CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Carmike Cinemas may have branded itself as “America’s Hometown Theater” but if a proposed deal is approved, the chain will owned by a Chinese-controlled group.

Carmike, based in Columbus, Ga., has 16 theaters in Pennsylvania, including Clarion, DuBois, Indiana, and Kittanning.

According to a recent usatoday.com story, AMC Entertainment Holdings increased its takeover bid for Carmike that may create the United State’s largest movie theater chain.

Carmike’s board voted unanimously to approve the deal and it is expected to close by the end of this year.

It is not known what impact the takeover will have for the Carmike theaters.

AMC announced the merger in March, but it was stalled during several months of price negotiations.

AMC, mostly controlled by China’s Dalian Wanda Group Co., is the nation’s second-largest movie theater chain, nibbling at the heels of Regal Entertainment Group, which has 567 theaters to AMC’s 385.

Dalian Wanda is owned by Wang Jianlin, one of China’s richest men.

Carmike owns 276 theaters nationwide, largely in rural or suburban areas.

In the revised deal, Carmike shareholders will have the option to receive $33.06 cash or 1.0819 shares of AMC.

It represents an increase of 10.2 percent over AMC’s original cash offer and 32 percent over Carmike’s stock price on March 3, 2016, the last date prior to the announcement of the merger.

The transaction is valued by the companies at approximately $1.2 billion, consisting of about $585 million paid in cash and $250 million in AMC’s Class A common stock plus debt.

According to a March 8 article on thewrap.com, AMC has been the subject of a year-long federal antitrust probe, along with the Regal Entertainment Group and Cinemark Holdings Inc.

The nation’s three largest chains are alleged to have used their clout to muscle out smaller rivals in several U.S. markets.