Movie-theater stocks fall, after report that U.K.’s Cineworld is preparing for bankruptcy

Shares of movie-theater operators fell in premarket trading Friday, after the Wall Street Journal reported that U.K. cinema chain Cineworld Group PLC , the parent of Regal Entertainment Group, was preparing to file for bankruptcy. The report follows Cineworld’s disclosure earlier this week that it was evaluating options for additional liquidity and a balance-sheet restructuring. Cineworld’s U.K.-listed shares plunged 22.5%. Shares of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. dropped 8.6% ahead of Friday’s open, but they may also be weighed down by weakness in other so-called meme stocks. Also, Cinemark Holdings Inc. shares shed 3% premarket and IMAX Corp.’s stock fell 0.3%. Separately, EPR Properties stock dropped 3.4% premarket, as the real-estate investment trust (REIT) has exposure to Cineworld, since Cineworld is the parent of entities that lease EPR’s Regal theaters. Earlier this week, EPR said Regal was current on all payments due EPR.

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