[2] As the motion picture industry became larger, movie production companies began consolidating and controlling distribution.

Studios soon contracted with each other to keep first-runs inside the affiliated network, using this access to coerce independents into selling out.

[3] After divestiture in the fallout of the 1948 Paramount decision, many formerly-affiliated theaters ended up joining either TOA or Allied.

[5] The 1980s saw a relaxation of antitrust regulation and subsequent purchasing of many chains by distributors and large conglomerates, including 120 theaters by Paramount and Warner;[7] by the end of the decade, consolidation left the top 10 owners in control of 55 percent of the industry.

In the 1990s, theater growth exploded, and by 1999, movie screens peaked at 36,448, the vast majority of which were affiliated with NATO.

The first gathering took place in March 2011 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the second held April 23–26, 2012, at the same venue.

[8] CinemaCon is now a stand-alone movie theater industry trade show or exposition originally established by NATO in 1975,[citation needed] usually held in Las Vegas in March.