Can’t Find That Movie You’re Dying To See? A Denver Lawsuit Puts The Spotlight On Big Business

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Photo: AC Landmark Lawsuit
Accountant Martha Ruiz, far left, and stage manager Gary Natoli observe as the cast of "Moonlight" takes the stage after winning the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Denver Film Society, theaters in Colorado have been the victim of coercive practices by Landmark Theaters.

The film society, along with theater groups in Washington D.C. and Detroit, recently filed a federal lawsuit against Landmark, alleging it "uses its market dominance to demand exclusive rights to screen specialty films, resulting in no local competition for those films despite consumer demand.”

The lawsuit specifically mentioned a number of films, including "Moonlight," which won the 2017 Oscar for Best Picture.

Landmark has not commented on the lawsuit. Local film critic and writer Lisa Kennedy spoke with Colorado Matters about the case, and the long-term implications it might have at a time when movie-going seems to be falling out of favor with the general public.