v3.22.4
INVESTMENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
INVESTMENTS  
INVESTMENTS

NOTE 6—INVESTMENTS

Investments in non-consolidated affiliates and certain other investments accounted for under the equity method generally include all entities in which the Company or its subsidiaries have significant influence, but not more than 50% voting control, and are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets in other long-term assets. Investments in non-consolidated affiliates as of December 31, 2022, include interests in DCDC of 14.6%, AC JV, owner of Fathom Events, of 32.0%, SV Holdco, owner of Screenvision, of 18.3%, DCM of 50.0%, and SCC of 10.0%. The Company also has partnership interests in three U.S. motion picture theatres and approximately 50.0% interest in 57 theatres in Europe. Indebtedness held by equity method investees is non-recourse to the Company.

Investment in Hycroft

On March 14, 2022, the Company purchased 23.4 million units of Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: HYMC) (“Hycroft”) for $27.9 million, with each unit consisting of one common share of Hycroft and one common share purchase warrant. The units were priced at $1.193 per unit. Each warrant is exercisable for one common share of Hycroft at a price of $1.068 per share over a 5-year term through March 2027. Hycroft filed a resale registration statement to register the common shares and warrant shares for the sale under Securities Act on April 14, 2022 which became effective on June 2, 2022. The Company accounts for the common shares of Hycroft under the equity method and we have elected the fair value option in accordance with ASC 825-10. The Company account for the warrants as derivatives in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the fair value of the investments in Hycroft are remeasured at each subsequent reporting period and unrealized gains and losses are reported in investment income. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded unrealized losses related to the investment in Hycroft of $6.3 million in investment expense (income), respectively.

NCM Transactions

Pursuant to the Company’s Common Unit Adjustment Agreement, from time to time common units of NCM held by the Founding Members will be adjusted up or down through a formula (“Common Unit Adjustment” or “CUA”), primarily based on increases or decreases in the number of theatre screens operated and theatre attendance generated by each Founding Member. The CUA is computed annually, except that an earlier CUA will occur for a Founding Member if its acquisition or disposition of theatres, in a single transaction or cumulatively since the most recent CUA, will cause a change of 2% or more in the total annual attendance of all of the Founding Members. In the event that a CUA is determined to be a negative number, the Founding Member shall cause, at its election, either (a) the transfer and surrender to NCM of a number of common units equal to all or part of such Founding Member’s CUA or (b) pay to NCM an amount equal to such Founding Member’s CUA calculated in accordance with the CUA Agreement.

In March 2020, the NCM CUA resulted in a positive adjustment of 1,390,566 common units for the Company. The Company received the units and recorded the common units as an addition to deferred revenues for the ESA at fair value of $4.8 million, based upon a price per share of National CineMedia, Inc. (“NCM, Inc.”) of $3.46 on March 12, 2020. In March 2021, the NCM CUA resulted in a negative adjustment of 3,012,738 common units for the Company, and therefore, the Company paid NCM cash of $9.2 million and recorded the amount as a reduction to deferred revenues for the ESA. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company sold its remaining approximately 1.4 million NCM shares and received net proceeds of $5.7 million, which were recorded in investment expense (income). In March 2022, the NCM CUA resulted in a positive adjustment of 5,954,646 common units for the Company. The Company received the units and recorded the common units as an addition to deferred revenues for the ESA at a fair value of $15.0 million, based upon a price per share of NCM, Inc. of $2.52 on March 30, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company sold its shares of NCM, Inc. for $1.5 million and recorded a realized loss in investment expense of $13.5 million. See Note 1The Company and Significant Accounting Policies and Note 2Revenue Recognition for further information regarding CUA and ESA.

DCIP Transactions

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company received cash distribution of $12.2 million from DCIP, which the Company recorded as a reduction to its investment in DCIP. The distribution reduced the Company’s recorded investment below $0 and therefore the Company recorded equity in earnings of $4.0 million to increase its investment to $0 as the Company has not guaranteed any of the liabilities of DCIP. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company received distributions from DCIP of digital projectors it had been leasing with an estimated fair value of $125.2 million, which the Company recorded as a reduction to its investment in DCIP. DCIP ceased operations

during the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company received a liquidation distribution of $3.4 million from DCIP, which the Company recorded as equity in earnings. The Company will record any future liquidation distributions to equity in earnings.

AC JV Transactions

On December 26, 2013, the Company amended and restated its existing ESA with NCM in connection with the spin-off by NCM of its Fathom Events business to AC JV, a newly-formed company owned 32% by each of the Founding Members and 4% by NCM. AC JV distributes alternative content to theatre exhibitors. As of December 31, 2019, Cinemark and Regal also amended and restated their respective ESAs with NCM in connection with the spin-off. The ESAs were modified to remove those provisions addressing the rights and obligations related to digital programing services of the Fathom Events business. Those provisions are now contained in the Amended and Restated Digital Programming Exhibitor Services Agreements (the “Digital ESAs”) that were entered into on December 26, 2013 by NCM and each of the Founding Members. These Digital ESAs were then assigned by NCM to AC JV as part of the Fathom spin-off.

Summary Financial Information

Investments in non-consolidated affiliates accounted for under the equity method as of December 31, 2022, include interests in Hycroft, SV Holdco, DCM, AC JV, DCDC, SCC, 57 theatres in Europe, three U.S. motion picture theatres, and other immaterial investments.

Condensed financial information of the Company’s non-consolidated equity method investments is shown below with amounts presented under U.S. GAAP:

(In millions)

    

December 31, 2022

December 31, 2021

Current assets

$

411.5

$

265.6

Noncurrent assets

431.9

 

348.5

Total assets

843.4

 

614.1

Current liabilities

152.8

 

218.4

Noncurrent liabilities

452.9

 

208.7

Total liabilities

605.7

 

427.1

Stockholders’ equity

237.7

 

187.0

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

843.4

 

614.1

The Company’s recorded investment

69.6

85.6

Condensed financial information of the Company’s non-consolidated equity method investments is shown below and amounts are presented under U.S. GAAP for the periods of ownership by the Company:

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

(In millions)

    

2022

    

2021

2020

Revenues

$

412.8

$

285.1

$

162.7

Operating costs and expenses

498.2

287.6

347.9

Net loss

$

(85.4)

$

(2.5)

$

(185.2)

The components of the Company’s recorded equity in earnings (loss) of non-consolidated entities are as follows:

Year Ended

(In millions)

    

December 31, 2022

    

December 31, 2021

December 31, 2020

The Company’s recorded equity in earnings (loss)

$

(1.6)

$

11.0

$

(30.9)

Related Party Transactions

The Company recorded the following related party transactions with equity method investees:

As of

    

As of

(In millions)

December 31, 2022

    

December 31, 2021

Due from DCM for on-screen advertising revenue

$

2.2

$

2.2

Loan receivable from DCM

0.6

0.7

Due to AC JV for Fathom Events programming

(2.0)

(3.7)

Due from Screenvision for on-screen advertising revenue

2.3

Due from Nordic JVs

1.3

0.9

Due to Nordic JVs for management services

(1.1)

(1.1)

Due from SCC related to the joint venture

1.4

1.3

Due to U.S. theatre partnerships

(0.7)

Year Ended

(In millions)

Consolidated Statements of Operations

December 31, 2022

December 31, 2021

December 31, 2020

DCM screen advertising revenues

Other revenues

$

17.0

$

7.8

$

3.8

DCIP equipment rental expense

Operating expense

-

0.2

1.0

Gross exhibition cost on AC JV Fathom Events programming

Film exhibition costs

11.6

10.4

3.9

Screenvision screen advertising revenues

Other revenues

6.9

4.6

2.6