Arclight Cinemas are DEAD TO ME!

This is quite sad. I'm an eastcoaster not an Angelino, but even I can recognize how iconic of a cinema this was for LA and the entertainment industry.

GASP!

They just built a new one in Chicago, too.

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the gold standard of movie theaters.

Times they are a'changin'

I bet you Netflix or Amazon will end up buying it.

Yes it would be much better suited for Netflix than the Egyptian.

I work in the industry. The word was out pretty early on that movie theaters would become a thing of the past. I don't know if that will be true, but it seems this is the start. I still think going to the movies will be something people do in the future, but I have a feeling the days of the ultra lux theaters and paying $30 per ticket will go extinct.

Baby baby baby you’re outta time

The shock on LA Twitter is overwhelming

Some great posts too

Jesus, these people gushing over this theater have no fucking clue what it was like to go to a real movie theater. The Arclight sucked balls. Overpriced tickets, mediocre screens, and after they remodeled the Cinerama Dome, all the kitsch was removed in favor of a beige theme and a crappy curved screen that made everything look out of focus.

Fucking millennials.

The Arclight was fun for drunken celebrity sightings.

That's unfortunate - my last movie there was Invisible Man March of last year. You do pay a slight premium but the curved projection of the dome was ideal for pics worth seeing on big screen.

Just curious, what is a real movie theater R13.

Any of the amazing single screen movie palaces that started going under beginning in the late 80s. Arclight is nothing special. It's an average multiplex.

Don't worry, it will not go away. A new owner will snap it up.

I'm reminded of this photo of Gloria Swanson standing in the ruins of the Roxy Theater, one of the great movie palaces of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

One hopes, R18.

[quote]Any of the amazing single screen movie palaces that started going under beginning in the late 80s. Arclight is nothing special. It's an average multiplex.

Oh, you're talking about old school. I thought you meant current. Of the current theaters, Arclight was the best.

How dare people enjoy something that was important in their lives? Don't try realize everything worthwhile ended in the 70s?

Yeah, it's hard to find any of those kinds of theaters anymore. There are a couple in Southern California. The Alex in Pasadena is pretty nice, and of course the Chinese (though I haven't been there for quite some time, at least 10 years). And The Egyptian was wonderful until the Cinematheque opened the Aero (which is a shithole) and let the Egyptian fall to ruin. They supposedly restored it a few years ago, but I've been recently and I think it looks awful.

I moved to NYC in the mid-late 80s when I was 16 and I thought I had died and gone to movie heaven with all the fantastic single screen theaters. (And from what I've read, they were nothing compared to the ones that were already gone.) I grew up in S. Florida, which had a few movie palaces still standing in the 80s.

In my day, we enjoyed the plushness of the Colosseum for our entertainment! Now there was a theater! You could watch lions attack the Christians or gladiators slaughter each other while ordering dates and almonds from the vendors and washing it all down with honeyed wine!

[Quote]Devastating. Too many losses to process. It's just too much... At some point when I'm less upset, I'll tell you guys a funny story about my first time meeting Quentin Tarantino in the lobby of Hollywood Arclight.

Oh no, NYC here, but always made a trip to see a movie at the Arclight when visiting. I guess my last movie there was The Impossible, which definitely called for the big screen experience, which might become a thing of the past. I also liked the mini exhibits in the lobby, they were costumes for some Matt Damon environmental film, they looked much smaller then I would have thought he was.

Poor Viola.

Aw, man...the Arclight in El Segundo was my go-to theater. I remember when it first opened (to great fanfare) in 1996. Back then it was Pacific Theater Beach Cities Cinema. Truth be told, when Arclight took it over in 2010, the theater kinda went to crap -- the remodeled lobby looked dark, gloomy, and uninviting, with two measly movie posters on the walls.

Angelinos, pray for the small but awesome revival house, the New Beverly Cinema!

Tarantino owns the New Bev, it's not going anywhere.

Are movie theaters open in LA now?

R7 do you sell concessions?

Movie ticket prices are unjustified and the Arclight was like eating fast food in an upscale restaurant at fine-dining prices

Seeing a movie at the Arclight was the thing I was most looking forward to about "getting back to normal"

Good! Overpriced.

I saw DL fave Miles Heizer on a date at the Arclight years ago

People who think the Arclight is overpriced prefer to text and bring babies like at the AMC

R37 Did he bring his ugly little dogs?

Another senseless death from the Covid Agenda!

R37 OMG, do they, like, at the AMC?

If you want to watch a stupid movie with thirsty insufferable couples on date night chronically posting selfies and checking for likes on Instagram, the Arclight is for you!

No more Saturday movies followed by shopping/browsing at Amoeba

I'm surprised anyone goes to the movie theatre at all anymore

Good piece in LA Times...

There's a theory that this is Arclight the company playing chicken with the landlords, who want them to pay hundreds of thousands in rent from 2020. The Dome is a protected landmark and there are only so many possible tenants.

[quote]Are movie theaters open in LA now?

The Cinemarks are open.

Laemmles opened Friday. AMCs are open

OP, “OMG I went to LA just before the coronavirus last year...” Yes, and we are still trying to get the stench out!

R49 Well at least he was a guy, if it would have been a girl he’d probably would have fucked her.

Does a DLer run this account?

R51 Yeah, well she also abandoned her mansion in LA too, so there’s that.

Now, there will be no movie theater close to me. This is serious.

Hopeful someone will save it.

The only movie worth seeing in the theatre in the last fifteen years is "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"

People are really crying over this? Deluded sissies.

[quote]Now, there will be no movie theater close to me. This is serious.

What about AMC Sunset 5?

Hopefully the Vista (& sister Los Feliz) doesn't shutter as well. It doesn't have all the bells & whistles as Arclight, but tix are cheap. Otherwise, it's AMC & Cinemark for current fare.

R53 how is that possible? This town is FULL of theaters.

R59 the Los Feliz 3 is a last resort theatre

I shed a tear when I read the news yesterday. I remember going to the Arclight during awards season. One of the best activities of the year.

Is the LA Archlight anything like the theater in Japantown, San Francisco? I can't think of the name right now but that theater had seats you could lay back on and table for your junk.

It's Lucy's revenge...

Cinerama Dome has existed for decades longer than the pretense of the Arclight

I'm guessing Netflix or Amazon will buy it. They'll use it to host all of their premieres.

Netflix bought the Egyptian awhile back

Awww such an innocuous little thing like buying used CDs and seeing a movie... now lost like tears in rain

This is more important to me than the Chauvin trial.

[quote]but the curved projection of the dome was ideal for pics worth seeing on big screen.

There are no bad seats at the Arclight and in the Dome. I"ve sat in the front row and still had a perfect viewing experience.

[quote] I remember going to the Arclight during awards season. One of the best activities of the year.

Chaotic fun. Trying to figure out which line you should be in the crowded lobby while a red carpet is going on outside and queues at the side door for advance screenings.

Amazon or Netflix will buy it and develop programs around their own series and movies. Netflix purchased the Paris in NYC awhile ago.

The ONLY movie that would get my ample posterior to a movie theater again is a sequel to Detective Pikachu

[quote]I work in the industry. The word was out pretty early on that movie theaters would become a thing of the past. I don't know if that will be true, but it seems this is the start. I still think going to the movies will be something people do in the future, but I have a feeling the days of the ultra lux theaters and paying $30 per ticket will go extinct.

I suspect the opposite R7. People are sick of paying $20 for people to talk during the movies, have the cell phones out, dirty theaters, etc.

I think the nicer ones will survive (and probably start charging even more) and the hole in the walls will close. Seeing a movie will start to be a "treat" again rather than a way to kill two hours on a weekend.

How the West was lost.

I think people were better behaved the Arclight better because they knew it was a special place and that made it a more enjoyable place to see a movie than the AMC.

The Dome is a protected landmark. The theaters are what is at risk.

Cinerama Dome is designated as a landmark that the Arclight originally wanted to contain within their theatre roof and were denied so they had to build behind it and keep their building separate.

Good riddance, Arclight!

Why wasn't *this* dome a protected landmark?

R78 BYE BITCH!

Alanis Morrissette did not go down on Dave Coulier in an Arclight theater

I loved the Arclight. It was the perfect movie going experience. It is tough but not unexpected.

It's LA and the whole town is about show business.

I think someone or someones will come forward and buy it and keep it going.

The Landmark Theatres run on a similar model as the Arclight. Maybe they'll move into some of Arclight's more tonier former locations.

LA is faring the 21st century pretty poorly, bearing the brunt of all the late stage capitalism ills - but LA was inordinately proud of the Arclight, because I think it represented how Angelinos see the best in their city. It was arguably the most democratic aspect of living in the industry town, the theatre wasn’t far out on the West Side but in the middle of Hollywood, and that is was the theatre where for the price of a ticket you could be sharing the same row with a star. And even if you weren’t, you were still watching the industry’s art form in the best setting for it.

[quote]The Landmark Theatres run on a similar model as the Arclight. Maybe they'll move into some of Arclight's more tonier former locations.

If there was one theater I assumed would fold it was the Landmark. It's the only thing standing in the space that was the Westside Pavillion (I think Google is moving in?). Netflix uses the space to show their films as well as hold events during awards season. Other than that it doesn't seem to have much going for it.

[quote] Alanis Morrissette did not go down on Dave Coulier in an Arclight theater

Was in the same one Pee-Wee Herman got arrested in?

[quote] LA is faring the 21st century pretty poorly, bearing the brunt of all the late stage capitalism ills - but LA was inordinately proud of the Arclight, because I think it represented how Angelinos see the best in their city. It was arguably the most democratic aspect of living in the industry town, the theatre wasn’t far out on the West Side but in the middle of Hollywood, and that is was the theatre where for the price of a ticket you could be sharing the same row with a star. And even if you weren’t, you were still watching the industry’s art form in the best setting for it.

LA has been over since [italic]LA Law[/italic] was canceled and [italic]LA Law[/italic] was over when Susan Dey called it a day.

[quote] There are a couple in Southern California. The Alex in Pasadena is pretty nice,

The Alex is in Glendale and is not really a movie theater anymore.

The Cinerama Dome MUST be preserved as the site of this iconic event!

You mean the death of the American movie musical? That event already took place at the Grauman's in late August 1964, R89. What you posted was just the burial service.

I haven't been able to go to the movies since I saw Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Viola all fat and greasy gyrating on stage gave me a panic attack and Gummer had to slap me repeatedly to calm me down. I won't go into what happened when I saw Hillbilly Elegy.

Interesting read for more specifics

[quote]Hopefully the Vista (& sister Los Feliz) doesn't shutter as well.

The Vista was a gay porn place with live male strippers back in the day. I wonder if the nacreous layer of permacum is still there.

R93 Well, that not terrazzo they have on the flooring there.

That is funny r93. I do recall the floors being abnormally sticky there.

How the Cinerama Dome Became a Hollywood Landmark:

Cinerama Dome reminds me of Fort Worth's Casa Manana:

"It's not reluctant audiences that are endangering the cinemas we once took for granted, but studios holding back the movies they need to reopen."

R7 is directly responsible for the Arclight closing since he did little, if nothing at all, to make certain that top-dollar films were shown at the theatre and not the streamers

I just need two more Oscars and then they can shut the whole industry down for all I care.

How many of my fellow eldergays have actually seen a Cinerama film in a theater that was equipped to show them in the full, three-projector format?

This is Cinerama!

As a matter of fact R102, the Arclight would occasionally show Cinerama films and it was great fun! Just a few years ago I saw “How the West was Won” and it was pretty amazing to see a film in such a large format. The lenses used to photograph Cinerama films were simultaneously able to focus on close up and distant images at the same time which created an incredible depth of field. Plus they would give a demonstration of how much work was involved in having three projectionists working together to ensure the film strips were constantly lined up.

I’m gonna miss that place but I have faith it’ll be back at some point soon

R67 Ugh, Fennessey is such a twerp. Medium talent!

Movie theaters are becoming archaic. They’re too expensive and films come out for home viewing 3 months later.

R106 you type poor

R106 We're now a couple of generations in of folks who are perfectly happy with watching 3 hour movies on their laptops and phones. If they happen to have a television with a 50+ inch screen and a great audio setup, that's even better. RIP movie theaters.

The River Oaks Theatre in Houston closed last month. It had been an art house movie theater for decades. When I was in high school, it showed double features of old movies. Richard Linklater and Bun B want to save the theater, but I'm not hopeful.

I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been to the movies the past five years. The last time was a matinee where it was a one girl operation- she was taking tickets and selling confections for the entire five theater location and there were only three others in the theater with us. Sad..

So how much was a ticket at the Arclight ?

Too bad Cinerama is no longer around. It was a format just made for Chrissy Metz's unique talents.

Save Cinerama petition

ArcLight Employees Mourn Theater Closure: "No One Was Expecting This":

R1132 SIGN THE PETITION and this Hustler cover may be triggering for some who lived in New York in the 90s

1) is that AMOEBA record store still there?

2) what about the beverly theater on beverly blvd.. used to show classic films 2 in a row on weekends.. also there was a theater nearby that showed silent films.....

haven't been to l.a. in nearly 20 years so that is why i ask..

[quote]So how much was a ticket at the Arclight ?

About $20 and some change, I think. I had a membership so I would get a discount, but it was in that range. Same with The Landmark.

I'll miss it. I loved the displays of all the upcoming films and costumes.

[quote]1) is that AMOEBA record store still there?

No. They recently moved because they couldn't afford the location.

2) what about the beverly theater on beverly blvd.. used to show classic films 2 in a row on weekends.. also there was a theater nearby that showed silent films.....

If it's the one I'm thinking of on 3rd & Beverly that shut down years ago.

R117... thank you for the info!

so what's in place of the AMOEBA record store in that big ole building? where did AMOEBA locate to?

yes, i think that is the theater beverly and 3rd i mentioned... would park on the side streets nearby neighborhood to go to that theater...

the silent theater was west off of beverly i believe, not sure if they ALWAYS showed silent movies there or not...

I'm unsure what moved into Amoeba's old location. Their move happened at the end of March so it's likely still empty. The new location is in the same vicinity - Hollywood and Vine. It's just further east.

Maybe the silent theater is Cinefamily. They showed silent films If so, they've rebranded because the owners were caught up in some #MeToo shenanigans and shut down for some time.

The New Beverly Cinema on Beverly Boulevard, two blocks west of La Brea, is till there. Quinton Tarrantino owns it. The theater has been closed for over a year because of COVID, but I have no doubt it will reopen when the pandemic settles down more.

This article will give you background on why Amoeba closed the location on Sunset and moved to Hollywood Boulevard.

The Gardena Cinema is still hanging in there; one of the last single-screen theaters still operating in south L.A. Amazing that they're surviving the multiplexes; it doesn't get nearly the press New Beverly gets.

I know the great Tower Records store on sunset is long gone, what is there now? and is Virgin Records in that shopping complex on sunset still there?.... alot of eye candy used to be at that fitness gym in that complex too....

Virgin Megastore in the 8000 Sunset complex has been gone for over a decade. It moved to Hollywood and Highland briefly before closing for good.

Crunch gym is still in the 8000 Sunset complex.

Tower Records building is still there. It's not currently occupied, unless someone has recently signed a lease on the property.

R124... thank you so much.. like i said it's been nearly 20 years since i've been (and lived) in l.a....

i know both the circus of book stores are gone as well, but book soup on sunset is still there yes?...

R125 you know you can google store names right?

Book Soup is still standing.

Book Soup is still there on the Sunset Strip. However, it is now owned by Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

The Virgin Megastore at Hollywood & Highland had been already been open for several years by the time the Sunset store closed so they never moved that location they just went back down to one store in the area.

Like R117, I too had a membership to Arclight when they first started the program, but the quality of movies just weren't up to par so I cancelled. Even the matinee shows were expensive.

I used to love going to the movies in general besides Arclight, but now some asshole is always on their phone with the light cranked up bright (I'm old but not that old) and it just irritates the hell out of me. I told one guy to get off his phone in the nicest way possible and he got snappy but he did put it away.

R126... yes, i know i can google this, but i want commentary on my quest for information too...

It gets even worse… AMC wants to buy it.

What's going to become of the legendary Cinerama Dome in Hollywood? We saw "2001" there.

I literally just posted what’s going to happen to it. WTF is wrong with you?

Grove and Americana going to AMC

This really breaks my heart.

The one in Hollywood went downhill, honestly. There used to be theater attendants that would ask people to put away their phones, etc. but they quit doing that for some reason. Too fucking expensive in the end. The Sherman Oaks Arclight was much better.

I never went to the Hollywood one without it having tons of people. This is sad.

Is the whole Arclight complex in Hollywood closed? Not only are the theaters closed, but that location of 24 Hour Fitness has also been shuttered.

Interesting read if have time

Regal will buy Sherman Oaks

I wish they would buy The Grove too. There's already a ton of AMC around; it's nice to have alternatives