Battered by the pandemic, a cinema mainstay in west Little Rock’s Breckenridge Village Shopping Center is battling financial woes.
The Regal UA Breckenridge remains open for business after its parent company hit bankruptcy court earlier this month. Cineworld, which acquired Regal Entertainment Group for $3.6 billion in February 2018, hopes to reorganize nearly $5 billion of debt in its Chapter 11 filing.
“That wasn’t a complete surprise to us, relative to the challenges they were having,” said Hank Kelley, a longtime Breckenridge investor. “We’re in discussions with them about how they will continue on with Breckenridge and will continue to be a part of the plan.
“You look at their horsepower relative to getting film, first-cut releases. We’d like them to be part of the property and continue as a tenant.”
Based in the United Kingdom, Cineworld is the second-largest theater operator in the world, sporting more than 9,000 screens in more than 750 locations, primarily in Europe and the United States.
Silver screens and the concession stand have drawn traffic to Breckenridge Village since the UA Cinema City 4 opened there in 1976.
Expanded to seven screens in 1982, the original movie house was demolished after it was replaced in 1998 by a new, 12-screen theater complex with stadium seating and digital sound.
Among the gone-but-not-forgotten restaurants that have called Breckenridge Village home over the years are The Terrace, Jox Sports Bar, Tapas and Oscar’s.
And who could forget John Barleycorn’s Vision?
More: How developers are using food, drink and fun to refresh aging Little Rock commercial centers.
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