Mark Cuban's Landmark Theatres Sold to Cohen Media Group

Arthouse cinema chain Landmark Theatres has been sold by Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner to Cohen Media Group for an undisclosed sum, the company announced on Tuesday.

The purchase ends a long bidding battle for Landmark after the two businessmen put the chain on the block back in April. Cuban and Wagner first purchased Landmark back in 2003, placing it under their 2929 Entertainment banner alongside Magnolia Pictures, HDNet, and AXS TV. A sale of Landmark had previously been attempted in 2013, but no deal was made.

Among those that reportedly considered buying Landmark this year were streaming giants Amazon Studios and Netflix. Netflix backed off preliminary plans to offer a bid and is currently screening their awards contender, “Roma,” at Landmark locations. In August, reports also surfaced that Amazon made a bid. But since the hire of Jen Salke as its new studio head, Amazon has signaled that it is expanding beyond arthouse fare with a division focused on blockbusters led by recently promoted film division co-head Julie Rapaport.

Also Read: Mark Cuban's Landmark Theatres Denied Dismissal of 'Exploitation' Lawsuit

Cohen Media Group, an indie distributor and production unit that released last year’s Best Foreign Language Oscar winner “The Salesman,” will keep all of Landmark’s senior management, including CEO Ted Mundorff.

“Anyone who knows Charles, knows he is an avid lover of art and cinema, and this deal to purchase Landmark serves so many of his true passions and interests,” Mundorff said in a statement.

“By acquiring our chain, he has supercharged and scaled his distribution footprint in the arthouse sector, where he has been a savvy distributor and producer for many, many years. He has also acquired the crown jewel in the arthouse exhibition arena with prime A-list locations and an established loyal base of customers who love our theaters, brand and diverse range of extraordinary, high-quality programming choices throughout the year.”

Also Read: Mark Cuban's Landmark Theatres Chain Is on the Block

“I have been in the arthouse business for a long time as both a distributor and a producer, and I know better than most, that these films need a special home and require the utmost care. Landmark is that home. I have long admired and respected the way Landmark has built and grown its business from the ground up and I love this area of the business,” CMG chairman Charles S. Cohen said.

Stephens Inc. served as exclusive financial advisor to Landmark in the transaction.

Netflix in December: What's Coming and Going That You Should Really, Really Watch (Photos)

With dozens of new titles hitting Netflix each month, it can be difficult to keep track of what to watch. So TheWrap has compiled a list, updated each month, of the best new shows and movies to check out and which to watch before they're gone for good.
Leaving Dec. 1: "Sons of Anarchy" Season 1-7 The hit FX drama from creator Kurt Sutter, which was later spun off into the currently airing "Mayans M.C.," stars Charlie Hunnam as Jackson "Jax" Teller, the leader of a outlaw motorcycle club in Central California.
FX
Arriving Dec. 2: "The Lobster" An absurdist comedy co-written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, whose latest film "The Favourite" hit theaters in November, "The Lobster" stars Colin Farrell as a man seeking a partner in a world where single people are transformed into animals.
A24
Arriving Dec. 7: "Dumplin" Danielle Macdonald stars as Dumplin', the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Jennifer Aniston), who signs up for her mom's pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow in her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.
Netflix
Leaving Dec. 10: "Battle Royale" A stealth romance disguised as a bloody teen slasher, the Japanese modern classic "Battle Royale" centers on a group of high schoolers who are sent to an isolated island where they're forced to compete in a "Hunger Games"-style fight to the death.
Toei Company
Leaving Dec. 12: "Trolls" DreamWorks Animation's 2016 film, based on the elaborately coiffed dolls popular in the '90s, stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake as a pair of trolls who embark on a mission to rescue their village from a troll-eating monster.
DreamWorks Animation
Arriving Dec. 14: "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter's Tale" A holiday-themed episode of the Netflix original series, "A Midwinter's Tale" picks up as the winter solstice approaches, as Sabrina orchestrates an emotional séance with serious consequences and Susie's merry plans turn menacing.
Netflix
Arriving Dec. 14: "Roma" Alfonso Cuarón's latest Oscar contender chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
Netflix
Leaving Dec. 15: "Step Up 2: The Streets" The second installment in "Crazy Rich Asians" director Jon M. Chu's dance movie franchise, "Step Up 2: The Streets" stars Briana Evigan as a street dancer who finds herself caught between two worlds when she's recruited to a prestigious dance school.
Touchstone
Arriving Dec. 16: "Springsteen on Broadway" A filmed version of the stage show based on his best-selling autobiography, Bruce Springsteen performs acoustic versions of his music and shares personal stories.
Netflix
Arriving Dec. 18: "Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable" Filmed at Seattle's Benaroya Hall, Ellen DeGeneres makes her return to stand-up after a 15-year hiatus for a new Netflix special.
Netflix
Arriving Dec. 18: "Terrace House: Opening New Doors" Part 5 In the latest batch of episodes from Japan's gentlest reality show, Takayuki and Aya keep going on dates, but Takayuki's heart may be set on someone else, and new member Shunsuke begins a journey of self-discovery.
Netflix
Leaving Dec. 20: "Moana" Featuring songs by "Hamilton's" Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney's "Moana" centers on the strong-willed daughter, straining at the confines of her Polynesian island, who is tasked with tracking down the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to save her home.
Disney
Arriving Dec. 21: "Bird Box" Set five years after a wave of mass suicides decimates the population, "Bird Box" stars Sandra Bullock as a mother of two children who embarks on a desperate, dangerous quest for sanctuary.
Netflix
Arriving Dec. 24: "The Magicians" Season 3 Syfy's zany adaptation of the popular series of Lev Grossman novels centers on a group of students at a secret university for magicians as they grapple with everything from bad hookups to murderous trickster gods to fairies who try to take over the world.
Syfy
Arriving Dec. 25: "Avengers: Infinity War" The first part in Marvel's decade-in-the-making superhero team-up unites nearly every hero from the franchise's 20 films in a showdown against the world-destroying villain Thanos and features one of the biggest cliffhangers in cinematic history.
Marvel
Arriving Dec. 31: "The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From a Mythical Man" Tommy Avallone's 2018 documentary investigates the mythical encounters everyday people have had with Bill Murray, from photobombed wedding photos to crashed house parties.
Getty Images

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TheWrap has compiled the highlights — before it’s too late

With dozens of new titles hitting Netflix each month, it can be difficult to keep track of what to watch. So TheWrap has compiled a list, updated each month, of the best new shows and movies to check out and which to watch before they're gone for good.

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Mark Cuban’s Landmark Theatres Sold to Cohen Media Group

Netflix in December: What's Coming and Going That You Should Really, Really Watch (Photos)

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Netflix in December: What's Coming and Going That You Should Really, Really Watch (Photos)

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