Loews Theatres, founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew, is the oldest theatre chain still operating in North America today. Loews is noted for being the distribution arm and parent company for Hollywood giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), until, forced by a 1949 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the two split in 1954.

In May 1998 Cineplex Odeon Corporation bought out Loews Theatres bought to form Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The company is one of the largest movie theatre exhibitors in the world with theatres in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Korea, and Spain. Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management acquired Loews Cineplex in 2002 and then sold it in 2004 to a private investment firm.