Cinemark Holdings reported total revenue of $1,059.1m for the three months ended 30 September, up 23.5% from $857.5m a year earlier, in results published on Tuesday. Net income attributable to the company more than doubled to $122.8m, or $1.04 a diluted share, from $49.5m, or $0.40. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $267.6m from $177.6m, a third-quarter high, with the margin expanding 460 basis points to 25.3%. Worldwide attendance was 63.7 million patrons, up from 54.2 million.
Key facts
- Q3 revenue $1,059.1m (+23.5%); admissions $530.8m; concessions $413.9m; other $114.4m
- Net income attributable $122.8m (+148%); diluted EPS $1.04 vs $0.40; adjusted EBITDA $267.6m (+51%)
- Attendance 63.7m patrons (+18%); worldwide average ticket $8.33; concession per patron $6.50 (Q3 record)
- US revenue $817.5m on 37.4m admissions; international $241.6m on 26.3m admissions
- Nine-month revenue $2,788.6m (+19.2%); attributable net income $255.8m; adjusted EBITDA $650.1m; cash $555.5m at quarter-end
Attendance and premium formats
Most of the lift came from more tickets sold rather than from price alone. Global attendance rose about 18%, the company said in its executive commentary. The worldwide average ticket price moved to $8.33 from $7.93, while concession revenue per patron reached a third-quarter high of $6.50. Merchandise contributed a second consecutive quarter of $25m in retail sales, led by Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which the commentary calls Cinemark’s highest-grossing film and its highest-grossing retail programme to date.
Premium large-format admissions across XD, IMAX and ScreenX rose 50% year-on-year to an all-time high and accounted for 18% of box office. Motion-seat revenue grew 62% and made up 7% of global admissions revenue. Non-traditional content, including local-language titles, again contributed nearly 10% of admissions revenue; Brazilian comedy Minha Melhor Amiga was the fifth-highest title in the Latin American circuit in the quarter.
In the US segment, revenue was $817.5m on 37.4 million admissions, with an average ticket of $11.16 and concession per patron of $8.66. The international segment, mainly Latin America, contributed $241.6m on 26.3 million admissions. The company said it has held market-share gains of more than 150 basis points since the pandemic in both the US and Latin America.
Cash, capex and the circuit
Operating cash flow in the quarter was $136m and free cash flow $66m. Capital expenditure was $70m in the quarter and $170m year-to-date, on the way to a full-year plan of about $250m. Cash and cash equivalents stood at $555.5m at 30 September, against long-term debt of $1.88bn. Cinemark lists 301 theatres and 4,211 screens in 42 US states and 195 theatres and 1,407 screens across 13 South and Central American countries.
President and chief executive Sean Gamble said worldwide revenue and adjusted EBITDA had reached third-quarter highs after a record second quarter, and pointed to “positive box office momentum from a compelling slate of summer releases.” The company also said Movie Club membership had passed 1.5 million and drove about 30% of US box office in the quarter, with more than 30 million members in global loyalty programmes.
The domestic industry backdrop in the commentary includes more than $3bn of US box office in the third quarter, a year-to-date total approaching $8.5bn, and exclusive theatrical windows for wide releases averaging about 42 days since studios lengthened commitments earlier in 2026. Marcus Theatres reported its own record third quarter on the same summer titles; AMC’s third-quarter results are due on 4 November. More exhibitor filings sit in our Money & Policy and box office sections.
Our reading
Cinemark’s third quarter is a clean read on US and Latin American exhibition after a strong summer: attendance up nearly a fifth, premium formats taking a larger share, and adjusted EBITDA rising faster than revenue. The concentration risk is the same one Marcus flagged: a handful of titles did the heavy lifting, and the fourth quarter will show whether that breadth holds when the slate thins. The balance sheet cash and free-cash-flow figures give the circuit room to keep spending on recliners, laser and ScreenX while AMC reports tomorrow.
Sources
- Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results (earnings release PDF, 3 November 2026)
- Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Executive Commentary (3 November 2026)
- Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Q3 2026 Earnings Highlights
- Cinemark Holdings IR, Financial Results (Q3 2026)
- Business Wire, Cinemark Holdings, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Results (3 November 2026)