CHICAGO, March,30, 2026 - The 497-unit chain led by Sean Gamble offers home delivery, seat-side presentations, beer and wine at many locations, remote ordering, and a menu of such popular items as pizza, quesadillas and chicken tenders. Indeed, it might be just another dining option if it weren't for the big silver screens beaming back at patrons.
Gamble is the president of Cinemark Holdings, an operator of movie theaters across the U.S. and Latin America. It’s a role that has him operating increasingly like a restaurateur as the company re-defines the movie-going experience.
Films may remain the big draw, but Cinemark has been a leader in sweetening the enticement with a blend of food and beverage amenities and convenience enhancements lifted right from the restaurant world.
Take delivery, which Cinemark’s theaters offer in two forms. Movie-goers can have a nosh or a hot dinner delivered to their plush reclining seats as the films air. If a craving should hit while patrons are watching a flick in their recliner at home, patrons can have a favorite concession item brought to their doors by a third-party service.
The chain also has a loyalty program to foster more visits. The Movie Club reportedly generates more than 50% of visits.
“Food and beverage is a core part of the theatrical moviegoing experience, helping to amplify a great film into a memorable moment, and it has been a consistent, meaningful contributor to Cinemark’s success,” says Gamble. “Our ability to deliver food and beverage offerings with scale and consistency has strengthened guest loyalty and delivered significant business impact.”
Incorporating tricks of the restaurant trade to generate traffic and higher sales per customer is nothing new for the theater trade, which has seen its traditional appeal whittled away by streaming entertainment services. Those ample efforts have included ventures like Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a chain of true theater-restaurant hybrids where patrons can eat at a table while a movie airs.
Arguably none have found as much success with the strategy as Cinemark has.
Like every theater operator, it had its customer base suspended when COVID-19 forced customers to stay home and avoid gatherings. Many consumers found streaming movies on their phones or home TVs to be preferable and less expensive.
Cinemark bounced back in no small part because of the expansion of its foodservice menu and services. The company estimates that it served 130 million meals in 2024 alone.
Cinemark’s food and beverage revenues rose 29% last year. Sales for the company hit $3.1 billion.
The company aimed to maintain the surge last year with a $225 million investment in hospitality improvements, including premium seating, digital ordering capabilities, and food and beverage upgrades.
Many competitors were unable to find a recovery formula. Alamo Drafthouse, for instance, filed for bankruptcy protection.
So did CMX Cinemas, one of the United States’ largest theater chains, and Cinema World Group, global parent of Cinemark archrival and U.S. giant Regal Cinemas.
Gamble took the helm of Cinemark, a public company, in the thick of the COVID crisis. He moved up from CFO and COO to president in July 2021 and added the CEO’s title in January 2022.
He’d come to Cinemark from the movie business. Gamble had served as EVP and CFO of Universal Pictures/NBC Universal, with oversight of the legendary Universal Studios.
Earlier, Gamble worked in a variety of financial roles for NBC parent General Electric, where his responsibilities extended beyond entertainment to GE’s oil and gas equipment business.
His bachelor of science degree from Bucknell University is in mechanical engineering.
Gamble’s work on behalf of the movie-theater industry earned him an appointment as chairman of the Global Cinema Foundation, a trade group for the companies that collectively generate about two-thirds of global box office revenues.
Near-term plans for the company include looking at the design of Cinemark’s concession stands to boost throughput.
“We’re working on a whole series of additional initiatives with new innovations, new floor designs, menu concepts, localized flavors and things of that sort to just sustain that growth as we go forward,” Gamble remarked at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in early March.
In particular, his team plans to expand what the company calls enhanced food offerings, or products that go beyond grab-and-go staples. “We think there’s runway there,” CFO Melissa Thomas told investors in February.
Gamble’s leadership on the food and beverage side of the business earned him a Silver Plate this year in the competition’s Travel & Leisure Foodservice category.
A Silver Plate is presented annually by IFMA The Food Away from Home Association to the top operators in nine sectors of the food-away-from-home industry. A jury of industry leaders and journalists vote via secret ballot for one of the nine to be recognized as industrywide operator of the year, the recipient of the Gold Plate.
The winner is announced at a gala event in early May. This year’s Gold and Silver Plate awards event is slated for May 16 at the Great Hall of Chicago's Union Station. More information is available by clicking here.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.