verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message century theatres a century theatre multiplex in portland oregon seen at night . type subsidiary industry entertainment movie theaters founded 1941 headquarters san rafael california key people raymond w. syufy founder parent cinemark theatres website www.centurytheatres.com century theatres is a movie theater chain that operates many multiplexes in the western united states primarily in california colorado nevada utah new mexico and arizona . in its later years it had expanded into the inter mountain states the pacific northwest texas and parts of the midwest . founded in 1941 the chain was headquartered in san rafael california until it was acquired by cinemark theatres from plano texas in 2006 . many now cinemark owned theaters continue to operate under the century brand . contents 1 history 1.1 2012 shooting 2 amenities 3 xd 4 references 5 external links history edit the century theater chain was originally named syufy enterprises for its founder raymond syufy senior who built his first theater in vallejo california in 1941 . the first century theater was the century 21 in san jose california which opened in 1963 adjacent to the winchester mystery house . the century 21 theater was built to showcase cinerama type movies the left and right empty projection booths are still present but in fact it showed only 70mm movies . the screen was later replaced with a flat model and has remained intact as a throwback to the domed cinerama palaces of the 1960s . the century 21 name was a tactic used to convey to the viewing public a futuristic image . this image is bolstered by the lobby s distinct modern bubbled lights and metallic gold accents . the large orange metal ornament on the top of the domed theater was functional in addition to being decorative theater employees rappelled from it when the dome s outer track lighting needed to be maintained . the first film presented at the century 21 was it s a mad mad mad mad world in 70mm format . a century theatres location in oregon in 2011 the company started using the name century theatres in the early 1990s . century theatres has a long history of litigation against its much larger competitor amc theatres for alleged anti competitive behavior . however since the late 1990s both sides have generally refrained from suing each other . on august 8 2006 texas based chain cinemark theatres announced that it had completed a purchase agreement under which century theatres would be acquired with a combination of cash and stock from cinemark s parent company and front row joe . 1 the transition to cinemark was completed on thursday october 5 2006 with the exception of the century 21 22 and 23 theatres in san jose which were transferred back to their original company syufy enterprises and operate under the name winchester theatres in early 2013 it was announced that the theater property is soon to be redeveloped . the company s drive in theatres and swap meets were also not part of the merger and also reverted to syufy enterprises ownership . they now operate under the brand name west wind drive ins and public markets . at the end of march 2014 the 50 year lease for the oldest of the century theaters 21 22 and 23 ended and was not renewed the theaters closed . a preservation movement which began the year before was successful in getting city historic landmark status for the very first the century 21 as a prime local example of mid century modern architecture . it was also placed on the california register of historical resources and deemed eligible to be placed on the national register of historic places . 2012 shooting edit main article 2012 aurora shooting the aurora 16 theater 3 months after the 2012 aurora shooting the aurora 16 theater as of january 17 2013 after the reconstruction now called century aurora on july 20 2012 in aurora colorado during a midnight showing of the movie the dark knight rises a gunman one james eagan holmes shot at viewers in theater 9 at the century 16 theater killing 12 people and injuring 70 others . 2 3 cinemark held an evening of remembrance at the remodeled theater on january 17 2013 inviting elected officials victims and relatives of victims after which movies were shown without charge . the theater reopened permanently on january 25 . theater 9 at century aurora is now a cinemark xd theatre . on the other hand instead of numbers there are letters instead . for example the theater 9 which now has an xd screen is now theater i and theater 8 is now theater h. 4 amenities edit this section does not cite any sources . please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . september 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message most century theaters serve starbucks iced coffee and nathan s famous hotdogs . the concessions area of each century typically sells a large selection of candy pretzel bites nachos pizza popcorn kettle corn icees sodas ice cream treats and water . since the summer of 2010 they are mostly equipped with coca cola freestyle . the cafe section of concessions sells cakes starbucks coffees teas cookies and other treats . xd edit the neutrality of this section is disputed . relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met . december 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message see also triotech in 2009 cinemark introduced xd or extreme digital cinema the company s response to imax . the first xd was completed at the century theatre in the westfield san francisco center by moorefield construction inc. extreme digital allows cinemark to play any movie they want on it unlike imax which needs special formatting . because of this cinemark can play a different movie on their xd auditoriums whenever they want where imax usually plays the same movie for weeks . there are currently 25 century and cinemark theaters equipped with xd . the technology employs a larger screen up to 38 70 with additional improvements in audio and digital projection . the projector can project either 2d or 3d from digital cinema sources . as of december 15 2015 cinemark operates over one hundred xd auditoriums . more than 25 % of the xd locations are located in the california market . shortly after its introduction imax filed a lawsuit against cinemark claiming that cinemark stole trade secrets from them that ultimately went into the creation of xd . 5 references edit cinemark usa inc. acquires century theatres inc. parker ryan 20 july 2012 . 12 killed 50 wounded at aurora movie theater . the denver post . retrieved 20 july 2012 . officials release complete list of injured victims in aurora massacre . fox news channel . january 10 2013 . retrieved july 4 2013 . http www.hitfix.com news aurora shooting victims mourned at controversial theater reopening imax sues cinemark for building competing system ... while being an imax customer . techdirt . 2009 11 24 . retrieved 2012 09 15 . external links edit media related to century theatres at wikimedia commons v t e major cinema chains in the united states alamo drafthouse cinema amc theatres loews theatres starplex cinemas b & b theatres dickinson theatres bow tie cinemas carmike cinemas cinemark theatres century theatres rave cinemas classic cinemas cobb theatres dipson theatres emagine entertainment goodrich quality theaters harkins theatres kerasotes theatres landmark theatres loeks theatres inc. malco theatres marcus theatres marquee cinemas megaplex theaters national amusements neighborhood cinema group pacific theatres reel theatres regal entertainment group regal cinemas edwards theaters united artists theaters santikos theatres ultrastar cinemas warren theatres wehrenberg 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