Our Story
About AMC Theatres
As a leader in the movie exhibition industry, AMC Theatres welcomes hundreds of millions of guests annually through the doors of its more than 300 locations. With amenities like AMC Dine-In Theatres, IMAX and ETX auditoriums and the AMC Stubs rewards program, AMC is recognized as an industry leader and an iconic institution. But it all started more than 90 years ago, with three brothers and a shared dream of entertaining.
What’s now known as AMC Theatres began in 1920 when Maurice, Edward and Barney Dubinsky purchased the Regent Theatre in Kansas City, Mo. After changing their family name to Durwood, their company was soon known as Durwood Theatres, which Edward grew into a prosperous chain in the Kansas City area. Edward Durwood served his guests the same way he wanted to be treated, and in the process, helped grow a business that would impact the world.
AMC’s penchant for innovation dates all the way back to Edward’s son, Stanley H. Durwood, a Harvard graduate and World War II veteran who joined the company in 1945. Stan Durwood’s vision – playing more than one movie at a time in a movie house would lead to more guests and better business – was the first step on the road of innovation that changed the movie exhibition industry forever.
After remodeling several large single-screen Kansas City theatres into smaller buildings with multiple auditoriums, Durwood oversaw the first originally designed multiplex theatre in the world. The Parkway Twin was built in south Kansas City in 1963 (close to where AMC Ward Parkway 14 sits today). The success was massive, and the theatre served as a blueprint for the industry. By 1968, Durwood’s multi-screen theatre chain had expanded nationwide and was incorporated as American Multi-Cinema, Inc. (AMC).
During the next three decades of Durwood’s leadership, AMC continued to expand its success and introduced many more industry firsts. The armchair cup holder, stadium seating and the industry’s first rewards program – AMC MovieWatcher Rewards – continued to revolutionize the cinema industry.
After Durwood’s passing in 1999, Peter C. Brown, who’d worked closely with Durwood as CFO, moved into the CEO role and guided the company to many more innovations and achievements including online ticketing, the acquisition of Loews Theatres in 2006 and increasing total revenue from $400 million in 1991 to $2.4 billion in 2008.
Following Brown’s retirement in 2009, Gerardo “Gerry” Lopez became just the fourth CEO in AMC history. Guided by Lopez’s leadership, AMC continues to meet the needs of moviegoers nationwide by keeping its focus where it’s most valuable: the guest.
During Lopez’s tenure, AMC has continued its growth as the second largest exhibitior in the United States with the acquisition of of the majority of the Kerasotes theatre chains in 2010. Never content with resting on its laurels, AMC continues to look for new ways to welcome guests by expanding the food and drink menu and providing options like AMC Dine-In Theatres and MacGuffins bars. And AMC continues to invest in the core reason guests come to the movies, by significantly upgrading the movie presentation, including a conversion to digital projection, 3D movies and more large-screen formats like IMAX and AMC’s proprietary ETX experience.
Embracing the power and popularity of social media, the company maintains a strong online presence, reaching millions of guests every day through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and its website. In 2011, after 20 years of AMC MovieWatcher Rewards, the company continued to look forward with the launch of AMC Stubs rewards program. The program’s success includes nearly doubling the number of MovieWatcher members in less than a year.
In the midst of never-ending innovation and growth, AMC continues to embrace the leadership, values, excellence and superior service that began back with the Durwood brothers in 1920. When guests visit an AMC Theatres location, it’s the goal of every associate to make smiles happen.
