SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Business

Business — Cinemark Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) operate in the motion picture exhibition industry, with theatres in the United States (“U.S.”) and in 15 countries in Latin America.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation — The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Cinemark Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Majority-owned subsidiaries that the Company has control of are consolidated while those affiliates of which the Company owns between 20% and 50% and does not control are accounted for under the equity method. Those affiliates of which the Company owns less than 20% are generally accounted for under the cost method, unless the Company is deemed to have the ability to exercise significant influence over the affiliate, in which case the Company would account for its investment under the equity method. The results of these equity method investees are included in the consolidated financial statements effective from their date of formation or from their dates of acquisition. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents — Cash and cash equivalents consist of operating funds held in financial institutions, petty cash held by the theatres, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased and restricted cash. The Company invests its cash primarily in money market funds, certificates of deposit, commercial paper or other similar funds. The Company maintains cash deposits required to support bank letters of credit issued for bank loans of certain of the Company’s international subsidiaries that totaled $25,767 as of December 31, 2021 and are considered restricted cash. See Note 13 for further discussion.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable – Accounts receivable, which are recorded at net realizable value, consist primarily of receivables related to screen advertising, screen rental, receivables related to discounted tickets and gift cards sold to third party retail locations, receivables from landlords related to theatre construction projects, rebates earned from the Company’s concession vendors and value-added and other non-income tax receivables.

Inventories

Inventories — Concession inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or net realizable value.

Theatre Properties and Equipment

Theatre Properties and Equipment — Theatre properties and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:

Category	Useful Life
Buildings on owned land	40 years
Buildings on leased land	Lesser of lease term or useful life
Land and buildings under finance leases (1)	Lease term
Theatre furniture and equipment	3 to 15 years
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of lease term or useful life

(1)Amortization of finance lease assets is included in depreciation and amortization expense on the consolidated statements of income. Accumulated amortization of finance lease assets as of December 31, 2020 and 2021 was $47,961 and $57,778, respectively.

The Company evaluates long-lived assets for impairment indicators on a quarterly basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable (qualitative evaluation). The Company also performs a full quantitative impairment evaluation on an annual basis.

These qualitative and quantitative evaluations are described below:

•Quantitative approach The Company performs a quantitative evaluation at the theatre level using estimated undiscounted cash flows from continuing use through the remainder of the theatre’s useful life. The remainder of the theatre’s useful life correlates with the remaining lease period, which includes the probability of the exercise of available renewal periods for leased properties, and the lesser of twenty years or the building’s remaining useful life for owned properties. If the estimated undiscounted cash flows are not sufficient to recover a long-lived asset’s carrying value, the Company then compares the carrying value of the asset group (theatre) with its estimated fair value. Significant judgment, including management’s estimate of future theatre level cash flows for each theatre is involved in estimating fair value. For its 2020 and 2021 long-lived impairment assessments, significant management judgement was involved in estimating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the timing of recovery for each of the Company's theatres based on projected box office. Fair value is estimated based on a multiple of cash flows. Management’s estimates, which fall under Level 3 of the U.S. GAAP fair value hierarchy, as defined by FASB ASC Topic 820-10-35, are based on projected operating performance, market transactions and industry trading multiples.

•Qualitative approach The Company’s qualitative assessment considers relevant market transactions, industry trading multiples and recent developments that would impact its estimates of future cash flows as compared to its most recent quantitative impairment assessment.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets — The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually during the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of the goodwill may not be fully recoverable. The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level and has allocated goodwill to the reporting unit based on an estimate of its relative fair value. Management considers the reporting unit to be each of its regions in the U.S. and each of its international countries with Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala considered one reporting unit (the Company does not have goodwill recorded for all of its international locations). Under ASC Topic 350, Goodwill, Intangibles and Other (“ASC Topic 350”), the Company may perform a qualitative impairment assessment or a quantitative impairment assessment of our goodwill which are described below:

•Quantitative approach Under a quantitative goodwill impairment analysis, the Company estimates the fair value of each reporting unit and compares it with its carrying value. Fair value is estimated using the market approach, which is the most common valuation approach for the Company’s industry and considers a multiple of cash flows for each reporting unit as the basis for fair value. Significant judgment including management’s estimate of future theatre level cash flows for each theatre is involved in estimating fair value of a reporting unit. For its 2020 and 2021 goodwill impairment assessments, significant management judgement was involved in estimating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the timing of recovery for each of the Company's theatres based on projected box office. The Company’s estimates, which fall under Level 3 of the U.S. GAAP fair value hierarchy as defined by FASB ASC Topic 820-10-35, are based on projected operating performance of each reporting unit, relevant market transactions and industry trading multiples.

•Qualitative approach The Company’s qualitative assessment of goodwill for each reporting unit considers economic and market conditions, industry trading multiples and the impact of recent developments and events on the estimated fair values as determined during its most recent quantitative assessment.

Tradename intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be fully recoverable. Under ASC Topic 350, the Company can elect to perform a qualitative or quantitative impairment assessment for our tradename intangible assets as described below:

•Quantitative approach The Company compares the carrying values of its tradename assets to their estimated fair values. Fair values are estimated by applying an estimated market royalty rate that could be charged for the use of the tradenames to forecasted future revenues, with an adjustment for the present value of such royalties. Significant judgment, including management’s estimate of market royalty rates and long-term revenue forecasts, is involved in estimating the tradename fair values. For its 2020 and 2021 tradename impairment assessments, significant management judgement was involved in estimating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the timing of recovery for each of the Company's theatres based on projected box office. Management’s estimates, which fall under Level 3 of the U.S. GAAP fair value hierarchy as defined by FASB ASC Topic 820-10-35, were based on projected revenue performance and expected industry trends.

•Qualitative approach The Company’s qualitative assessment considers industry and market conditions and recent developments that may impact the revenue forecasts and other estimates as compared to its most recent quantitative assessment.

The table below summarizes the Company’s intangible assets and the amortization method used for each type of intangible asset:

Intangible Asset	Amortization Method
Goodwill	Indefinite-lived
Tradename	Indefinite-lived and definite-lived. Definite-lived tradename asset has a remaining useful life of approximately five years.
Other intangible assets	Straight-line method over the terms of the underlying agreement or the expected useful life of the intangible asset. The remaining useful lives of these intangible assets range from one to four years.

Lease Accounting

Lease Accounting — See Note 4 for discussion of the Company’s lease accounting policies.

Deferred Charges

Deferred Charges and Other Assets — Deferred charges and other assets consist of construction, lease and other deposits, equipment to be placed in service, and other assets of a long-term nature.

Self-Insurance Reserves

Self-Insurance Reserves — In the U.S., the Company is self-insured for general liability claims. For each of the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, general liability claims were capped at $500 per occurrence with no aggregate annual cap. For its international locations, the Company is fully insured for general liability claims with little or no deductibles per occurrence. The Company has a fully-funded deductible workers compensation insurance plan under which the Company is responsible for pre-funding claims and is responsible for claims up to $250 per occurrence, with an annual cap of $5,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Company is also self-insured for domestic medical claims with a cap of $250 per occurrence for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021. As of December 31, 2020 and 2021, the Company’s self-insurance reserves were $9,034 and $6,810, respectively, and are reflected in accrued other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Revenue and Expense Recognition

Revenue Recognition — See Note 5 for discussion of revenue recognition and deferred revenue.

Expenses — Film rental costs are subject to the film licensing arrangement and accrued based on the applicable box office receipts and either; 1) a sliding scale formula, which is generally established with the studio prior to the opening of the film, 2) a firm terms formula as negotiated prior to a film's theatrical run or 3) estimates of the final settlement rate, which occurs at the conclusion of the film run. Under a sliding scale formula, the Company pays a percentage of box office revenues using a pre-determined scale that is based upon box office performance of the film for its full run. Under a firm terms formula, the Company pays the distributor a percentage of box office receipts that can either be an aggregate rate for the full theatrical run or rates that decline over the term of the theatrical run. The settlement process allows for negotiation of film rental fees upon the conclusion of the film's theatrical run based upon how the film performs. Estimates are based on the expected success of a film. The success of a film can generally be determined a few weeks after a film is released when the initial box office performance of the film is known. If actual settlements are different than those estimates, film rental costs are adjusted at that time.

Accounting for Share Based Awards

Accounting for Share Based Awards — The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an equity award based on the fair value of the award on the date of the grant. The grant date fair value is based on the Company’s stock price on the grant date. Such costs are recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award (which is usually the vesting period). At the time of the grant, the Company also estimates the number of awards that will ultimately be forfeited. See Note 17 for discussion of the Company’s share based awards and related compensation expense.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes — The Company uses an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income taxes are provided when tax laws and financial accounting standards differ with respect to the amount of income for a year and the basis of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amount of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such assets will be realized. Income taxes are provided on unremitted earnings from foreign subsidiaries unless such earnings are expected to be indefinitely reinvested. Income taxes have also been provided for potential tax assessments. The evaluation of an uncertain tax position is a two-step process. The first step is recognition: The Company determines whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. In evaluating whether a tax position has met the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company should presume that the position would be examined by the appropriate taxing authority that would have full knowledge of all relevant information. The second step is measurement: A tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The tax position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Differences between tax positions taken in a tax return and amounts recognized in the financial statements result in (1) a change in a liability for income taxes payable or (2) a change in an income tax refund receivable, a deferred tax asset or a deferred tax liability or both (1) and (2). The Company accrues interest and penalties on its uncertain tax positions as a component of income tax expense. See further discussion in Note 19.

Segments

Segments — For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Company managed its business under two reportable operating segments, U.S. markets and international markets. See Note 21.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses

during the periods presented. The Company’s consolidated financial statements include amounts that are based on management’s best estimates and judgments. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Foreign Currency Translations

Foreign Currency Translations — The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates as of the balance sheet date, and revenues and expenses are translated at average monthly exchange rates. The resulting translation adjustments are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets in accumulated other comprehensive loss. See Note 15 for a summary of the translation adjustments recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Company recognizes foreign currency transaction gains and losses when changes in exchange rates impact transactions, other than intercompany transactions of a long-term investment nature, that have been denominated in a currency other than the functional currency.

The Company deemed Argentina to be highly inflationary beginning July 1, 2018. A highly inflationary economy is defined as an economy with a cumulative inflation rate of approximately 100 percent or more over a three-year period. If a country’s economy is classified as highly inflationary, the financial statements of the foreign entity operating in that country must be remeasured to the functional currency of the reporting entity. The financial statements of the Company’s Argentina subsidiaries has been remeasured in U.S. dollars in accordance with ASC Topic 830, Foreign Currency Matters, effective beginning July 1, 2018. See further discussion in Note 15.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements — According to authoritative guidance, inputs used in fair value measurements fall into three different categories; Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. See Note 14 for a discussion of our fair value measurements for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions — The Company accounts for acquisitions under the acquisition method of accounting. The acquisition method requires that the acquired assets and liabilities, including contingencies, be recorded at fair value determined on the acquisition date and changes thereafter reflected in income. For certain acquisitions, the Company obtains independent third party valuation studies for certain of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed to assist the Company in determining fair value. The estimation of the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed involves a number of estimates and assumptions that could differ materially from the actual amounts realized. The Company provides assumptions, including both quantitative and qualitative information, about the specified asset or liability to the third party valuation firms. The Company primarily utilizes the third party to accumulate comparative data from multiple sources and assemble a report that summarizes the information obtained. The Company then uses the information to record estimated fair value. The third party valuation firms are supervised by Company personnel who are knowledgeable about valuations and fair value. The Company evaluates the appropriateness of the assumptions and valuation methodologies utilized by the third party valuation firm.

Interest Rate Swaps

Interest Rate Swaps – The Company evaluates its interest rate swap agreements, which are designated as cash flow hedges, to determine whether they are effective on a quarterly basis in accordance with ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The fair values of the interest rate swaps are estimated based on future estimated net cash flows considering forecasted interest rates for the terms of the interest rate swap agreements as compared to the fixed interest rates paid under the agreements. If deemed to be effective, fair value estimates are recorded on the consolidated balance sheets as an asset or liability with the related gains or losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. If the swaps are determined to not be effective, the gains or losses are recorded in interest expense on the consolidated income statement. See further discussion in Note 13.

Restructuring Charges

Restructuring Charges – During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded restructuring charges based on an approved and announced restructuring plan, specifically related to headcount reductions, the permanent closure of underperforming theatres and the write-down of related theatre assets. The costs of the restructuring actions were accrued based on estimates at the time the plan was formalized. Adjustments made to restructuring charges based on actual costs incurred were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2021. See further discussion in Note 3.