Small theater chain wins ruling
A small movie theater chain tallied another win toward its lawsuit alleging that AMC Entertainment Holdings and Regal Entertainment Group are collaborating and pressuring studios to restrict access to major releases.
On Monday, iPic Entertainment announced that AMC’s requests to end the lawsuit were denied. Hamid Hashemi, CEO of iPic, said AMC denied it conspired with Regal and also claimed state District Court in Harris County was not the right venue.
“It’s really exciting for us and other smaller exhibitors because for the first time a court is looking at it,” he said. Floridabased iPic operates 13 lux-
ury theaters nationwide.
Paul Yetter of Houston-based Yetter Coleman, which is representing iPic, called the ruling important because it allows the plaintiffs to present evidence that Regal and AMC conspired against iPic.
“The court’s ruling allows us to expose this conspiracy at trial,” he said. The trial is slated for Oct. 3.
River Oaks District
The lawsuit was filed in November, the same month that iPic opened an eight-screen, 578-seat theater in Houston’s River Oaks District luxury shopping and residential development on Westheimer.
Regal threatened movie studios, iPic alleges, by telling them it wouldn’t play recently released movies at Edwards Greenway Grand Palace Stadium 24 & RPX if studios also licensed the films to iPic Houston. IPic won an injunction in January to stop such practices.
The boutique theater chain likewise alleges that AMC is using the same tactic toward a theater it’s building in Frisco, about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. That theater is slated to open in late 2017.
AMC, Regal
An AMC spokesman said in an email that the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation, and Regal didn’t respond to requests for comment. In court filings, AMC said there is “not a scintilla of evidence of any conspiracy between AMC and Regal. Instead, the evidence that has been uncovered affirmatively refutes any communication or coordination between AMC and Regal regarding iPic or clearances.”
Hashemi said he’s going to court for damages — some studios didn’t license movies to iPic before the injunction — and to get protection for iPic nationally.
“They’re using their size and power to stop competition,” he said.