National Association of Theatre Owners

National Association of Theatre Owners
AbbreviationNATO
Formation1965; 59 years ago (1965)
Merger ofTheater Owners of America and the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors
TypeTrade organization
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Location
Region served
Worldwide
President and CEO
Michael O'Leary
20 members
Key people
Bob Bagby, Chairman
Mike Bowers, Vice Chairman
Joe Masher
Bo Chambliss
Websitewww.theatreowners.org

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the worldwide major theater chains' operators are members, as are hundreds of independent theater operators; collectively, they account for the operation of over 35,000 motion picture screens in all 50 U.S. states and over 33,000 screens in 100 other countries.

NATO was founded in 1965 by the merger of the largest movie theater trade organizations, the Theater Owners of America and the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors.[1]

The long-running official magazine of NATO is Boxoffice; between 2001 and 2007, they also published In Focus.[2]

  1. ^ "Merger Approved by Theater Owners". The New York Times. September 9, 1965. p. 15.
  2. ^ "In Focus Magazine Archive". National Association of Theatre Owners. Archived from the original on 2013-03-02.