Reading Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Reading Entertainment is a movie theater
company which is part of Reading International, Inc., successor to the Reading Company
, whose railroad properties were conveyed to government-owned Conrail in 1976. Most of its operations are in Australia
, New Zealand
, and United States
under the Reading Cinemas trade name
. Its logo is a film strip in the form of railroad turning into a film strip to tell the story of the history of the brand.
company-based Pacific Theatres
decided to sell 15 of the 29 theaters operated by Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corp. and its affiliates, comprising 181 screens in Hawaii and throughout California, outside of Los Angeles, as Pacific wanted to become an exclusive entertainment company primarily in Los Angeles. Reading International had interest in purchasing these theatres in late 2007, finally coming to an agreement in finalizing the purchase February 22, 2008. These theaters reportedly generate around $80 million in revenue annually. Nine of the theaters, comprising 98 screens, are located in Hawaii and operate under the Consolidated Theatres brand name and represented nearly 70% of the Hawaiian box office receipts reported in 2007. Six theaters, comprising 83 screens, in San Diego, Bakersfield, and Rohnert Park California, operated as Pacific Theatres have been converted to the Reading Cinema brand name. Reading's purchase was financed principally by a combination of debt financing from GE Capital Corporation and seller financing. During 2009 and 2010, much of the seller financing was forgiven as part of contingent purchase price adjustment terms and tests in the original purchase agreement.
entered into a long-term contract to provide digital, satellite-based pre show to all Reading Cinemas locations in the United States. Replacing traditional slide show presentation, the digital preshow by Screenvision would cover advertisements from television shows such as: E!
Entertainment, ABC Family
. and MTV
, upcoming films, and business advertisements such as: Verizon Wireless
, Dodge
, and National Guard, pending on the movie's MPAA rating. The digital preshow would also cover local businesses who purchase time on the pre show.. All Reading Cinemas locations in the United States officially began the digital preshow December 2008.
using DLP projection technology. These projectors are also capable of showing Digital
3-D
presentations. Per Reading's 2009 10-K filing: By mid-year (2010), it anticipates Reading will have 3D projectors in not less than 28 out of the 53 cinema locations that it either wholly owns or consolidates.
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
company which is part of Reading International, Inc., successor to the Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
, whose railroad properties were conveyed to government-owned Conrail in 1976. Most of its operations are in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the Reading Cinemas trade name
Trade name
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
. Its logo is a film strip in the form of railroad turning into a film strip to tell the story of the history of the brand.
Pacific Theatres purchase
Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
company-based Pacific Theatres
Pacific Theatres
Pacific Theatres is a chain of movie theaters in the Los Angeles area of California. Pacific Theatres is owned by Decurion Corporation which also owns ArcLight Cinema Company .- Developments : The company has some 300 movie screens in California...
decided to sell 15 of the 29 theaters operated by Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corp. and its affiliates, comprising 181 screens in Hawaii and throughout California, outside of Los Angeles, as Pacific wanted to become an exclusive entertainment company primarily in Los Angeles. Reading International had interest in purchasing these theatres in late 2007, finally coming to an agreement in finalizing the purchase February 22, 2008. These theaters reportedly generate around $80 million in revenue annually. Nine of the theaters, comprising 98 screens, are located in Hawaii and operate under the Consolidated Theatres brand name and represented nearly 70% of the Hawaiian box office receipts reported in 2007. Six theaters, comprising 83 screens, in San Diego, Bakersfield, and Rohnert Park California, operated as Pacific Theatres have been converted to the Reading Cinema brand name. Reading's purchase was financed principally by a combination of debt financing from GE Capital Corporation and seller financing. During 2009 and 2010, much of the seller financing was forgiven as part of contingent purchase price adjustment terms and tests in the original purchase agreement.
Screenvision digital preshow entertainment
In October 2008, Reading Entertainment and ScreenvisionScreenvision
Screenvision is a cinema advertising company.In the United States, the Screenvision cinema advertising network is composed of over 15,000 screens, more than 2,400 theatre locations, and 335 universities across all 50 States and 93% of U.S. DMAs, and through this network delivers more than 500...
entered into a long-term contract to provide digital, satellite-based pre show to all Reading Cinemas locations in the United States. Replacing traditional slide show presentation, the digital preshow by Screenvision would cover advertisements from television shows such as: E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
Entertainment, ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
. and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, upcoming films, and business advertisements such as: Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
, Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
, and National Guard, pending on the movie's MPAA rating. The digital preshow would also cover local businesses who purchase time on the pre show.. All Reading Cinemas locations in the United States officially began the digital preshow December 2008.
Digital presentation
Reading Cinemas began installing digital projection in 4 of its theatres in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
using DLP projection technology. These projectors are also capable of showing Digital
Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
presentations. Per Reading's 2009 10-K filing: By mid-year (2010), it anticipates Reading will have 3D projectors in not less than 28 out of the 53 cinema locations that it either wholly owns or consolidates.
Special Events
- Town Square 14 in San Diego, CA presented "The Countdown to Harry Potter Series" from July 10–14, 2009, featuring the five Harry Potter films before releasing the highly-anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
.
- Gaslamp 15 in San Diego, CA is the main venue for the annual San Diego International Film Festival
- Gaslamp 15 hosted a special screening of TwilightTwilight (2008 film)Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
during the 2009 Comic-Con Convention with the entire cast present, including Robert PattinsonRobert PattinsonRobert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
, Kristen StewartKristen StewartKristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
, and Taylor Lautner.