Reading Cinemas
Reading Cinemas (/ˈrɛdɪŋ/ RED-ing) is a group of cinema chains operating in the United States, Australia and New Zealand under American parent company Reading International.[1]
 | |
| Brand | |
| Industry | Cinema |
| Founded | 1995  |
Area served | United States, Australia, New Zealand |
Key people | Ellen M. Cotter (Chairman, President and CEO) Mark Douglas (Managing Director - Australia and New Zealand) |
| Parent | Reading International |
| Website | http://readingcinemas.com/ |
History
The company was organized by James Cotter, who in late 1980s acquired the Reading Company, an American former railway company that held a portfolio of real estate properties. Through the rest of the 1990s, Cotter acquired, developed, and operated real estate properties, focusing on properties occupied by cinema exhibitors and live theatre operators. Most of the company's holdings by this time were located far beyond the company's historical native ground of Pennsylvania's coal mines. Reading entered Australia in 1995 and New Zealand in 1997, developing a chain of multiplex cinemas that operated under the Reading banner and exhibited mainstream films. Domestically, Reading pursued a more offbeat business direction, acquiring an art-house theatre at the historic Cable Building in Lower Manhattan in 1996 that operated under the name Angelika Film Center. The company also acquired and expanded a chain of multiplex cinemas throughout the island of Puerto Rico.[1]
James Cotter died in 2014, leaving the company to his son James Jr., and his daughters Ellen and Margaret. In 2017, the California Supreme Court insisted that a temporary trustee be appointed to the company following a dispute over the management of the company between James Jr. and Ellen.[2]
References
- "About Reading International Inc". www.readingrdi.com. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- "Reading International May Be For Sale Following Court Ruling In Family Squabble," by David Lieberman (Deadline Hollywood; September 5, 2017)