Regal Cinemas: Cineworld says bankruptcy for Chapter 11

[ad_1]

Britain’s Cineworld Group said in a statement that one of the options it is evaluating in an attempt to reduce its debt burden is a “voluntary Chapter 11 filing in the United States.”

Meanwhile, Cineworld and Regal theaters were open for “business as usual”, and will remain so, he added.

“Cineworld will continue to operate in the normal course until and including any filings and ultimately expect to continue business for an extended period of time without any significant impact on employees,” the company said in a statement to reporters last week.

Shares in Cineworld plunged nearly 80% after the Wall Street Journal reported that the world’s second-largest movie theater chain had tapped lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis LLP to advise on bankruptcy proceedings in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Cineworld said earlier last week that admissions were below expectations despite a “gradual recovery in demand” from last spring.

The company blamed a limited slate of films for the lack of viewership, which is expected to continue till the end of November.

A Chapter 11 filing gives the company more time to restructure its debt and file a proposal with the bankruptcy court while continuing to operate. Many large American companies have successfully used Chapter 11 to put their businesses on solid financial footing.

Shares of Regal Cinemas' parent company fell as much as 80 percent on Friday.

Cineworld, which owns more than 500 movie theaters in the United States and Picturehouse cinemas in the United Kingdom, reiterated that any “disposal transaction” would “extinguish very significant equity interests” for Cineworld shareholders.

“Cineworld’s review of these strategic options is ongoing. Further announcements will be made if and when necessary,” he added.

The company struggled to stay afloat when the pandemic forced it to close movie theaters around the world. It has a $2.7 billion loss in 2020, and a $566 million loss in 2021.
It is the same story for other cinemas. Despite major improvements, this year’s US box office revenue is 30% lower than before the pandemic, according to Comscore, a media data company.

Cineworld’s stock recovered slightly after Friday’s triumphant run but still hovers around 60% below Thursday’s close.

Anna Kuban and Frank Pallotta contributed reporting.

[ad_2]

Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *