Columbus movie theaters changing names to reflect AMC brand

Just over two months after wrapping up its $1.2 billion acquisition of Carmike Cinemas with a big Christmas bow tie, AMC Entertainment Holdings said Wednesday it is rebranding all of its movie theaters to an umbrella AMC brand with one of three specific names.

Leawood, Kan.-based AMC, which operates AMC Theatres, said the rebranding of the theaters, including those in Columbus, will take place over the next few months. The local rebranding is expected to be completed by April, an online schedule indicates.

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The Carmike 15 on Whittlesey Boulevard becomes AMC Columbus Park 15; the Ritz 13 on Whittlesey road will be AMC Columbus 13; the Peachtree 8 at Peachtree Mall on Manchester Expressway becomes AMC Classic Peachtree 8; and the Wynnsong 10 at Fort Benning will take the name of AMC Classic Fort Benning 10. A couple of theaters in the surrounding area will become AMC Classic Auburn 14 and AMC Classic LaGrange 10.

“To ensure our guests are clear about the experience they should expect, we will be operating all of our theaters under the AMC brand,” Stephen Colanero, AMC’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “Within that brand, we are communicating three distinct experiences that set clear expectations for our guests. All three of these brands promise the guest that we will give them an AMC experience at the movies.”

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Those brands include AMC, AMC Classic and AMC Dine-In, with the 276 Carmike Cinemas locations being divided among AMC and AMC Classic, depending on their location and the amenities that they offer. Altogether, AMC is rebranding about 660 locations nationwide, it said, including the Muvico and Ovations movie theaters owned and operated by Carmike through its own previous acquisitions in recent years. Any other names that Carmike used for specific theaters, such as Wynnsong, are being eliminated. Other legacy names being cut include Loews and Starplex.

AMC, now the largest movie chain in the world with about 900 theaters, said the bulk of the locations — about 400 in all — will become “AMC” theaters. Those will be the movie houses that officer an enhanced experience such as recliner seating, premium large-format auditoriums like IMAX, and some sort of bar service.

About 200 theaters across the U.S. will become “AMC Classic” locations, with the Kansas-based chain continuing the longtime Carmike tagline of “America’s Hometown Theatres.” Those complexes will be the ones offering “value” amenities that include Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, refillable popcorn buckets and a lighter menu that features items such as pretzel bites and nachos.

There will be about 60 locations under the “AMC Dine-In” signage, which means movie theaters operating full-service food and bar service, with delivery to seats in some of them and others offering express pick-up or both. The company said those locations will offer food rivaling “anything (customers would) find at their local restaurant, as well as an exciting array of drinks and desserts.” None of the Columbus-area locations offer that level of service.

Once the rebranding is completed companywide, which it said should be by June, all three AMC brands will be accessed online through www.amctheatres.com, the AMC app, and its various social media sites, which include Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Columbus movie theaters changing names to reflect AMC brand."