Guarantor Subsidiaries - Condensed Consolidating Statement of Operations (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012
Revenues:
Admissions	$ 107,825	$ 86,434	$ 189,348	$ 169,125
Concessions and other	62,648	49,099	111,219	96,375
Total operating revenues	170,473	135,533	300,567	265,500
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	61,141	48,254	104,405	91,497
Concession costs	7,730	5,481	13,699	11,048
Other theatre operating costs	61,768	52,290	119,728	104,421
General and administrative expenses	6,032	5,174	12,047	10,174
Severance agreement charges		493		493
Lease termination charges			3,063
Depreciation and amortization	10,251	7,737	20,483	15,504
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment	(21)		59	248
Impairment of long-lived assets	207	50	411	1,536
Total operating costs and expenses	147,108	119,479	273,895	234,921
Operating income	23,365	16,054	26,672	30,579
Interest expense	12,346	8,611	24,645	16,874
Loss on extinguishment of debt		4,961		4,961
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	11,019	2,482	2,027	8,744
Income tax (benefit) expense	4,755	912	459	3,320
(Loss) income from unconsolidated affiliates	352	(448)	(663)	(992)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	6,616	1,122	905	4,432
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	61	76	(11)	(3)
Net income (loss)	6,677	1,198	894	4,429
Carmike Cinemas, Inc. [Member]
Revenues:
Admissions	14,733	14,195	25,977	27,916
Concessions and other	17,550	14,954	31,527	29,752
Total operating revenues	32,283	29,149	57,504	57,668
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	8,178	7,974	14,215	15,179
Concession costs	1,133	997	2,034	2,008
Other theatre operating costs	9,558	10,255	19,406	21,363
General and administrative expenses	5,425	4,588	10,854	9,016
Severance agreement charges		493		493
Depreciation and amortization	1,871	1,715	3,750	3,422
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment			4	20
Impairment of long-lived assets	23	4	23	13
Total operating costs and expenses	26,188	26,026	50,286	51,514
Operating income	6,095	3,123	7,218	6,154
Interest expense	2,047	2,363	4,072	4,882
Loss on extinguishment of debt		4,961		4,961
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(4,392)	(3,912)	409	(7,284)
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	8,440	(289)	2,737	3,595
Income tax (benefit) expense	2,016	(2,034)	1,009	(2,129)
(Loss) income from unconsolidated affiliates	253	(518)	(835)	(1,172)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	6,677	1,227	893	4,552
(Loss) income from discontinued operations		(29)	1	(123)
Net income (loss)	6,677	1,198	894	4,429
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Revenues:
Admissions	76,587	72,239	135,299	141,209
Concessions and other	44,933	40,752	79,742	79,543
Total operating revenues	121,520	112,991	215,041	220,752
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	43,571	40,280	74,472	76,318
Concession costs	5,627	4,484	9,905	9,040
Other theatre operating costs	51,320	48,642	97,401	95,978
General and administrative expenses	589	586	1,159	1,158
Lease termination charges			3,063
Depreciation and amortization	6,273	6,022	12,533	12,082
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment	(21)		55	228
Impairment of long-lived assets	184	46	388	1,523
Total operating costs and expenses	107,543	100,060	198,976	196,327
Operating income	13,978	12,931	16,065	24,425
Interest expense	6,202	6,248	12,360	11,992
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(1)		(4)
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	7,777	6,683	3,709	12,433
Income tax (benefit) expense	3,052	2,946	1,398	5,449
(Loss) income from unconsolidated affiliates	99	70	172	180
Income (loss) from continuing operations	4,824	3,807	2,483	7,164
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	61	105	(12)	120
Net income (loss)	4,885	3,912	2,471	7,284
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Revenues:
Admissions	16,505		28,072
Concessions and other	8,717		14,973
Total operating revenues	25,222		43,045
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	9,392		15,718
Concession costs	970		1,760
Other theatre operating costs	9,442		17,944
General and administrative expenses	18		34
Depreciation and amortization	2,107		4,200
Total operating costs and expenses	21,929		39,656
Operating income	3,293		3,389
Interest expense	4,097		8,213
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	(804)		(4,824)
Income tax (benefit) expense	(313)		(1,948)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(491)		(2,876)
Net income (loss)	(491)		(2,876)
Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Concessions and other	(8,552)	(6,607)	(15,023)	(12,920)
Total operating revenues	(8,552)	(6,607)	(15,023)	(12,920)
Operating costs and expenses:
Other theatre operating costs	(8,552)	(6,607)	(15,023)	(12,920)
Total operating costs and expenses	(8,552)	(6,607)	(15,023)	(12,920)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	4,393	3,912	(405)	7,284
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	(4,393)	(3,912)	405	(7,284)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(4,393)	(3,912)	405	(7,284)
Net income (loss)	(4,393)	(3,912)	405	(7,284)
Guarantor Financials [Member]
Revenues:
Admissions	107,825		189,348
Concessions and other	62,648		111,219
Total operating revenues	170,473		300,567
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	61,141		104,405
Concession costs	7,730		13,699
Other theatre operating costs	61,768		119,728
General and administrative expenses	6,032		12,047
Lease termination charges			3,063
Depreciation and amortization	10,251		20,483
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment	(21)		59
Impairment of long-lived assets	207		411
Total operating costs and expenses	147,108		273,895
Operating income	23,365		26,672
Interest expense	12,346		24,645
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	11,019		2,027
Income tax (benefit) expense	4,755		459
(Loss) income from unconsolidated affiliates	352		(663)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	6,616		905
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	61		(11)
Net income (loss)	6,677		894
Guarantor Financials [Member] | Carmike Cinemas, Inc. [Member]
Revenues:
Admissions	14,733		25,977
Concessions and other	17,550		31,527
Total operating revenues	32,283		57,504
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	8,178		14,215
Concession costs	1,133		2,034
Other theatre operating costs	9,558		19,406
General and administrative expenses	5,425		10,854
Depreciation and amortization	1,871		3,750
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment			4
Impairment of long-lived assets	23		23
Total operating costs and expenses	26,188		50,286
Operating income	6,095		7,218
Interest expense	2,047		4,072
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(4,392)		409
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	8,440		2,737
Income tax (benefit) expense	2,016		1,009
(Loss) income from unconsolidated affiliates	253		(835)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	6,677		893
(Loss) income from discontinued operations			1
Net income (loss)	6,677		894
Guarantor Financials [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Revenues:
Admissions	93,092		163,371
Concessions and other	53,650		94,715
Total operating revenues	146,742		258,086
Operating costs and expenses:
Film exhibition costs	52,963		90,190
Concession costs	6,597		11,665
Other theatre operating costs	60,762		115,345
General and administrative expenses	607		1,193
Lease termination charges			3,063
Depreciation and amortization	8,380		16,733
(Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment	(21)		55
Impairment of long-lived assets	184		388
Total operating costs and expenses	129,472		238,632
Operating income	17,270		19,454
Interest expense	10,299		20,573
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	6,971		(1,119)
Income tax (benefit) expense	2,739		(550)
(Loss) income from unconsolidated affiliates	99		172
Income (loss) from continuing operations	4,331		(397)
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	61		(12)
Net income (loss)	4,392		(409)
Guarantor Financials [Member] | Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Concessions and other	(8,552)		(15,023)
Total operating revenues	(8,552)		(15,023)
Operating costs and expenses:
Other theatre operating costs	(8,552)		(15,023)
Total operating costs and expenses	(8,552)		(15,023)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	4,392		(409)
Income before income tax and income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates	(4,392)		409
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(4,392)		409
Net income (loss)	$ (4,392)		$ 409