It seems the U.S. Department of Justice has opted for “the director's cut” of its now two-year-old investigation of alleged antitrust violations by the nation's largest movie theater chains.

The probe, focused on claims that AMC Entertainment, Regal Entertainment and Cinemark used their market power to demand exclusive access to popular films, became public in May 2015. The Justice Department declined to comment this week on the status of its investigation, but in a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, AMC addressed the matter as an ongoing risk for the company's business.

President Donald Trump's nominee to head the DOJ Antitrust Division, Makan Delrahim, is a Los Angeles lawyer with ties to the film industry, stirring talk in Hollywood that the investigation may be all but dead. Those hoping for its quiet demise can argue the probe has already had its desired impact by changing industry practices and leading several major movie studios to swear off sweetheart screening deals.