
Rave and Christie Digital
In June 2006, Rave Motion Pictures announced a partnership with Christie/AIX to install 445 digital cinema systems in its theaters. Several Rave theaters (including theaters in Peoria, Illinois and Huntsville, Alabama) already have Christie systems installed; a full conversion of existing theaters was completed in August 2007. When Rave Cinemas acquired some theaters from National Amusements in late 2009 and early 2010, they used Barco projectors instead of Christie. With Rave Cinemas now owned by Cinemark, the Christie projectors will be removed and replaced with Barco projectors. At AMC Theatres, the Christie projectors (Barco projectors at Grove City 14) were removed and replaced by Sony 4K Digital Cinema except for the largest screens. At Carmike in Hickory Creek, Texas, the Christie projectors will be kept. At Carmike in Louisville, Kentucky and Voorhees, New Jersey, the Barco projectors will be removed and replaced with Christie.
Rave Theater locations
(Including those purchased by CINEMARK. Those recently purchased by CARMIKE, AMC Theaters and Starplex are marked)
Alabama
All of the theaters in Alabama except for Festival Plaza 16 in Montgomery were bought by Carmike.
The Festival Plaza 16 was bought by AMC Theatres.
- Festival Plaza 16 - Montgomery (December 2000)
- [1] - Hoover (June 30, jn2004)
- Jubilee Square 12 - Daphne (May 3, 2002)
- Patton Creek 15 + IMAX - Hoover (June 3, 2004)
- Vestavia Hills 10 - Vestavia Hills (November 1, 2002)
- Valley Bend 18 + IMAX - Huntsville (May 5, 2006)
- Wharf 15 - Orange Beach (May 27, 2005)
Arkansas
- Colonel Glenn 18 - Little Rock (opened in 2002)
California
- Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills 15 -- Baldwin Hills Mall, Crenshaw district, South Los Angeles (acquired 2011), IMAX included. Originally the Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 of Magic Johnson Theatres, now owned by Cinemark Theatres and renamed Cinemark Baldwin Hills 15 & XD.
- Rave Digital Media Brentwood 14 -- Brentwood, S.F. Bay Area, California (acquired 2008); IMAX included. Now owned by AMC Theatres and renamed AMC Brentwood 14.
- Rave 18 -- The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, Westchester district, Westside Los Angeles, IMAX included. Originally The Bridge 18 of National Amusements, now owned by Cinemark Theatres and renamed Cinemark 18 & XD.
Connecticut
All theatres in Connecticut were acquired from National Amusements in 2009.
- Enfield 12 - Enfield
- Berlin 12 - Kensington (Bought by Starplex Cinemas)
- Buckland Hills 18 - Manchester
- Connecticut Post 14 - Milford
- North Haven 12 - North Haven
- Southington 12 - Southington (Cinemark sold theatre to Starplex Cinemas in May 2014 )
Florida
All of the theaters in Florida except for Destin Commons 14 in Destin were bought by Carmike.
The Destin Commons 14 was bought by AMC Theatres.
- Destin Commons 14 - Destin
- Avenue 16 - Melbourne/Viera
- Pensacola "W Street" 18 - Pensacola
- Pensacola Bayou 15 - Pensacola (November 22, 2006)
- St. Lucie West 14 - Port St. Lucie
- ViaPort Florida - Leesburg (November 2016)
Illinois
- Grand Prairie 18 - Peoria (Bought by Carmike)
Indiana
All of the theaters in Indiana were bought by Carmike.
- Jefferson Pointe 18 - Fort Wayne (November, 2001)
- Metropolis 18 - Plainfield - Indianapolis (November 4, 2005)
Iowa
- Davenport 53 18 - Davenport, from National Amusements in 2009.
Kentucky
- Florence 14 - Florence (acquired from National Amusements)
- Stonybrook 20 + IMAX - Louisville (acquired from National Amusements) (Bought by Carmike)
- Preston Crossings 16 - Okolona (acquired from National Amusements)
Louisiana
All of the theaters in Louisiana were acquired by AMC Theatres.
- Baton Rouge 16 - Baton Rouge (August 22, 2003)
- Mall of Louisiana 15 + IMAX - Baton Rouge
Massachusetts
- Eastfield 16 - Springfield - acquired from National Amusements in 2009.
- West Springfield 15 - West Springfield - acquired from National Amusements in 2009.
Michigan
- Flint West 14 - Flint (acquired from National Amusements December 2009)
- CityPlace 14 - Kalamazoo (closed by Rave, acquired by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas
- Ann Arbor 20 - Ypsilanti (acquired from National Amusements December 2009)
Nebraska
- Rave Digital Media Westroads 14 - Omaha (November 14, 2008) (Bought by AMC Theatres)
Nevada
- Rave Digital Media Town Square 18 - Las Vegas (November 16, 2007) (Bought by AMC Theatres)
New Jersey
- Hazlet 12 - Hazlet (Acquired from National Amusements - Dec. 2009) (Bought by Cinemark in May 2013)
- Ritz Center 16 - Voorhees (Acquired from National Amusements - Dec. 2009) (Bought by Carmike)
North Carolina
- Rave Digital Media - Durham Southpoint 17 + IMAX - Durham (Feb. 2012) (Bought by AMC Theatres)
Ohio
- The Greene 14 - Beavercreek (December 2009 - from National Amusements)
- Western Hills 14 - Cincinnati (December 2009 - from National Amusements)
- Polaris 18 - Columbus (August 2005)
- Huber Heights 16 - Huber Heights (December 2009 - from National Amusements)
- Milford 16 - Milford (December 2009 - from National Amusements)
- Fallen Timbers 14 - Maumee (opened October 2007, acquired December 2009 from National Amusements)
- Levis Commons 12 Perrysburg (Opened October 2005, acquired December 2009 from National Amusements)
- Franklin Park 16 - Toledo (acquired December 2009 from National Amusements)
- Rave Digital Media West Chester 18 - West Chester Township (June 27, 2003) (Bought by AMC Theatres)
- Dayton South 16 - West Carrollton (December 2009 - from National Amusements)
- Rave Digital Media Grove City 14 - Grove City (November 2011) (Bought by AMC Theatres)
Pennsylvania
- Promenade 16 - Center Valley (Allentown) (December 15, 2006) (Bought by Carmike)
- Pittsburgh North 11 - Pittsburgh (December 2009 from National Amusements, permanently closed)
- University City 6- Philadelphia (December 2009, formerly National Amusements The Bridge)
Tennessee
- East Ridge 18 - East Ridge (Chattanooga) (December 9, 2004) (Bought by Carmike)
Texas
- Hickory Creek 16 - Hickory Creek (Dallas) (Bought by Carmike)
- North East Mall 18 - Hurst (2004)
- Ridgmar 13 - Fort Worth (December 17, 2003)
- Yorktown 15 - Houston (November 18, 2005) (Bought by Carmike)
Virginia
- Centreville 12 - Centreville, from National Amusements in 2009.
- Fairfax Corner 14 - Fairfax, from National Amusements in 2009.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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