Theater of Negotiation: Mann Theaters has broken...

Theater of Negotiation: Mann Theaters has broken off negotiations to sell four movie complexes, among them the new Pierside Pavilion one in Huntington Beach, to Newport-Beach based Edwards Theaters. Mann announced that it will be building more theaters in Orange County. As part of its countywide expansion plan, Edwards Theaters had offered to buy the six-screen Huntington Beach complex as well as the Mann eight-screen Rancho Niguel complex in Laguna Niguel, a four-screen cinema in Brea and the single-screen Freemont Theater in San Luis Obispo. Negotiations broke down about a week ago. “We withdrew because we weren’t able to make a mutually agreeable agreement,” said Ben Littlefield, a Mann spokesman. Littlefield declined to elaborate. Edwards Theaters officials were not available for comment.