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Cinetopia, the upscale movie theater chain that started in Vancouver, Wash., seems to have suddenly shuttered, with little notice or explanation.
The Columbian reported today that all three of the chain's Portland-area locations, as well as a fourth outside Kansas City, Kan., appear to have closed.
According to the article, Cinetopia's original location, on Mill Plain Road in Vancouver, had a sign up Monday afternoon announcing that the theater would be closed "until further notice." The paper reported similar situations at the theater's locations in Beaverton, the Vancouver Mall and Overland Park, Kan.
When reached by The Columbian, representatives for Cinetopia said the closures were due to "restructuring," but declined to elaborate further.
Fandango currently has no showtimes listed for any Cinetopia theater, and WW's calls to all four locations went unanswered.
Cinetopia launched in 2005, with luxury accommodations including leather seating, state-of-the-art digital projectors and food and alcohol service.
Earlier this year, owner Rudyard Coltman opened Studio One Theaters, another high-end theater complex featuring themed living-room-style screening rooms, along with a restaurant, bar and music venue, in Southeast Portland. Coltman did not respond to an email requesting comment.
Related: Studio One Theaters Is a Luxe Cinema, Bar and Music Venue, Not Necessarily in That Order.
The shuttering comes in the midst of a legal battle between Cinetopia and cinema giant AMC Theaters. Last year, Cinetopia sued AMC, claiming that AMC's practice of forcing studios to give them exclusive screening rights to major films violated antitrust laws. The lawsuit also claims AMC "engaged in…bad-faith negotiations" when it attempted to acquire Cinetopia in 2017.
According to The Columbian, the two sides began working toward a settlement in March, which they are expected to present in court this Friday.