Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors .
The following is a summary list of risk factors:
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
● the impact of the COVID-19 virus on us, the motion picture exhibition industry, and the economy in general, including our response to the COVID-19 virus related to interruptions of operations at our theatres, personnel reductions and other cost-cutting measures and actions to maintain necessary liquidity, and increases in expenses relating to precautionary measures at our facilities to protect the health and well-being of our customers and employees.
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Financial Risks
● our ability to obtain additional liquidity, which if not realized or insufficient, likely would result with us seeking an in-court or out-of-court restructuring of our liabilities absent more normalized levels of attendance and operating revenues, and in the event of such future liquidation or bankruptcy proceeding, holders of our Common Stock and other securities would likely suffer a total loss of their investment;
● our substantial level of indebtedness and our current liquidity constraints could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to service our indebtedness, to pre-pay debt, and to refinance debt and to do so on favorable terms, and our ability to take advantage of certain business opportunities, which could negatively impact the ability of investors to recover their investment in the Common Stock ;
● risks relating to impairment losses, including with respect to goodwill and other intangibles, and theatre and other closure charges;
● limitations on the availability of capital or poor financial results may prevent us from deploying strategic initiatives;
● we are currently not paying dividends and in the future may not generate sufficient cash flows or have sufficient restricted payment capacity under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities or the indentures governing our debt securities to pay dividends on our Common Stock;
● our ability to recognize interest deduction carryforwards and net operating loss carryforwards to reduce our future tax liability;
● our ability to recognize certain international deferred tax assets which currently do not have a valuation allowance recorded; and
● impact of the elimination of the calculation of USD LIBOR rates on our contracts indexed to USD LIBOR.
Operational Risks
● risks relating to motion picture production and theatrical performance;
● our lack of control over distributors of films;
● intense competition in the geographic areas in which we operate among exhibitors or from other forms of entertainment;
● increased use of alternative film delivery methods including premium video on demand or other forms of entertainment;
● shrinking exclusive theatrical release windows or release of movies to theatrical exhibition and streaming platforms on the same date;
● AMC Stubs ® A-List may not meet anticipated revenue projections, which could result in a negative impact upon operating results;
● failures, unavailability or security breaches of our information systems;
● dependence on key personnel for current and future performance and our ability to attract and retain senior executives and other key personnel, including in connection with any future acquisitions;
● our ability to achieve expected synergies, benefits and performance from our strategic theatre acquisitions and strategic initiatives;
● the risk of severe weather events or other events caused by climate change disrupting or limiting operations;
● supply chain disruptions and labor shortages may negatively impact our operating results; and
● optimizing our theatre circuit through new construction and the transformation of our existing theatres may be subject to delay and unanticipated costs.
Regulatory Risks
● general and international economic, political, regulatory, social and financial market conditions, economic unrest, terrorism, hostilities, cyber-attacks, war, widespread health emergencies, such as COVID-19 or other pandemics, and other geopolitical risks;
● review by antitrust authorities in connection with acquisition opportunities;
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● risks relating to the incurrence of legal liability, including costs associated with ongoing securities class action lawsuits;
● increased costs in order to comply or resulting from a failure to comply with governmental regulation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and pending future domestic privacy laws and regulations;
● geopolitical events, including the threat of terrorism or cyber-attacks, or widespread health emergencies, such as the novel coronavirus or other pandemics or epidemics, causing people to avoid our theatres or other public places where large crowds are in attendance; and
● other risks referenced from time to time in filings with the SEC.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
● there has been significant recent dilution and potential future dilution of our Common Stock, which could adversely affect the market price of shares of our Common Stock;
● the market price and trading volume of our shares of Common Stock has been and may continue to be volatile, and purchasers of our securities could incur substantial losses;
● future offerings of debt, which would be senior to our Common Stock for purposes of distributions or upon liquidation, could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock;
● anti-takeover protections in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may discourage or prevent a takeover of our Company, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders; and
● an issuance of preferred stock could dilute the voting power of the Common Stockholders and adversely affect the market value of our Common Stock.
Risk Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our business and will continue to adversely affect our business, theatres, results of operations and liquidity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had and will continue to have a significant and adverse impact on our business.
Over the course of 2021, we reopened and were operating in nearly all of our domestic and international theatres, with seating capacity restrictions winding down or eliminated in most jurisdictions. Our reopened theatres are not generating the attendance and revenue from admissions and food and beverage sales compared to historical levels and our cash burn is higher than when theatres were closed. The extent of our cash burn in the future will primarily be dependent on attendance, which drives admission, food and beverage, and other revenue. The ultimate duration of the pandemic is uncertain, and there remain significant risks that may negatively impact attendance, including a resurgence of COVID-19, consequential related restrictions, potential movie-goer reluctance to attend theatres due to COVID-19 outbreaks or the emergence of variant strains, movie studio release schedules and direct-to-streaming or other changing movie-studio practices as a result of the pandemic. We cannot predict with certainty when or if our business will return to closer to normal levels. In addition, governmental officials may impose further restrictions on travel or introduce additional social distancing measures such as further limiting the number of people allowed in a theatre at any given time.
The resumption of operations has resulted in a ramp-up in costs to operate our business. While we plan to closely monitor our costs to the extent possible, we continue to incur significant cash outflows, including interest payments, taxes, critical maintenance capital expenditures, expenses associated with the resumption of operations, and certain compensation and benefits payments.
We may face difficulty in maintaining relationships with our landlords, vendors, motion picture distributors, customers, and employees during suspension and recovery periods. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, movie studios have, at various times, suspended production of movies and delayed the release date of movies. Some movie studios have also reduced or eliminated the theatrical exclusive release window or have skipped a theatrical release and released their movies through streaming or other channels, or have announced that future theatrical releases will be released concurrently through streaming channels, and studios may continue to do
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so with additional releases for the duration of the pandemic and after the pandemic has subsided. The longer and more severe the pandemic, including repeat or cyclical outbreaks beyond the spread of the Omicron variant, the more severe the adverse effects will be on our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flows, financial condition, access to credit markets and ability to service our existing and future indebtedness.
Even when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we cannot guarantee that we will recover as rapidly as other industries, or that we will recover as rapidly as others within the industry due to our strong footprint in densely populated areas. For example, even where applicable government restrictions are lifted or reduced, it is unclear how quickly patrons will return to our theatres, which may be a function of continued concerns over safety and social distancing and/or depressed consumer sentiment due to adverse economic conditions, including job losses, among other things. The continued high level of COVID-19 cases may continue to significantly depress attendance levels. If we do not respond appropriately to the pandemic, or if customers do not perceive our response to be adequate, we could suffer damage to our reputation, which could significantly adversely affect our business. Furthermore, the effects of the pandemic on our business could be long-lasting and could continue to have adverse effects on our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flows and financial condition, some of which may be significant, and may adversely impact our ability to operate our business on the same terms as we conducted business prior to the pandemic. Significant impacts on our business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic include and are likely to continue to include, among others:
● lack of availability of films in the short or long term, including as a result of (i) continued delay in film releases; (ii) release of scheduled films on alternative channels or (iii) disruptions of film production;
● decreased attendance at our theatres, including due to (i) continued safety and health concerns, (ii) additional regulatory requirements limiting our seating capacity, (iii) a change in consumer behavior in favor of alternative forms of entertainment, or (iv) resistance to locally imposed vaccination requirements in certain markets;
● increased operating costs resulting from additional regulatory requirements enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and from precautionary measures we voluntarily take at our facilities to protect the health and well-being of our customers and employees;
● our ability to negotiate favorable rent payment terms with our landlords;
● unavailability of employees and/or their inability or unwillingness to conduct work under any revised work environment protocols, including vaccination mandates, or due to general shortages in the labor market;
● supply chain disruptions that may affect the availability and costs of food, beverage, and other items that we sell in our theatres;
● increased risks related to employee matters, including increased employment litigation and claims relating to terminations or furloughs caused by the suspension of theatre operations and vaccination or testing requirements;
● reductions and delays associated with planned operating and capital expenditures;
● further impairment charges upon a portion of our goodwill, long-lived assets or intangible assets as consequence of failure to meet operating projections and other adverse events or circumstances, as a result of the impact on our prior impairment analysis due to delays in theatre reopenings or future interruptions in operations, which could be material to our results of operations and financial condition;
● our inability to generate significant cash flow from operations if our theatres continue to operate at significantly lower than historical levels, which could lead to a substantial increase in indebtedness and negatively impact our ability to comply with the financial covenants, as applicable, in our debt agreements;
● our inability to access lending, capital markets and other sources of liquidity, if needed, on reasonable terms, or at all, or obtain amendments, extensions and waivers of financial maintenance covenants, among other material terms;
● our inability to effectively meet our short- and long-term obligations; and
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● our inability to service our existing and future indebtedness or other liabilities, the failure of which could result in insolvency proceedings and result in a total loss of your equity investment.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has also significantly increased economic uncertainty and disrupted supply chains. It is possible that the current outbreak or continued spread of COVID-19 will cause a global recession, which could further adversely affect our business, and such adverse effects may be material. We have never previously experienced a complete cessation of our operations, and as a consequence, our ability to predict the impact of such a cessation on our operations and future prospects is uncertain. In addition, the magnitude, duration and speed of the global pandemic is uncertain. As a consequence, we cannot estimate the impact on our business, financial condition or near or longer-term financial or operational results with certainty.
The COVID-19 pandemic (including governmental responses, broad economic impacts and market disruptions) has heightened the risks related to the other risk factors described herein.
Financial Risks
In the absence of significant increases in attendance from current levels, or obtaining significant additional sources of liquidity, an investment in our Common Stock is highly speculative; holders of our Common Stock could suffer a total loss of their investment.
To remain viable beyond the next twelve months, the Company will require additional sources of liquidity, reductions or abatements of its rent obligations and/or significant increases in attendance levels , see Liquidity and Capital Resources—For the Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2020 included in Part II, Item 7 thereof for further information regarding attendance assumptions. The required amounts of additional liquidity may be material. Although the Company believes that cash flow from operations and the liquidity under its borrowing facilities will be sufficient to meet its material cash requirements over the next twelve months, it is actively continuing to explore additional sources of liquidity. The Company is unable to determine at this time whether any additional sources of liquidity will be available to it or if available, individually or taken together, will be sufficient to address its potential liquidity needs. There is significant uncertainty as to whether these potential sources of liquidity will be realized or that they will be sufficient to generate the material amounts of additional liquidity that may be required until the Company is able to achieve more normalized levels of attendance and operating revenues. Any individual source of liquidity that the Company is pursuing may not be sufficient to address all the Company’s future liquidity requirements, and even if all of the potential sources of liquidity that the Company is pursuing are available, they may not be sufficient to address the Company’s liquidity requirements. Further, any relief provided by lenders, governmental agencies, and business partners may not be adequate and may include onerous terms, particularly if we face additional rounds of suspension of operations at our theatres, scheduled movies releases fail to drive increased attendance, scheduled releases continue to be postponed or moved to the home video market, or if the attendance levels of, and revenues generated by, our reopened theatres normalize at a level that will not support our substantial amount of indebtedness, rent liabilities or other obligations. Due to these factors, if attendance levels do not increase significantly compared to 2021 and if the Company is unable to obtain the necessary additional sources of liquidity, an investment in our Common Stock is highly speculative.
In the event the Company’s attendance levels do not continue to increase significantly compared to 2021 and achieve levels in line with pre COVID-19 attendance, we would seek to negotiate with creditors changes to our balance sheet liabilities and continue to take steps to reach agreements with our landlords to reduce or abate its rent obligations. Ultimately, if attendance levels do not normalize and we are unsuccessful in restructuring our liabilities, we would face the risk of a future liquidation or bankruptcy proceeding, in which case holders of the Company’s Common Stock would likely suffer a total loss of their investment.
Our substantial level of indebtedness and our current liquidity constraints could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to service our indebtedness, which could negatively impact your ability to recover your investment in the Common Stock.
We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which requires significant interest payments. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding approximately $5,428.0 million of indebtedness ($5,169.1 million aggregate principal amount) and $72.7 million of existing finance lease obligations. As of December 31, 2021, we also had approximately $5.3 billion of discounted rental payments under operating leases (with a weighted average remaining lease term of 10.0 years). Subsequent to December 31, 2021, our indebtedness has increased due to the $950 million
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aggregate principal amount of 7.5% First Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2029 that were issued on February 14, 2022, partially offset by the full redemption of the $500 million aggregate principal amount of the First Lien Notes due 2025, the $300 million aggregate principal amount of our 10.5% First Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2026, and $73.5 million aggregate principal amount of our 15%/17% Cash/PIK Toggle First Lien Secured Notes due 2026.
The Company’s cash expenditures for rent increased significantly in the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2021 as previously deferred rent payments and landlord concessions started to become current obligations. The Company received rent concessions provided by the lessors that aided in mitigating the economic effects of COVID-19 during the pandemic. These concessions primarily consisted of rent abatements and the deferral of rent payments. As a result, deferred lease amounts were approximately $315.1 million as of December 31, 2021. See Note 3 — Leases in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Part II, Item 8 thereof, for a summary of the estimated future repayment terms for the deferred lease amounts due to COVID-19.
Our substantial level of indebtedness and the current constraints on our liquidity could have important consequences, including the following:
● we entered into the Ninth Amendment (as defined in Note 8 — Corporate Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Part II, Item 8 thereof) , pursuant to which the requisite revolving lenders party thereto agreed to extend the suspension period for the financial covenant applicable to the Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022, which was further extended by the Eleventh Amendment (as defined in Note 8 — Corporate Borrowings and Finance Lease Obligations in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Part II, Item 8 thereof) from March 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023, as described, and on the terms and conditions specified, therein, including a minimum liquidity requirement of $100 million during the covenant suspension period in addition to the £ 32.5 million minimum liquidity required (approximately $44 million) required under the Odeon Term Loan Facility. A breach of any condition to the financial covenant suspension set forth in the Credit Agreement may result in an event of default under the Credit Agreement or resume testing of the financial covenant;
● we must use a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to pay interest and principal on our indebtedness, which reduces or will reduce funds available to us for other purposes such as working capital, capital expenditures, other general corporate purposes and potential acquisitions;
● our ability to refinance such indebtedness or to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or general corporate purposes may be impaired;
● we are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates because our senior credit facilities have variable rates of interest;
● our leverage may be greater than that of some of our competitors, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage and reduce our flexibility in responding to current and changing industry and financial market conditions;
● the loss of tax attributes resulting from the cancellation of indebtedness that occurred in connection with the exchange offers that closed on July 31, 2020, coupled with the inability to deduct all or significant portions of our interest expense for tax purposes, will ultimately increase the need to generate revenues to support our capital structure;
● there are significant constraints on our ability to generate liquidity through incurring additional debt; and
● we may be more vulnerable to economic downturn and adverse developments in our business.
We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness. To the extent new indebtedness is added to our debt levels, including as a result of satisfying interest payment obligations on certain of our indebtedness with payments-in-kind, the related risks that we now face could intensify. Our ability to access funding under our revolving credit facilities will depend upon, among other things, the absence of an event of default under such indebtedness, including any event of default arising from a failure to comply with the related covenants. If we are unable to comply with our covenants under our indebtedness, our liquidity may be further adversely affected.
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Our ability to meet our expenses, to remain in compliance with our covenants under our debt instruments and to make future principal and interest payments in respect of our debt depends on, among other factors, our operating performance, competitive developments and financial market conditions, all of which are significantly affected by financial, business, economic and other factors. We are not able to control many of these factors. Given current industry and economic conditions, our cash flow may not be sufficient to allow us to pay principal and interest on our debt and meet our other obligations.
To the extent our relationship with lenders is negatively affected by disputes that may arise from time to time, it may be more difficult to seek covenant relief, if needed, or to raise additional funds in the future.
We may incur future impairment charges to goodwill or long-lived assets and future theatre and other closure charges.
We have a significant amount of goodwill on our balance sheet as a result of acquisitions. As of December 31, 2021, goodwill recorded on our consolidated balance sheet totaled $2,429.8 million. If the market price of our Common Stock declines, if the fair value of our debt declines, or if other events or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our reporting units below their respective carrying value, all or a portion of our goodwill may be impaired in future periods.
We review long-lived assets, including goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and other intangible assets and theatre assets (including operating lease right-of-use lease assets) whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. The review for goodwill compares the fair value for each of our reporting units to their associated carrying value. Factors that could lead to impairment of goodwill and intangible assets include adverse industry or economic trends, reduced estimates of future cash flows, and declines in the market price of our Common Stock or declines in the fair value of our debt. Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and projections of future operating performance, including estimating the fair value of our corporate borrowings and finance lease obligations. We may be required to record future charges to earnings during the period in which an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets is determined to exist. During the years ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, we recorded impairment of long-lived asset charges of $77.2 million, $177.9 million, $84.3 million (including $60.0 million related to the write-down of operating lease right-of-use assets, which were recorded in connection with the adoption of ASC 842, Leases), respectively. The assets impaired during year 2021 included 77 theatres in the U.S. markets with 805 screens (in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) and 14 theatres in the International markets with 18 screens (in Italy, Norway, Spain, and the UK). During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded goodwill non-cash impairment charges of $1,276.1 million and $1,030.3 million related to the enterprise fair values of the Domestic Theatres and International Theatres reporting units, respectively. We recorded non-cash impairment charges related to indefinite-lived intangible assets of $12.5 million and $2.7 million related to the Odeon and Nordic trade names, respectively, in the International Theatres reporting unit during the year ended December 31, 2020. We recorded non-cash impairment charges of $14.4 million related to our definite-lived intangible assets in the Domestic Theatres reporting unit during the year ended December 31, 2020. We also recorded impairment of other assets recorded in investment expense (income) of $15.9 million and $3.6 million, during the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and impairment of equity method investments recorded in equity in (earnings) loss of non-consolidated entities of $8.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Limitations on the availability of capital and reductions to capital expenditures may delay or prevent deployment of strategic initiatives.
Implementation of our key strategic initiatives, including recliner seating, enhanced food and beverage and premium sight and sound, require significant capital expenditures. Our gross capital expenditures were approximately $92.4 million, $173.8 million, and $518.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020 and, December 31, 2019, respectively. We estimate that our cash outflows for capital expenditures, net of landlord contributions, will be approximately $150 million to $200 million for the year ending December 31, 2022 to maintain and enhance operations. A lack of available capital resources due to business performance or other financial commitments could prevent or delay the deployment of innovations in our theatres. We may reduce capital expenditures significantly or seek additional financing or issue additional securities, which may affect the timing and scope of growth
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strategy. We cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain new financing on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, covenants under our existing indebtedness limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness, and the performance of any additional or improved theatres may not be sufficient to service the related indebtedness that we are permitted to incur.
We are currently not paying dividends and in the future may not generate sufficient cash flows or have sufficient restricted payment capacity under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities or the indentures governing our debt securities to pay dividends on our Common Stock.
We currently are not paying a cash dividend. We are only able to pay dividends from our available cash on hand and funds received from our subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries' ability to make distributions to us will depend on their ability to generate substantial operating cash flow. Our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders in the future is subject to the terms of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing our outstanding notes. Our operating cash flow and ability to comply with restricted payment covenants in our debt instruments will depend on our future performance, which will be subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors beyond our control. In addition, dividend payments are not mandatory or guaranteed, and our board of directors may determine not to resume the payment of dividends. We may not pay dividends as a result of the following additional factors, among others:
● we are not legally or contractually required to pay dividends;
● even if we determine to resume paying cash dividends, the actual amount of dividends distributed and the decision to make any distribution is entirely at the discretion of our board of directors and future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, business opportunities, provisions of applicable law and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant;
● the amount of dividends distributed is and will be subject to contractual restrictions under the restrictive payment covenants contained in the indentures governing our debt securities, the terms of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, and the terms of any other outstanding or future indebtedness incurred by us or any of our subsidiaries; and
● the amount of dividends distributed is subject to state law restrictions.
A significant portion of our net operating loss carryforwards have been reduced, which limits our ability to reduce our future tax liability, which may adversely affect our cash flows and therefore our ability to service our indebtedness.
In connection with the exchange offers and related financing transactions that closed on July 31, 2020, we realized approximately $1.2 billion of CODI. As a result of such CODI, we eliminated $1.2 billion of our net operating loss carryforwards through tax attribute reduction. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act legislation (the “2017 Tax Act”) together with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) included a number of significant tax provisions including (1) limiting business interest deductions to 30%, 50%, 50% and 30% of taxable EBITDA for years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively, (2) limiting interest deductions for 2022 and thereafter to 30% of taxable EBIT, (3) limiting the utilization of net operating losses generated in calendar year 2018 and thereafter to 80% of taxable income for years after 2020, (4) providing an indefinite carryover period for interest expense carryforwards and net operating losses generated in calendar year 2018 and thereafter, and (5) adding disallowed business interest carryforwards to the list of items subject to the annual limitation rules for corporations that undergo an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
Utilization of our net operating loss carryforwards, disallowed business interest carryforward and other tax attributes became subject to the Section 382 ownership change limitation due to changes in our stock ownership on January 29, 2021. We do not believe, however, that our remaining tax attributes generated prior to this event are significantly limited by Section 382.
The loss of tax attributes as a result of CODI and related attribute reduction may adversely affect our cash flows and therefore our ability to service our indebtedness. For information regarding the remaining significant amount of net operating loss carryforwards, see Note 10 —Income Taxes in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Part II, Item 8 thereof.
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The value of our deferred tax assets may not be realizable to the extent our future profits are less than we have projected and we may be required to record valuation allowances against previously-recorded deferred tax assets, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition.
Our income tax expense includes deferred income taxes arising from changes in temporary differences between the financial reporting and the tax bases of assets and liabilities, credit carryforwards, interest expense carryforwards and net operating losses. We evaluate the realizability of our deferred income tax assets and assess the need for a valuation allowance jurisdiction by jurisdiction on an ongoing basis. In evaluating our deferred income tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that the deferred income tax asset will be realized. The ultimate realization of our deferred income tax assets depends upon generating sufficient future taxable income during the periods in which our temporary differences become deductible and before our tax credit and net operating loss carryforwards expire. Our assessment of the realizability of our deferred income tax assets requires significant judgement. If we fail to achieve our projections or if we need to lower our projections, we may not have sufficient evidence of our ability to realize our deferred tax assets and we may need to increase our valuation allowance.
Our U.S. cumulative pretax losses have raised uncertainty about the likelihood of realizing our deferred tax assets, and as a result, we maintain a valuation allowance against all of the U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities, except those deemed indefinite-lived. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our domestic cumulative pre-tax losses continue to raise uncertainty about the likelihood of realizing our deferred tax assets. For our U.S. jurisdiction, we recorded a net increase in valuation allowance of $279.0 million and total tax benefit of $9.4 million for 2021. During the first quarter of 2020, the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations in Germany and Spain caused us to conclude the realizability of deferred tax assets held in those jurisdictions does not meet the more likely than not standard. As such, a charge of $33.1 million and $40.1 million was recorded for Germany and Spain, respectively. At December 31, 2020 year-end, we determined that it was appropriate to record a valuation allowance on the disallowed interest carryforward in Sweden as the realizability of this deferred tax asset in this jurisdiction does not meet the more likely than not standard. As such, the overall net tax benefit recorded on Sweden was reduced by a charge of $3.7 million. During 2021, we recorded a valuation allowance on all other deferred tax assets in Sweden, resulting in a charge of less than $1 million. With the exception of Finland and Norway, all other international jurisdictions carried valuation allowances against their deferred tax assets at the end of 2021.
There are no assurances that we will not increase the valuation allowances in future periods against deferred tax expense; likewise, any decrease would result in additional deferred tax benefit.
The elimination of the calculation of USD LIBOR rates may impact our contracts that are indexed to USD LIBOR.
In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the authority that regulates LIBOR) announced it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021 and the transition period has been subsequently extended through June 2023. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee ("ARRC") has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") is the rate that represents best practice as the alternative to USD-LIBOR for use in derivatives and other financial contracts that are currently indexed to USD-LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a paced market transition plan to SOFR from USD-LIBOR and organizations are currently working on industry wide and company specific transition plans as it relates to derivatives and cash markets exposed to USD-LIBOR. We have material contracts that are indexed to USD-LIBOR and we are monitoring this activity and evaluating the related risks.
Operational Risks
Our business depends on motion picture production and performance and is subject to intense competition, including increases in alternative film delivery methods or other forms of entertainment.
Our ability to operate successfully depends upon the availability, diversity and appeal of motion pictures, our ability to license motion pictures and the performance of such motion pictures in our markets. The most attended films are usually released during the summer and the calendar year-end holidays, making our business seasonal. We license first-run motion pictures, the success of which has increasingly depended on the marketing efforts of the major motion picture studios and the duration of the exclusive theatrical release windows. Poor performance of, or any disruption in the production of these motion pictures (including by reason of a strike or lack of adequate financing), a reduction in the marketing efforts of the major motion picture studios, the choice by distributors to release fewer feature-length movies theatrically, or the choice to release feature-length movies directly to video streaming or PVOD platforms could hurt our business and results of operations. Conversely, the successful performance of these motion pictures, particularly the
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sustained success of any one motion picture, or an increase in effective marketing efforts of the major motion picture studios and extension of the exclusive theatrical release windows, may generate positive results for our business and operations in a specific fiscal quarter or year that may not necessarily be indicative of, or comparable to, future results of operations. As movie studios rely on a smaller number of higher grossing “tent pole” films there may be increased pressure for higher film licensing fees. Our loyalty program and certain promotional pricing also may affect performance and increase the cost to license motion pictures relative to revenue for admission. In addition, a change in the type and breadth of movies offered by motion picture studios and the theatrical exclusive release window may adversely affect the demographic base of movie-goers.
Our theatres are subject to varying degrees of competition in the geographic areas in which we operate. Competitors may be multi-national circuits, national circuits, regional circuits or smaller independent exhibitors. Competition among theatre exhibition companies is often intense with respect to attracting patrons, terms for licensing of motion pictures and availability and securing and maintaining desirable locations.
We also compete with other film delivery methods, including video streaming, network, syndicated cable and satellite television, as well as video-on-demand, pay-per-view services, and subscription streaming services. We also compete for the public’s leisure time and disposable income with other forms of entertainment, including sporting events, amusement parks, live music concerts, live theatre, and restaurants. An increase in the popularity of these alternative film delivery methods and other forms of entertainment could reduce attendance at our theatres, limit the prices we can charge for admission and materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We rely on distributors of motion pictures, over whom we have no control, for the films that we exhibit, and our business may be adversely affected if our access to motion pictures is limited or delayed.
Historically, major motion picture distributors have been required by law pursuant to certain long-standing consent decrees to offer and license film to exhibitors, including us, on a film-by-film and theatre-by-theatre basis. Consequently, we cannot assure ourselves of a supply of motion pictures by entering into long-term arrangements with major distributors but must compete for our licenses on a film-by-film and theatre-by-theatre basis. However, given the termination of the consent decrees in 2020, which will become fully effective in 2022 (see the Regulatory Environment section in Part I, Item 1 “Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K), these practices may change in ways that cannot be predicted. Our business depends on maintaining good relations with these distributors, as this affects our ability to negotiate commercially favorable licensing terms for first-run films or to obtain licenses at all. With only 6 movie studio distributors representing approximately 87% of our U.S. markets’ box office revenues in 2021 and 4 movie studio distributors representing approximately 77% of our International markets’ box office revenues in 2021, there is a high level of concentration and continued consolidation in the industry. Our business may be adversely affected if our access to motion pictures is limited or delayed because of deterioration in our relationships with one or more distributors or for some other reason. To the extent that we are unable to license a popular film for exhibition in our theatres, our operating results may be adversely affected.
Our results of operations will be impacted by shrinking theatrical exclusive release windows and other practices adopted by movie studies.
Over the last decade, the average theatrical exclusive release window, which represents the time that elapses from the date of a film’s theatrical release to the date a film is available to consumers in-home, has decreased from approximately four months to approximately one and a half months. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain movie studios have adopted strategies that have eliminated the theatrical exclusive release window. Notably, Warner Bros. released its entire slate of films for 2021 simultaneously in theatres and on its home streaming service. Other studios such as Disney have released (and have indicated an intention in certain cases to continue to release) movie titles directly to the in-home and streaming channels, avoiding a theatrical release. Other studios may adopt similar strategies, and these adjustments due to the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to permanent changes that shorten or eliminate the theatrical exclusive release window. These practices have significantly impacted our revenues and are expected to continue to have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations going forward.
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We rely on our information systems to conduct our business, and any failure to protect these systems against security breaches or failure of these systems themselves could adversely affect our business, results of operations and liquidity and could result in litigation and penalties. Additionally, if these systems fail or become unavailable for any significant period of time, our business could be harmed.
Potential cyber security incidents could interfere with our business and operations. Computer hacking, installation of malware, installation of ransomware, phishing, and spamming attacks against online networking platforms have become more prevalent and more sophisticated. Though it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from any specific attack or interruption, such events could also be expensive to remedy, harm our reputation or brands, lead users to lose trust and confidence in our business, and/or result in costly fines, penalties, and costly remediation requirements. We, and others on our behalf, also store “personally identifiable information” (“PII”) with respect to employees, vendors, customers, and others. While we have implemented safeguards to protect the privacy of this information, there is still a risk that hackers or others might obtain this information, which would result in potentially costly remedial action, as well as potential fines, penalties, lawsuits, and reputational damage.
Furthermore, we rely on our information systems and those of third parties for storing proprietary company information about our products and intellectual property, as well as for processing patron purchases, loyalty program activity, supporting accounting functions and financial statement preparation, paying our employees, and otherwise running our business. In addition, we may need to enhance our information systems to provide additional capabilities and functionality. The implementation of new information systems and enhancements is frequently disruptive to the underlying business of an enterprise. Any disruptions affecting our ability to accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis could adversely affect our business in a number of respects. If we are unable to successfully implement potential future system enhancements, our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows could be negatively impacted.
We depend on key personnel for our current and future performance.
Our current and future performance depends to a significant degree upon the retention of our senior management team and other key personnel. The loss or unavailability of any member of our senior management team or a key employee could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We cannot give assurance that we would be able to locate or employ qualified replacements for senior management or key employees on acceptable terms.
Supply chain disruptions and labor shortages may negatively impact our operations and operating results.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for certain products, supplies and services, including a single vendor for the warehousing and distribution of most of the products and supplies for our food and beverage operations. Shortages, delays, or interruptions in the availability of food and beverage items and other supplies to our theatres may be caused by adverse weather conditions; natural disasters; governmental regulation; recalls; commodity availability; seasonality; public health crises or pandemics; labor issues or other operational disruptions; the inability of our suppliers to manage adverse business conditions, obtain credit or remain solvent; or other conditions beyond our control. Such shortages, delays or interruptions could adversely affect the availability, quality, and cost of the items we buy and the operations of our business. Supply chain risk could increase our costs and limit the availability of products that are critical to our operations. If we raise prices in response to increased costs or shortages, it may negatively impact our sales. If we temporarily remove popular food and beverage options without comparable alternatives, we may experience a reduction in sales during the time affected by the shortage or thereafter if our guests change their purchasing habits.
During the recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have, with regard to certain items, experienced difficulties in maintaining a consistent supply, seen delays in production and deliveries, been required to identify alternative suppliers, and suspended sales regionally or entirely. We expect these issues to continue for the foreseeable future and plan to minimize the impact by focusing on the supply of those items with the greatest impact on our sales and operations.
One of the impacts of COVID-19 has been extended labor shortages, resulting in our demand for staff outweighing the available supply. The success of our business depends on our ability to recruit and retain staff members for our theatres. Without proper staffing, wait times to buy tickets and concessions are extended, operating hours may be reduced, and, even in some cases, theatres cannot open at all. As patrons begin to return to our theatres in greater numbers, these conditions may result in a poor guest experience, perhaps causing them to not return in the future. These
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labor shortages have also resulted in wages rising to be competitive in the small available workforce. Increased labor costs cut into profits already extremely affected by COVID-19.
Optimizing our theatre circuit through new construction and the transformation of our existing theatres may be subject to delay and unanticipated costs.
The availability of attractive site locations for new construction is subject to various factors that are beyond our control. These factors include:
● local conditions, such as scarcity of space or increase in demand for real estate, demographic changes and changes in zoning and tax laws; and
● competition for site locations from both theatre companies and other businesses.
We typically require 18 to 24 months in the United States from the time we reach an agreement with a landlord to when a theatre opens. This timeframe may vary as we introduce this concept in international markets.
In addition, the improvement of our existing theatres through our enhanced food and beverage and recliner seating and premium sight and sound initiatives is subject to substantial risks, such as difficulty in obtaining permits, landlord approvals and operating licenses (e.g. liquor licenses). We may also experience cost overruns from delays or other unanticipated costs in both new construction and facility improvements. Furthermore, our new sites and transformed locations may not perform to our expectations.
Climate change, adverse weather conditions and natural disasters could adversely affect our theatre operations, sales or financial results.
Climate change and natural disasters may adversely affect our ability to keep movie theatres open and operational in affected regions and consumer ability to travel to our theatres if they are open. Relative to normal weather conditions, extended severe weather as a result of climate change can close theatres for days due to pervasive power outages, flooding, or wildfires. These severe weather events can also result in delays in the construction of new theatres, interruptions to the availability or increases in the cost of utilities, and shortages in the supply, or increases in the costs of concessions and other supplies required for operations. Additionally, the seasonal timing of severe weather patterns tends to mimic the fluctuation of our sales. With our busy season being around the winter holidays and in the summer, the risk is even greater for extended severe winter storms and increased hurricanes and tornadoes in the summer months.
Regulatory Risks
General political, social and economic conditions can reduce our attendance.
Our success depends on general political, social, and economic conditions and the willingness of consumers to spend money at movie theatres. If going to motion pictures becomes less popular or consumers spend less on food and beverage, our operations could be adversely affected. In addition, our operations could be adversely affected if consumers’ discretionary income falls as a result of an economic downturn. Geopolitical events, including the threat of terrorism or cyber-attacks, or widespread health emergencies, such as COVID-19 or other pandemics or epidemics, could cause people to avoid our theatres or other public places where large crowds are in attendance. In addition, due to our concentration in certain markets, natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes in those markets could adversely affect our overall results of operations.
We are subject to substantial government regulation, which could entail significant cost.
We are subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and administrative practices both domestically and internationally affecting our business, and we must comply with provisions regulating antitrust, customary health and sanitation standards and those imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, equal employment, environmental, licensing for the sale of food and, in some theatres, alcoholic beverages, and data protection and privacy laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and other pending future domestic privacy laws and regulations. Our new theatre openings could be delayed or prevented or our existing theatres could be impacted by difficulties or failures in our ability to obtain or maintain required approvals or licenses. Changes in existing laws or implementation of new laws, regulations and practices could have a significant impact on our business. A significant portion of our theatre level employees are part-time workers who are paid at or near the applicable minimum wage in the theatre’s jurisdiction.
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Increases in the minimum wage and implementation of reforms requiring the provision of additional benefits will increase our labor costs.
We own and operate facilities throughout the United States and various international markets throughout Europe and are subject to the environmental laws and regulations of those jurisdictions, particularly laws governing the cleanup of hazardous materials and the management of properties. We might in the future be required to participate in the cleanup of a property that we own or lease, or at which we have been alleged to have disposed of hazardous materials from one of our facilities. In certain circumstances, we might be solely responsible for any such liability under environmental laws, and such claims could be material.
In the U.S., our theatres must comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). Compliance with the ADA requires that public accommodations, including websites and mobile apps for such public accommodations, “reasonably accommodate” individuals with disabilities and that new construction or alterations made to “commercial facilities” conform to accessibility guidelines unless “structurally impracticable” for new construction or technically infeasible for alterations. Non-compliance with the ADA could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, fines, and an award of damages to private litigants or additional capital expenditures to remedy such non-compliance, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. In Europe, all territories have similar national regulations relating to disabilities that our theatres operate in accordance with. Noncompliance with these regulations could carry financial, operational and reputation risks.
We are subject to complex taxation, changes in tax rates, adoption of new United States, European Union or international tax legislation and disagreements with tax authorities that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are subject to many different forms of taxation in both the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions where we operate. Current economic and political conditions, including Brexit and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (“OECD”), proposed recommendations around taxation in the Digital Economy, make tax rates, transfer pricing compliance and tax regulations, including in the U.S., U.K, and European Union subject to significant change. Recent examples include the Court of Justice of the European Union narrowing the EU Interest & Royalty withholding directive, OECD recommendations on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) including new rules for the allocation of multinational organization profits between countries and a global minimum tax rate, the European Commission’s Anti-Tax Avoidance Package, the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law in December 2017, and the CARES Act.
The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations is high and is likely to increase in the future. Any failure on our part to comply with these laws and regulations can result in negative publicity and diversion of management time and effort and may subject us to significant liabilities and other penalties.
The legal regimes governing our international business operations could require our international subsidiaries or their directors to pursue insolvency proceedings.
The legal regimes governing certain of our international subsidiaries (including Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway and Sweden) impose on directors an obligation to pursue insolvency proceedings in certain circumstances. There are various potential triggers including illiquidity, over-indebtedness and inadequate capitalization. If our international subsidiaries were required to (and did) pursue insolvency proceedings, that could in turn trigger events of default under our international credit facility and/or have other material adverse effects on our business and financial position, including additional insolvency proceedings.
We may be reviewed by antitrust authorities.
Given our size and market share, pursuit of acquisition opportunities that would increase the number of our theatres in markets where we have a leading market share would likely result in significant review by antitrust regulators in the applicable jurisdictions, and we may be required to dispose of theatres in order to complete such acquisition opportunities. As a result, we may not be able to succeed in acquiring other exhibition companies or we may have to dispose of a significant number of theatres in key markets in order to complete such acquisitions.
We operate in a consolidating industry that is scrutinized from time to time for compliance with antitrust and competition laws, including currently dormant investigations into film clearances and joint ventures among competing exhibitors. If we were found to have violated antitrust laws, it could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.
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Our business is subject to international economic, political and other risks that could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
As a result of our international operations, 25.8% of our revenues were derived from countries outside the United States for the year ended December 31, 2021. The success of our international operations is subject to risks that are beyond our control. Accordingly, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, including:
● difficulties and costs of staffing and managing international operations among diverse geographies, languages and cultures;
● the impact of regional or country-specific business cycles and economic instability;
● the potential for political, social, or economic unrest, terrorism, hostilities, cyber-attacks or war, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the potential impact of financial and economic sanctions on the regional and global economy;
● fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates which could lead to fluctuations in our reported results of operations or result in significant decreases in the value of our international investments as denominated in U.S. Dollars;
● increased foreign interest rates, foreign exchange fees and other bank charges as a result of financing our foreign operations;
● exposure to anti-corruption laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and the U.K. Bribery Act (the “Bribery Act”), and export-control regulations and economic sanctions regulations, including those promulgated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, United States Department of Treasury (“OFAC”);
● exposure to local economic conditions and local laws and regulations;
● exposure to local labor and employment laws;
● relationships with local labor unions and works councils;
● limited borrowing capabilities relating to activities in non-U.S. countries;
● economic and/or credit conditions abroad;
● potential adverse changes in the political and/or economic stability of foreign countries or in their diplomatic relations with the United States;
● restrictions on the withdrawal of foreign investment and earnings;
● government policies against businesses owned by foreigners;
● investment restrictions or requirements;
● diminished ability to legally enforce our contractual rights in foreign countries;
● difficulty in protecting our brand, reputation and intellectual property;
● restrictions on the ability to obtain or retain licenses required for operation;
● foreign exchange restrictions;
● adverse changes in regulatory or tax requirements;
● restrictions on foreign ownership of subsidiaries;
● data protection and privacy laws, including GDPR, and similar domestic laws such as the California Privacy Act, and other restrictions on transferring personally identifiable information outside of a jurisdiction; and
● tariffs and other trade barriers.
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If we are unable to manage the complexity of our global operations successfully, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risk Related to our Common Stock
There has been significant recent dilution and there may continue to be additional future dilution of our Common Stock, which could adversely affect the market price of shares of our Common Stock. The risks of future dilution must also be weighed against the risks of failing to increase our authorized shares, each of which could adversely affect the market price of shares of our Common Stock.
From January 1, 2020 through February 24, 2022, we have issued 464,698,868 shares of our Common Stock in a combination of at-the-market sales, conversion of Class B common stock, conversion of notes, exchanges of notes, transaction fee payments, and equity grant vesting. As of February 24, 2022, there were 516,778,945 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding. The dilutive effect of these issuances was partially offset by the cancellation of 51,769,784 shares of our Class B common stock. If, in the future, we obtain shareholder approval to increase our authorized shares, we may issue additional shares of Common Stock to raise cash to bolster our liquidity, to refinance indebtedness, for working capital, to finance strategic initiatives and future acquisitions or for other purposes. We may also issue preferred equity securities or securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares of Common Stock. We may also acquire interests in other companies, or other assets by using a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock or just shares of Common Stock. Additionally, vesting under our equity compensation programs results in the issuance of new shares and shares withheld to cover tax withholding obligations upon vesting remain available for future grants. Any of these events may dilute the ownership interests of current stockholders, reduce our earnings per share or have an adverse effect on the price of our shares of Common Stock.
If we are unable to obtain shareholder approval to increase our authorized shares, this will create substantial risks, which could have an adverse effect on the price of our shares of Common Stock, including:
● we will be unable to issue equity to bolster our liquidity and respond to future challenges, including if attendance levels do not return to the levels assumed;
● for future financing, we may be required to issue additional debt, which may be unavailable on favorable terms or at all, which would exacerbate the challenges created by our high leverage;
● we will be unable to issue equity in deleveraging transactions, including exchanges, redemptions or buy-backs of debt, which will limit our flexibility to deliver; and
● we will be unable to issue equity as currency in strategic transactions, including acquisitions, joint ventures or in connection with landlord negotiations, which may prevent us from entering into transactions that could increase shareholder value.
The market prices and trading volume that our shares of Common Stock have recently experienced, and may continue to experience, extreme volatility, which could cause purchasers of our Common Stock could incur substantial losses.
The market prices and trading volume that our shares of Common Stock have recently experienced, and may continue to experience, extreme volatility, which could cause purchasers of our Common Stock to incur substantial losses. For example, during 2021, the market price of our Common Stock has fluctuated from an intra-day low of $1.91 per share on January 5, 2021 to an intra-day high on the NYSE of $72.62 on June 2, 2021. Since June 2, 2021, the trading price of our Common Stock has reached an intra-day low on the NYSE of $13.40 per share on January 28, 2022, and the reported sale price of our Common Stock on the NYSE on February 24, 2022, was $17.68 per share. During 2021, daily trading volume ranged from approximately 18,270,800 to 1,222,342,500 shares.
We believe that the recent volatility and our current market prices reflect market and trading dynamics unrelated to our underlying business, or macro or industry fundamentals, and we do not know how long these dynamics will last. Under the circumstances, we caution you against investing in our Common Stock, unless you are prepared to incur the risk of losing all or a substantial portion of your investment.
Extreme fluctuations in the market price of our Common Stock have been accompanied by reports of strong and atypical retail investor interest, including on social media and online forums. The market volatility and trading patterns we have experienced create several risks for investors, including the following:
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● the market price of our Common Stock has experienced and may continue to experience rapid and substantial increases or decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects, or macro or industry fundamentals, and substantial increases may be significantly inconsistent with the risks and uncertainties that we continue to face;
● factors in the public trading market for our Common Stock may include the sentiment of retail investors (including as may be expressed on financial trading and other social media sites and online forums), the direct access by retail investors to broadly available trading platforms, the amount and status of short interest in our securities, access to margin debt, trading in options and other derivatives on our Common Stock and any related hedging and other trading factors;
● our market capitalization, as implied by various trading prices, currently reflects valuations that diverge significantly from those seen prior to recent volatility and that are significantly higher than our market capitalization immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the extent, these valuations reflect trading dynamics unrelated to our financial performance or prospects, purchasers of our Common Stock could incur substantial losses if there are declines in market prices driven by a return to earlier valuations;
● to the extent volatility in our Common Stock is caused, as has widely been reported, by a “short squeeze” in which coordinated trading activity causes a spike in the market price of our Common Stock as traders with a short position make market purchases to avoid or to mitigate potential losses, investors purchase at inflated prices unrelated to our financial performance or prospects, and may thereafter suffer substantial losses as prices decline once the level of short-covering purchases has abated;
● if the market price of our Common Stock declines, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the price at which you acquired them. We cannot assure you that the equity issuance of our Common Stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future, in which case you could incur substantial losses; and
● the Company will pay cash tax liabilities of $52.2 million to cover withholding obligations upon vesting of awards under our Equity Incentive Plan in January and February of 2022. The Company will withhold shares based on historical elections by participants under the terms of the plan, equivalent to the cash tax requirements for federal, state and local withholdings, pay the required tax obligation and return the withheld shares to the Equity Incentive Plan.
We may continue to incur rapid and substantial increases or decreases in our stock price in the foreseeable future that may not coincide in timing with the disclosure of news or developments by or affecting us. Accordingly, the market price of our shares of Common Stock may fluctuate dramatically and may decline rapidly, regardless of any developments in our business. Overall, there are various factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could negatively affect the market price of our Common Stock or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our Common Stock, including:
● the ongoing impacts and developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic;
● actual or anticipated variations in our annual or quarterly results of operations, including our earnings estimates and whether we meet market expectations with regard to our earnings;
● our current inability to pay dividends or other distributions;
● publication of research reports by analysts or others about us or the motion picture exhibition industry, which may be unfavorable, inaccurate, inconsistent or not disseminated on a regular basis;
● changes in market interest rates that may cause purchasers of our shares to demand a different yield;
● changes in market valuations of similar companies;
● market reaction to any additional equity, debt or other securities that we may issue in the future, and which may or may not dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders;
● additions or departures of key personnel;
● actions by institutional or significant stockholders;
● short interest in our stock and the market response to such short interest;
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● the dramatic increase in the number of individual holders of our stock and their participation in social media platforms targeted at speculative investing;
● speculation in the press or investment community about our company or industry;
● strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or other investments;
● legislative, administrative, regulatory or other actions affecting our business, our industry, including positions taken by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”);
● investigations, proceedings, or litigation that involve or affect us;
● the occurrence of any of the other risk factors included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K; and
● general market and economic conditions.
Future offerings of debt, which would be senior to our Common Stock upon liquidation, and/or preferred equity securities, which may be senior to our Common Stock for purposes of distributions or upon liquidation, could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or preferred equity securities, including convertible or non-convertible senior or subordinated notes, convertible or non-convertible preferred stock, medium-term notes and trust preferred securities, to raise cash or bolster our liquidity, to refinance indebtedness, for working capital, to finance strategic initiatives and future acquisitions or for other purposes. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive distributions of our available assets prior to the holders of our Common Stock. In addition, any preferred stock we may issue could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on distribution payments that could limit our ability to make a distribution to the holders of our Common Stock. Since our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our Common Stock.
Anti-takeover protections in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may discourage or prevent a takeover of our Company, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders.
Provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as amended, as well as provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law delay or make it more difficult to remove incumbent directors or for a third-party to acquire us, even if a takeover would benefit our stockholders. These provisions include:
● a classified board of directors;
● the sole power of a majority of the board of directors to fix the number of directors;
● limitations on the removal of directors;
● the sole power of the board of directors to fill any vacancy on the board of directors, whether such vacancy occurs as a result of an increase in the number of directors or otherwise;
● the ability of our board of directors to designate one or more series of preferred stock and issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval; and
● the inability of stockholders to call special meetings.
Our issuance of shares of preferred stock could delay or prevent a change of control of our company. Our board of directors has the authority to cause us to issue, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, in one or more series, to designate the number of shares constituting any series, and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. The
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issuance of shares of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company without further action by the stockholders, even where stockholders are offered a premium for their shares.
Our incorporation under Delaware law, the ability of our board of directors to create and issue a new series of preferred stock or a stockholder rights plan and certain other provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as amended, could impede a merger, takeover or other business combination involving our company or the replacement of our management or discourage a potential investor from making a tender offer for our Common Stock, which, under certain circumstances, could reduce the market value of our Common Stock.
An issuance of preferred stock could dilute the voting power of the Common Stockholders and adversely affect the market value of our Common Stock.
The issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting rights may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our other classes of voting stock either by diluting the voting power of our other classes of voting stock if they vote together as a single class, or by giving the holders of any such preferred stock the right to block an action on which they have a separate class vote even if the action were approved by the holders of our other classes of voting stock.
In addition, the issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our Common Stock by making an investment in the Common Stock less attractive. For example, investors may not wish to purchase Common Stock at a price above the conversion price of a series of convertible preferred stock because the holders of the preferred stock would effectively be entitled to purchase Common Stock at the lower conversion price causing economic dilution to the holders of Common Stock.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.