Bryan Cranston Blames Big Movie Chain for Closure of His Independent Theater

PALM DESERT, CA - Cinemas Palme d'Or Theatre will cease operations in June, according to actor Bryan Cranston and its other owners, who said Tuesday the upscale Palm Desert moviehouse was forced out of featuring A-list films by a mega-theater chain.

A statement signed by Cranston and fellow co-owners -- ESPN radio host Steve Mason, film executive Andreas Mauritzson and longtime cinema operator Brian Tabor -- said: "We could no longer stay solvent because of Cinemark's constant pressure on studios and distributors to shut us out of major titles. We have fought hard, but circuit dealing has made it impossible to stay in business."

Circuit dealing is the practice of barring distribution of film titles from an entire theater chain should a studio decide to book a film with nearby competing theaters.

Cinemas Palme d'Or's owners have been involved in a decade-long lawsuit against Cinemark, alleging that the company has threatened to bar movie studios that booked titles at Cinemas Palme d'Or from booking films now and into the future at its 15-screen theater at The River shopping center in Rancho Mirage.

In a separate statement, former "Breaking Bad" star Cranston said, "Cinemark finally succeeded in driving the last nail in our coffin. We just couldn't continue the struggle in this unfair business climate."

Cinemark issued a statement denying claims of circuit dealing, saying the company "simply does not engage" in it and that the claims "are, and always have been, entirely without merit."

Cinemas Palme d'Or's owners said they will continue to pursue litigation against Cinemark.

"We have lost millions of dollars because of circuit dealing over the last 13 years, and we intend to win this lawsuit," their statement reads.

"When we have been licensed films, we have worked incredibly hard to promote it -- far above and beyond what a large circuit theatre would do," the owners' statement says. "We have hosted over 400 live Q&A's in our history. We have invited our loyal audience to talk about film with actors, directors and writers. We're very proud of what we were able to build."

After June 30, the Palm Desert theater will be run by Tristone Cinema Group, according to representatives from Flagship Theater Corp., which operates Cinemas Palme d'Or.

– By City News Service; (Image via Shutterstock)