Why does one theater in my town get all the most anticipated movies?

In my town we have two theaters. One is a Cinemark theater and the other one is independently owned, but a part of the Santa Rosa Entertainment Group. My family really prefers the independently owned - the staff is friendlier, it's cleaner, and has a retro vibe, plus the popcorn is the best in town! But we've noticed that whenever a highly anticipated movie comes to town, it's always the Cinemark theater that gets it. Staff at the independent theater say that their buyer really tries to get them good movies, however they're always stuck with really obscure stuff or movies that have been out for more than two weeks already before it even comes to them. I know it's not a question of how well-liked the place is. They sell out on the off-chance they do manage to get a good movie, so is their buyer really trying as hard as they think? What may be causing the obvious lean toward Cinemark by distributors?