Celebrating the Top 50 Cinema Circuits in North America

The pandemic is finally in the rearview mirror, but theatrical exhibition is still on the road to recovery from the biggest crisis in its history. After an 80 percent decline in domestic box office revenue in 2020, the North American market took its first steps toward normalcy in 2021—culminating with the record-setting release of Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home in December. Yet a spike in Covid infections hampered the industry’s ability to build on the momentum of the web-slinging hero’s success at the box office. Production delays and release changes muted the potential of what looked to be a promising 2022. Blockbuster hits like Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick and Disney’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever helped buoy long, stagnant periods at the box office—a result of a scarcity of new releases made available to theaters. The domestic market finished the year with $7.4 billion in box office, a 64 percent increase from the previous year but still 35 percent behind 2019’s pre-pandemic benchmark.

Exhibitors faced the year’s challenges in stride—employing the marketing techniques and auditorium improvements developed during the 2020 closures to engage and widen their audience base. As the true impact of the pandemic’s closures comes into focus, there will likely be further consolidation across the industry in 2023—with major circuits and medium-sized chains vying for leases to high-profile locations that haven’t been able to recover since reopening. While there are few changes to this year’s Giants of Exhibition ranking of the 50 largest circuits in the North American market, economic forces suggest there will be large-scale changes at play throughout 2023 that will significantly alter this list in the years to come.

Presented By:

Rank	Company	Founded	Headquarters	Sites	Screens
1	AMC Theaters	1920	Leawood, KS	591	7,712
2	Regal	1989	Knoxville, TN	478	6,474
3	Cinemark USA	1984	Plano, TX	318	4,392
4	Cineplex Inc.	2003	Toronto, ON	158	1,641
5	Marcus Theatres	1935	Milwaukee, WI	84	1,053
6	B & B Theatres	1924	Kansas City, MO	57	529
7	Harkins Theatres	1933	Scottsdale, AZ	33	487
8	Malco Theatres	1915	Memphis, TN	35	356
9	Emagine Entertainment	1997	Troy, MI	28	344
10	CMX Cinemas	2017	Miami, FL	30	326
11	Landmark Cinemas of Canada	1965	Calgary, AL	39	317
12	Alamo Drafthouse Cinema	1997	Austin, TX	38	315
13	National Amusements (Showcase Cinemas)	1936	Norwood, MA	23	298
14	Caribbean Cinemas	1968	San Juan, PR	35	289
15	Southern Theatres	2003	New Orleans, LA	18	266
16	Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas	2011	Dallas, TX	26	259
17	Georgia Theatre Company	1992	Saint Simons Island, GA	24	253
17	NCG Movies	1983	Owosso, MI	26	253
19	Premiere Cinemas	1993	Big Spring, TX	22	248
20	GQT Movies	2020	Grand Rapids, MI	23	238
21	Reading Cinemas	2000	Culver City, CA	23	228
22	Studio Movie Grill	2000	Dallas, TX	21	226
23	UEC Theatres	1993	Maple Grove, MN	22	191
24	Galaxy Theatres	1998	Sherman Oaks, CA	15	176
25	Larry H. Miller Theatres (Megaplex Theatres)	1999	Sandy, UT	15	173
26	EVO Entertainment Group	2014	Austin, TX	18	172
27	Landmark Theatres	1974	West Hollywood, CA	34	166
28	Cinema West	1984	Petaluma, CA	16	164
28	MJR Theatres	1980	Bloomfield Hills, MI	10	164
30	Regency Theatres	1996	Agoura Hills, CA	22	159
31	Cinema Entertainment Corp.	1964	Waite Park, MN	19	154
32	Marquee Cinemas	1979	Beckley, WV	14	150
32	Celebration Cinema By Studio C	1944	Grand Rapids, MI	11	150
34	Cinémas Guzzo	2003	Terrebonne, QC	10	145
35	Epic Theatres	2003	New Orleans, LA	11	138
36	Classic Cinemas	1978	Downers Grove, IL	16	137
36	Coming Attractions Theatres	1985	Ashland, OR	16	137
38	Santikos Entertainment	1948	San Antonio, TX	10	129
39	Apple Cinemas	2013	East Walpole , MA	12	127
40	Flagship Premium Cinemas	1905	Baltimore, MD	17	125
40	Golden Ticket Cinemas	2017	Durham, NC	19	125
42	R/C Theatres	1932	Reisterstown, MD	13	119
43	Phoenix Theatres	2001	Knoxville, TN	11	115
44	Allen Theatres	1912	Las Cruces, NM	16	112
45	Look Cinemas	2021	Dallas, TX	11	111
46	Mitchell Theaters	2005	Elkhart, KS	15	107
47	IPIC Theaters	2007	Boca Raton, FL	13	100
48	Star Cinema Grill	2005	Houston, TX	11	99
49	R.L. Fridley Theatres	1972	Des Moines, IA	17	94
49	XScape Theatres	2013	New Albany, MI	7	94