Crown Theatres

Crown Theatres, though presently smaller in national scope than many of it's industry competitors, ranks among the top as one of the strongest operations financially. The combination of financial recources and the commitment of Henry Crown and Company, coupled with the dedication of an experienced management team, is enabling Crown theatres to pursue it's vision for growth.

This move into theatrical exhibition is complimented by other leading Crown holdings in the entertainment, leisure and real estate industries-such as Aspen Skiing Company, Crown Golf Properties, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, The Little Nell Hotel, Snowmass Private Residence Club, Rockefeller Center, the New York Yankees and the Chicago Bulls.

The ascendancy of Crown Theatres is traced directly to Henry Crown, a man born of humble beginnings who, by the force of his ingenuity, compassion and vision, overcame countless challenges to become one of the 20th century's most innovative and successful industrialists.

With a small investment in 1919, he co-founded Material Service Corp., a sand and gravel company, and grew it into one of the leading construction companies in the country, ultimately helping build the city of Chicago. With the foundation for his path to success laid, he became further involved in real estate and development, finance and transportation at a time when America was seriously struggling with its growth.

After voluntarily serving in the United States Army Corps of Engineers, during World War II at age 45, and receiving multiple medal honors, he returned to private business to not only take part in the surge of the post-war economy, but to play a vital role in it. He aggressively diversified his buisness interests to include defense contracting, railroad, mining, farming, recreation and trucking. With disciplined risk-taking and superior financial accumen, the full force of these investments eventually resulted in the creation of Henry Crown and Company, one of the leading private investment groups in the country.

Today, the Crown Family owns and manages operating companies and real estate investments with combined annual revenues in excess of $ 1 billion. It also maintains significant investments in a broad range of publicly traded corporations-with extensive Board of Directors representation-including General Dynamics, Hilton Hotels, Bank One, The Maytag Corporation, Alltel and Sara Lee.

Crown Theatres, with the full commitment and resources of Henry Crown and Company, will continue this legacy of success well into the 21st century as it seeks out opportunities, and meets and overcomes the challenges in the entertainment industry.

In addition to the planned and steady growth of Crown Theatres' own portfolio of theatres, Crown Theatres has positioned itself as the pre-eminent theatre management company in the industry today.

Crown Theatres is offering its seasoned, professional management expertise to realtors, landowners, banks, insurance companies and developers throughout the United States who find themselves with theatres or developments that have been impacted by the consolidations and upheaval in the exhibition industry.

Theatre management deals are an atypical structure that offers an opportunity to establish a hybrid partnership between the owner and theatre operator without the negative impact of a non-performing lease for the owner.

For many theatres, the economic benefits of this arrangement can exceed those generated by a traditional lease for the owner. Existing management deals have been structured to include performance-based incentives that can trigger lease conversation rights and preferred owner returns.