Guarantor Subsidiaries (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 68,531	$ 13,616	$ 13,066	$ 25,696
Restricted cash	293	331
Accounts receivable	6,555	4,985
Inventories	4,186	2,955
Deferred income tax asset	2,896
Prepaid expenses and other assets	10,936	9,410
Total current assets	93,397	31,297
Property and equipment:
Land	51,876	53,909
Buildings and building improvements	335,738	276,221
Leasehold improvements	141,758	123,547
Assets under capital leases	44,970	44,970
Equipment	235,223	212,457
Construction in progress	5,185	2,349
Property and equipment	814,750	713,453
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(369,823)	(357,518)
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	444,927	355,935
Intercompany receivables
Investment in subsidiaries
Goodwill	44,577	8,087
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization	1,061	1,169
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (Note 12)	7,682	8,498
Deferred income tax asset	100,012
Other assets	21,072	17,870
Total assets	712,728	422,856
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	32,141	29,583
Accrued expenses	40,049	31,136
Current maturities of long-term debt, capital leases and long-term financing obligations	4,422	3,959
Total current liabilities	76,612	64,678
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current maturities	209,548	196,880
Capital leases and long-term financing obligations, less current maturities	220,725	114,608
Intercompany liabilities
Deferred revenue	32,984	34,009
Other	23,425	18,306
Total long-term liabilities	486,682	363,803
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred Stock
Common Stock	540	401
Treasury stock, 457,230 and 452,930 shares at cost at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively	(11,740)	(11,683)
Paid-in capital	349,666	290,997
Accumulated deficit	(189,032)	(285,340)
Total stockholders' equity	149,434	(5,625)	99	11,302
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	712,728	422,856
Carmike Cinemas, Inc [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	49,093	3,623	3,418	16,232
Restricted cash	293	331
Accounts receivable	5,058	4,654
Inventories	926	722
Deferred income tax asset	3,203
Prepaid expenses and other assets	3,426	4,953
Total current assets	61,999	14,283
Property and equipment:
Land	12,080	12,716
Buildings and building improvements	45,571	46,676
Leasehold improvements	19,200	19,307
Assets under capital leases	8,675	8,675
Equipment	64,167	58,128
Construction in progress	1,352	159
Property and equipment	151,045	145,661
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(77,302)	(75,760)
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	73,743	69,901
Intercompany receivables	92,801	123,071
Investment in subsidiaries	157,522	82,985
Goodwill
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (Note 12)	6,740	8,498
Deferred income tax asset	57,247
Other assets	14,299	10,536
Total assets	464,351	309,274
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	24,071	27,598
Accrued expenses	14,601	19,752
Current maturities of long-term debt, capital leases and long-term financing obligations	442	2,391
Total current liabilities	39,114	49,741
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current maturities	209,548	196,880
Capital leases and long-term financing obligations, less current maturities	27,876	28,223
Intercompany liabilities
Deferred revenue	32,984	34,009
Other	5,395	6,045
Total long-term liabilities	275,803	265,157
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred Stock
Common Stock	540	401
Treasury stock, 457,230 and 452,930 shares at cost at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively	(11,740)	(11,683)
Paid-in capital	349,666	290,997
Accumulated deficit	(189,032)	(285,340)
Total stockholders' equity	149,434	(5,625)
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	464,351	309,274
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	14,870	9,993	9,648	9,464
Restricted cash
Accounts receivable	874	331
Inventories	2,823	2,233
Deferred income tax asset
Prepaid expenses and other assets	5,173	4,457
Total current assets	23,740	17,014
Property and equipment:
Land	39,796	41,193
Buildings and building improvements	223,090	229,545
Leasehold improvements	107,111	104,240
Assets under capital leases	36,295	36,295
Equipment	158,333	154,329
Construction in progress	3,833	2,190
Property and equipment	568,458	567,792
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(291,132)	(281,758)
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	277,326	286,034
Intercompany receivables
Investment in subsidiaries	126
Goodwill	8,087	8,087
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization	1,061	1,169
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (Note 12)	942
Deferred income tax asset	42,765
Other assets	6,026	7,334
Total assets	360,073	319,638
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	9,704	1,985
Accrued expenses	17,250	11,384
Current maturities of long-term debt, capital leases and long-term financing obligations	2,169	1,568
Total current liabilities	29,123	14,937
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current maturities
Capital leases and long-term financing obligations, less current maturities	84,557	86,385
Intercompany liabilities	99,803	123,071
Deferred revenue
Other	11,487	12,261
Total long-term liabilities	195,847	221,717
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred Stock
Common Stock	1	1
Treasury stock, 457,230 and 452,930 shares at cost at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively
Paid-in capital	237,800	237,800
Accumulated deficit	(102,698)	(154,816)
Total stockholders' equity	135,103	82,985
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	360,073	319,638
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	4,568
Restricted cash
Accounts receivable	5,250
Inventories	437
Deferred income tax asset
Prepaid expenses and other assets	2,337
Total current assets	12,592
Property and equipment:
Land
Buildings and building improvements	67,077
Leasehold improvements	15,447
Assets under capital leases
Equipment	12,723
Construction in progress
Property and equipment	95,247
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,389)
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation	93,858
Intercompany receivables	7,002
Investment in subsidiaries
Goodwill	36,490
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (Note 12)
Deferred income tax asset
Other assets	747
Total assets	150,689
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	2,993
Accrued expenses	8,505
Current maturities of long-term debt, capital leases and long-term financing obligations	1,811
Total current liabilities	13,309
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current maturities
Capital leases and long-term financing obligations, less current maturities	108,292
Intercompany liabilities
Deferred revenue
Other	6,543
Total long-term liabilities	114,835
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Treasury stock, 457,230 and 452,930 shares at cost at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively
Paid-in capital	22,037
Accumulated deficit	508
Total stockholders' equity	22,545
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	150,689
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted cash
Accounts receivable	(4,627)
Inventories
Deferred income tax asset	(307)
Prepaid expenses and other assets
Total current assets	(4,934)
Property and equipment:
Land
Buildings and building improvements
Leasehold improvements
Assets under capital leases
Equipment
Construction in progress
Property and equipment
Accumulated depreciation and amortization
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation
Intercompany receivables	(99,803)	(123,071)
Investment in subsidiaries	(157,648)	(82,985)
Goodwill
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (Note 12)
Deferred income tax asset
Other assets
Total assets	(262,385)	(206,056)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	(4,627)
Accrued expenses	(307)
Current maturities of long-term debt, capital leases and long-term financing obligations
Total current liabilities	(4,934)
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt, less current maturities
Capital leases and long-term financing obligations, less current maturities
Intercompany liabilities	(99,803)	(123,071)
Deferred revenue
Other
Total long-term liabilities	(99,803)	(123,071)
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred Stock
Common Stock	(1)	(1)
Treasury stock, 457,230 and 452,930 shares at cost at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively
Paid-in capital	(259,837)	(237,800)
Accumulated deficit	97,942	154,816
Total stockholders' equity	(161,896)	(82,985)
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ (266,633)	$ (206,056)