Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. Since its founding in 1974, Landmark has grown to 35 theaters with 178 screens in 24 markets. Landmark Theatres is known for both its historic and newer, more modern theaters. Helmed by President Kevin Holloway, Landmark Theatres is part of Cohen Media Group (). History 1970s Landmark Theatre Corporation began as Parallax Theatres, which was founded in 1974 by Kim Jorgensen with the opening of the Nuart in Los Angeles, the Sherman in Sherman Oaks, the Rialto in South Pasadena, and the Ken in San Diego. Steve Gilula and Gary Meyer became partners in 1976, as the chain expanded as Landmark. In 1976, the River Oaks Theatre in Houston (which originally opened in 1939) and the single screen Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee were acquired. The Oriental originally opened in July, 1927 and . The Harvard Exit Theatre in Seattle was acquired in 1979. The film programming in Landmark Theatres was a mix of repertory/revival double-features that changed daily. This mix also included smaller independent and foreign films, and 1980s In the early 1980s, Landmark reoriented most of their theaters to exhibit first-run specialized, foreign, and re-released classics on longer, open-ended runs. Larger single screens were converted into two or three screen theaters while preserving the external architecture. In 1981, Landmark acquired the Neptune Theatre in Seattle. A year later, Landmark merged with Movie, Inc. of Santa Fe, NM, another small company capitalizing on the excellence of foreign, alternative, and classic films. In 1988, The Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee was converted to a triplex by adding two theaters underneath the balcony. The original artwork of the main auditorium was left untouched. Additionally, Canal Place Cinema (4 screens) opened on the edge of New Orleans' French Quarter, making it Landmark's first new build. 1989 brought a merger between Landmark and the Seven Gables theater circuit from Seattle and Portland. Landmark was purchased by Heritage Entertainment. 1990s In the early 1990s, Landmark began renovations of its historic buildings, and began developing new multiplex theaters of its own. The new locations included the Westside Pavilion in Los Angeles, the Embarcadero in San Francisco's Financial District, the Embassy in Waltham, MA outside of Boston, the Plaza Frontenac in St. Louis, the Century Center in Chicago, and the Renaissance outside of Chicago in