George Krikorian

George Krikorian grew up near Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., where his father was a racehorse trainer. After a successful career in real estate, Krikorian founded Krikorian Premiere Theatres in 1984 in Palos Verdes, Calif. By 1996 he had built a successful movie chain of nearly 100 screens in Southern California and sold them to Regal Cinemas, and he then went about building a new circuit of cinemas with an emphasis on Old Hollywood quality and experience. 

In March 2021, Krikorian opened a new LexLive entertainment complex in downtown Lexington. Thee 90,000-square foot facility features arcade games, a bowling ally, two restaurants, three bars, and 10 movie theaters, one of which boasts the largest screen in the state of Kentucky.

Krikorian has a Thoroughbred farm near Versailles, Ky. Many of Krikorian’s racehorses reflect his show business background, including Grade 1 winners Star Billing, Starrer ,and Hollywood Story as well as Grade 3 winner Makeup Artist and graded stakes-placed Box Office Girl. Other racetrack stadouts campaigned by Krikorian include Grade 1 winner Mucho Unusual and graded stakes winners Big Score and Freedom Score.

Krikorian’s best horse in the early 2020s was War Like Goddess, an English Channel mare who won nine graded stakes from 2021-23 and hit the board in two Breeders’ Cup events. In fall 2023, Krikorian picked up his first Breeders’ Cup win when Just F Y I took the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.