Hollywood CA Closed Up Movie Theatres

[Terry Monohan]

Many of you know If you live in the Los Angles area that Hollywood CA is very short on movie theatres these days. With the Pacific Arclight Complex and the Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd down from Hollywood Blvd still closed who knows when It will ever re open the whole tourist area under screened.

While walking down Hollywood Blvd last week I noticed even more old cinemas closed up and vacant. The huge Pacific Warner Cinerama ,Vine Theatre, Fox Theatre (former Iris) Vogue Theatre (now a church) Loews Holly, Vine Theatre, New View Theatre (former Pussycat) and the just closed Hollywood Theatre run by the Wax Museum people across the street along with the General Cinema Galaxy Theatre.

This just leaves the Chinese Imax and a few small theatres behind the large cinema plus the Disney run El Capitan Theatre across the street and the new renovated Netflik/American Cinematheque Egyptian Theatre as the only movie theatres still in operation.

Many of these once popular cinemas have sold their marquee space out for digital advertising so It looks like something is going on but they are all boarded up.

I wonder who owns all these former movie theatres. Not Fox West Coast, Mann or Loews Theatres they are all gone. The Pacific Warner Cinerama is still owned by the Forman family and It just sits idle year after year.

Some smart movie business company needs to open up and fix up one of these old jewels and show old Grindhouse films for the locals and tourists not first run crap. Show movies as a triple bill and things you can't see on TV streaming. Create the Grindhouse experience with old trailers a cartoon, curtains that open and close ,Intermission trailers and old lady boxoffice ticket takers ,mean/attitude managers plus crappy thug ushers with flashlights.

Quantin Tarantino has is on with his new venture at Sunset & Hollywood Blvd with the Vista Theatre. It's unfortunate the Vista is no were near the tourist area of Hollywood Blvd that has so many closed up old cinemas. Both areas suffer from no parking. But most tourists don't have cars they just take the bus or subway into Hollywood.

Maybe If the Vista and his New Beverly Theatres keep on making some money he will venture out and put in a 3rd theatre like buy the Hollywood Theatre on Hollywood Blvd near Highland Blvd and turn the semi large theatre into a Grindhouse and show old 35mm B and horror movies 24/7 or just run DCP with a kick ass sound system. Wake up the people that may drift in for sleep. They will give the cinema some creepy atmosphere.

I must admit Hollywood Blvd can be sketchy but It is still way cleaner then San Francisco's Market St that once had so many movie theatres small and big .Now there are none open showing movies in SF on Market St At least the tourists are not scared to walk down Hollywood Blvd as in San Francisco you take your life into your hands by not getting robbed.

The current owners of these movie theatre gems in Hollywood have no interest in showing movies or stage entertainment they just want to rent out the space to the highest bidder or If the price is right sell the movie auditoriums as is for quick cash and hope you as a new owner get permits to open again as a movie theatre.

[Frank Angel]

Why should Hollywood fair any better than the rest of the country, which has literally become is a graveyard of movie theatres?

On 42nd street alone in NYC, between 7th and 8th Avenue, the street was literally lined side by side with Brandt theatres -- 6 on north side including The Selwyn, The Apollo, The Times Square, The Lyric, and the Victory and one more; on the south side there were The Empire and The Liberty Theatres and 3 more, their names I can't remember. And that was just a SINGLE block in the city with movie theatres across the rest of Manhattan numbering in the thousands. Now the only thing left on that block is an AMC on one side and a Regal on the other, both gargantuan multiplexes.

The Brandt theatres all played double bills, featuring Day and Date titles that were playing simultaneously with the same first run titles that were playing in the swankier theatres on 7th Avenue, but the Brandt theatres added a second title on the same bill, so you got to see both a first run AND an older title (that was on the break) for HALF the price of the single title on Avenue. I never could figure out how they were able to do that, but that was the standard setup for those theatres.. And the facade of each theatre always had big cut-outs/3D effect displays, with raised lettering and perspective images that covered all around the doors; they were the equivalent of super-sized standees, but they were all custom made to fit each specific theatre frontage. It never ceased to amaze me they were able to create these for each film which amazingly, changed twice a week! As a kid I thought, some day when I run a movie theatre, I am going to get these impressive signs for my theatre. Little did I know where the industry would be by the time I got to run my theatre; I was lucky if I could even get 1 sheets for classic titles.

Just go to CinemaTreasures.com and see the sad,sad story of the death of the American movie theatres.

[Terry Monohan]

Thanks Frank for your NYC movie notes. I was lucky to visit some of the 42nd St theatres before the Disney, mayor and city wreckers demolished most of these classic cinemas plus most of the big movie palaces in NYC.

One of my favorites was the UA Rivoli Theatre not on 42nd St . Did not see the place when in 1955 they had a nice size curved Todd-AO curved 70mm screen with curtains . I remember going in the 1970's when the Rivoli had It's giant curved D-150 screen..

NYC had so many great 70mm roadshow theatres like the Warner Cinerama, Loew's Capitol , Criterion Theatres and many more plus 2nd run B movie cinemas some open all night, all gone now how sad. Loved seeing all the neon marquess lit up with flashing neon and huge marquee displays like you mention. The 3 sheet movie posters outside the box office brought you inside to see a film. Young movie goers today have no idea of showmanship in movie presentation going to the multiplex junk around today.

When the Disney people run out of the same Broadway shows they keep on bringing back over and over at expensive prices maybe they will re open the Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd St and for a change run old classic films with a stage show for the tourists to see what It was like many many years ago.

Quantin Tarantino needs to visit NYC and put in what he has done in the LA CA area and open up a closed old cinema If there are any still left. The Palace Theatre near 42nd ST may be a little to large for him. to handle.

Can you imagine the problems you would have today opening up a big porn cinema on 42nd St with the city permits and entertainment laws.

The Paris Theatre was bought by Netflix as you know many years ago and is the only single cinema left in NYC.

Can you recommend any closed up 400 or larger seat former cinemas that are still available in town in fairly good condition in a safe part of NYC, no lease but a buyout? Thanks again for your comments Frank

[Frank Angel]

Wish I did, Terry. Usually when theatre's die, developers gobble them up and turn them into anything BUT theatres. The Century Theatre chain which at one time owned a slew of theatres in the tri-state area here in NY and one actually right across the street from our Walt Whitman Theatre at the Brooklyn College PAC. The college was very interested in purchasing it to take some of the load off our other 4 theatres. We did a walk thru with the Century people, and it seemed like a deal might be struck, UNTIL, they asked what the functionality of the space would be and we told them as a theatre for live performances and film screenings. They said, Sorry, no can do. Seems that Century Theatres had a clause in all they real estate deals -- the property couldn't be used as a theatre of any kind. So not only is the theatre dead, but it's encumbered so it can never be a theatre again. Why does the Universe hate theatres so much? Seems like it has no trouble turning them into churches and flee markets and freakn bowling alleys.

[Frank Cox]

There is a process to have obsolete covenants removed from land titles. I think it requires a court hearing of some kind, but it's definitely something that can be done.

[Terry Monohan]

Frank***Hollywood Blvd did fair way better then NYC with It's many movie theatres along 42nd St and other downtowns around the USA that the cinemas were all torn down.

Hollywood has always been the 'FILM CAPITOL OF THE WORLD'. Not like NYC when the city made them tear out and demolish so many classic cinemas on 42nd St and the real estate $ people got hungry for old movie theatre NYC space for new builds.

On Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood CA they still have many old movie theatres still standing, while closed up most still have the neon marquees and are mostly in good shape. Same in downtown Los Angeles most of the huge classic movie palaces are still standing. Many are used for other entertainment shows or a occasional movie festival. LA city building fathers did not tear down these old movie houses . Lucky most are owned by the same family and they are not hurting for real estate money I guess.

The old Hollywood cinemas have been rented out many times in the last few years to church groups or music/bar venues. They all fail and close when the lease is up. The area is rich with visiting tourists from all over the world from May till Oct each year. The other times It is kind a dead on the weekdays.

I still say the right person or company needs to invest in one of these closed up movie theatres and buy It outright. Many of the owners are not willing to sell. I know because I had a friend that wanted to buy one of these theatres on Hollywood Blvd and the owners had no interest is selling the theatre or property. Only wanted the high rent money on a short term lease. You had to pay for all the remodel/upgrade work also.

I forgot to show this photo of the Vine Theatre on Hollywood Blvd near Vine St. It is still listed as open as they do rent It out for special events or preview test movies but mainly It sits closed up mostly all year. Dolby Cinemas as a demo theatre changed the inside and reduced the seating to only 70. The Vine Theatre was called the Admiral Theatre in the 1950's 60's.

The owners I don't think will ever sell the Vine with its little neon marquee . This would be the place I would buy If I ever came into some play money. I'd add way more seats are turn the place into a retro Grindhouse 24/7

[Frank Angel]

There is a process to have obsolete covenants removed from land titles. I think it requires a court hearing of some kind, but it's definitely something that can be done.

RE-TIRED
rəˈtī(ə)rd/ adj
I do what I want,
when I want,
where I want

Also see: Not my problem anymore.

[Mark Ogden]

I’m very very sad to say that two more great Los Angeles theaters will soon join this list, one probably temporarily, one maybe permanently. Regency Theaters will end their operation of both the Fox Westwood Village and the Bruin theaters on this coming Thursday. The Village is in my humble opinion the best single screen theatre currently operating in the US, with outstanding projection and sound and is still 70mm capable. The Bruin, right across Broxton Ave, is no slouch when it comes to presentation either. As you will recall, a little while back an ad hoc group of filmmakers promised to take over the lease of the Village and keep it running as a film venue with first-run and repertory content, and I hope that will still happen. As to the Bruin, who knows, but I hope that it will also live on somehow. It would be sad to think of these two beautiful theaters joining the Loyola, the Crest, the Carthay Circle, the Cinerama Dome, and all the other grand and legendary LA cinemas.

[Terry Monohan]

Mark***I think the Fox Westwood Village Theatre was bought a few months ago by about 7 Hollywood A List producers. They will keep It open showing movies but may not show first run type bookings and show classic films once the lease has run out plus premiere events. The Fox Bruin across the street I have never cared for that much. Nice neon marquee but the inside needs a makeover. . New seats, paint, new curtains, color lights and new rugs. I believe they still have 70mm projectors in the booth. Both the Fox Westwood Village & Bruin Theatres have flat screens not curved. They both had semi curved screens many years ago.