United Artists Theatre’s Credit Ratings Raised from D to B-minus

In a rare positive sign for the troubled movie theater industry, United Artists Theatre Co.’s credit ratings were raised to B-minus from D, or default, by Standard & Poor’s, following the company’s emergence this month from bankruptcy reorganization.

S&P; assigned the B-minus rating, with a stable outlook, to the corporate credit and the structured $252-million credit line of Denver-based United Artists, the No. 6 U.S. movie theater operator, with 1,604 screens at 216 theaters.

S&P; said “the ratings reflect the company’s still-aggressive--although significantly improved--financial profile.”