HOUSTON-The Viva Cinema in PlazAmericas Shopping Center here says that it was forced to shut its doors due to competition from a nearby AMC theater.
On the Viva Cinema's Facebook page, the ownership of the movie theater in the former Sharpstown Mall, in a statement said, “They have told the studios they will not show movies that a studio allows this small start-up theater to show. Because of this fact we have no other choice than to close our theater down.”
The Viva Cinema, which opened in May, also included a sports bar and entertainment space for rent, according to the Houston Chronicle.
AMC Theaters issued a statement denying it ever prohibited movies from running at the Viva Cinema. The movie theater company stated, “Viva Cinema clearly, and we assume knowingly, entered into competitive film zone by opening a first-run location in close proximity to AMC Studio 30, which has a long-established reputation of playing Spanish-language films, as well as first-run films with Spanish subtitles or dubbing. At no time did AMC Theatres ever prohibit movie studios from playing films at Viva Cinema. Through the competitive zone process, a film's distributing studio selects the theatre within the competitive zone that gives its movie the best opportunity to maximize performance.” See story in the Houston Chronicle.
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