PREMIUM THEATRES
Arclight - The Bridge - El Capitan - Grauman's Chinese - Pacific's Grove Stadium 14 - Universal Studios Cinema - Vista Theatre
Art House & Revival Theatres are on this page.
Featuring the Cinerama DomeARCLIGHT CINEMAS
6360 Sunset Blvd
Hollywood CA
Websitewww.arclightcinemas.com
TICKETS: $14 Friday & Saturday evenings, $11 other times
DISCOUNTS: members who register at the website earn points for purchases which they can apply to get a free ticket on “Member Movies” (usually titles that have been screening for more than two weeks); free 4-hour parking with validation.
FEATURES: large multiplex with advanced, reserved seating (members can order ahead of time online); excellent projection and sound; no pre-movie commercials; a store with books, posters, photographs and other souvenirs; a small café-restaurant (serves Brunch on Sunday); the only theatre in Los Angeles, licensed to serve alcohol, which they do at their 21-and-over screenings.
HIGHLIGHT: the large curved screen in the Cinerama Dome, absolutely the best way to see a movie in Los Angeles.
DRAWBACKS: expensive prices, but the luxury of the movie-going experience is worth it.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS: frequently programs midnight screenings; exclusive 21+ screenings (usually Friday through Monday of a film's opening weekend), restrict admission to people over twenty-one, and serve alcohol (including wine and martinis).
SPECIAL SERIES: Master Storytellers features Q&A sessions with filmmakers. Also presents regular series like AFI’s 100 Years/100 Movies (classic films form the American Film Institute’s Top 100 list) and an annual Music Documentary series.
THE BRIDGE CINEMA DE LUX
Featuring IMAX
6081 Center Drive
The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 568-3375
Website: www.thebridgecinema.com
TICKETS: $11.50 adults, $7.75 bargain matinees and children
IMAX: $13.75 adults, $10.75 children
FEATURES: stadium seating, wall-to-wall screens, Dolby surround sound; premium screening rooms (“Director’s Halls”) with leather seats and assigned seating; Center Stage presents brief live entertainment before weekend screenings; 12 Lounge serves appetizers and martinis; the Coffee Bar serves cappuccino and other specialty drinks.
HIGHLIGHT: a giant IMAX screen, one of the most impressive large-film formats in existence.
DRAWBACK: Most feature films are not shot in the IMAX format, so blowing them up onto the large IMAX screen (which emphasizes height rather than width) can sometimes result in lower picture resolution and a cropped image (similar to what happens when you watch a widescreen film on your television set without letterboxing).
6838 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA
1-800-347-6396
Website: Disney's El Capitan Theatre
TICKETS: $15 adults, $13 children and seniors
VIP Admission: $24 (includes popcorn, soft drink, reserved seat)
GROUP RATES: $11 (for twenty or more)
FEATURES: One of the most beautiful theatres from the golden age of movie palaces, El Capitan was restored to its former glory several years ago by Disney, which now uses the theatre to premier its brand new films. The interior decor is colorful; the seating is comfortable; the screen and sound are excellent (many films are shown in digital projection here).
HIGHLIGHT: The balcony gives an excellent view of the screen, and it holds you up close to the theatre's richly detailed ceiling, a wonder to behold in and of itself. (A few years ago, while waiting for the premier of the latest Disney animated film to begin, my youngest nephew was tryng to convince his older brother that had had been along with us for a previous premier. "You're always saying you saw things that happened before you were born," the older newphew said. The younger nephew replied, without missing a beat, "I was watching from heaven." Intrigued, I asked, "Really? What does heaven look like?" My newphew looked around at the fabulous ceiling so close above our heads and said with complete sincerity, "Like here!" That's a pretty fair assesment of the view from El Capitan's balcony.)
PROGRAMMING: Being Disney-owned, El Capitan tends to feature each major Disney feature film release, usually for an extended engagement. The theatre also showcases classic Disney films (20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, THE LITTLE MERMAID, etc) a week or two before they are released on DVD. Every October, Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS screens in the theatre, usually with a filmmakers discussion panel on opening night; for the first time in 2006, the film was enhanced with computerized 3D.
EXTRAS: The movie screenings are often preceded by live stage shows, consisting of actors dressed up as classic Disney characters, singing (or lip-synching) to taped renditions of famous tunes from their musical animated films.
DRAWBACK: Ticke prices tend to be high, because they usually include the cost of a live-stage show preceding the movie. You have to deal with traffic on Hollywood Blvd, and parking can be difficult. Fortunately, it's worth all the effort, once you get inside the theatre.
GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE
6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 464-8111
Website: www.manntheatres.com/chinese/index.htm
Or click here for show times from MovieFone.
TICKETS: $11 adults, $7.50 child, $7 senior
FEATURES: state-of-the art projection and sound, making it the second best best place in Hollywood to see a movie (right after the Cinerama Dome)
HIGHLIGHT: the beautiful interior design of the theatre, with its color oriental décor, is worth the price of admission all on its own. And don’t forget the famous footprints in concrete, outside.
PACIFIC'S GROVE STADIUM 14
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 692-0829
The Grove Website: www.thegrovela.com
Pacific Theatres Website: www.pacifictheatres.com
Ticket Sales: MovieTickets.Com
TICKETS: General admission is $10.75 for adults on weeknights, $12.50 after 6:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Children's tickets are $8.00 anytime.
DISCOUNTS: For adults, there is a barbain discount price of $8.75 before 6:00pm on weekdays and before 4:00pm on weekends. For seniors, there is a discount price of $7.57 anytime except after 6:00pm on Friday and Saturday.
PARKING: $2.00 with validation
FEATURES: This theatre is a beautiful attempt to recreate the glory of an old-fashioned movie palace. The lobby is three or four stories high, with giant chdeliers that resemble crystal Christmas trees hung upside down, and the walls are adorend with lovely glass lighting fixtures that look like curling leaves. Despite the nostalgic appearance (which includes ticket takers in old-fashioned uniforms, complete with the goofy little round caps with the strap under the chin), the theatre has all the modern conveniences: not only automated ticket kiosks but also automated kiosks to pre-purchase your popcorn and soda, thus avoiding a long wait in line. The screening rooms themselves are comfortable, and the projection is always bright and in focus, with great sound.
SURROUNDINGS: The theatre is located in the middle of "The Grove," a sort of artificial but quite lovely town square (a la Universal Studios' CityWalk or Disneyland's Main Street), complete with a trolley car, a small grassy park, and a pond iwth a tiny bridge and an impressive fountain. The Grove is immediately adjacent to the famous Farmer's Market, but it is decidedly more upscale, with dozens of high-quality if overpriced stores and restaurants (Victoria's Secret, The Cheesecake Factory, etc.)
DRAWBACKS: Despite the high tickets prices, the theatre squeezes a few more dollars out of the advertising revenue stream by front-loading the movie with far too many commercials. Not just trailers for upcoming movies (which is acceptable) but also advertisements for products and television shows. At a local theatre with discount prices, this might be tolerable, but not in a first-run theatre that is supposed to present a top-of-the-line movie-going experience.
Read more about the Grove Theatre in our Daily Journal here.
Featuring IMAX 3D Theatre 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608UNIVERSAL STUDIOS CINEMA
(818) 760-8100 general IMAX information,
(818) 766 IMAX [4629]
Websites: Loew's CityWalk Cinemas
Or click here for show times from Fandango.
TICKETS: $10 adult, $7 children and seniors.
IMAX: $12 adults, $9 children and seniors
DEALS: Movie Meal Deals for $19.95 per person (two person minimum) give you a ticket to a movie, dinner at one of a half-dozen restaurants at Universal CityWalk (menu choices are limited with the deal), plus an $8-dollar refund on your parking. Find more details at the official website by clicking here.
FEATURES: 18 screens, 6,000 seats; pastry and cookies in the Cinema Café. Located within the Universal CityWalk, so there's lots to see and do after the movie.
HIGHLIGHT: IMAX 3D Theatre, with a screen six-stories high and eight-stories wide, combined with a six-channel 12,000-watt sound system. Not all IMAX screenings are in 3D, obviously, but when they are, the effect is stunning, thanks to futuristic helmets that include not only polarizing lenses for your eyes but also stereo speakers for your ears—quite an advance over the flimsy cardboard glasses from the 1950s.
DRAWBACKS: the theme park attracts crowds on the weekend, so be prepared to deal with that; parking can be a bitch, too, but once you’re there, you can enjoy spending the whole day.
NOMENCLATURE: Because the theatre complex is located at CityWalk, which is a part of Universal Studios, there seems to be some confusion about what to call it. Depending on whether you're reading the newspaper or going on line, you might find names "Universal Studio Cinemas," "Universal Studios Cinema," or "Universal CityWalk Cinemas." We've opted for "Universal Studios Cinema" (or "Universal Cinema" for short).
4473 Sunset Blvd Los Feliz, CA 90027 (323) 660-6639VISTA THEATRE
TICKETS: $8 adult, $4 children &seniors; $5 bargain before 6:00pm.
PARKING: There is no parking lot for the theatre, but there is available street parking -- if you're lucky (it's not a bad idea to come early).
FEATURES: This venerable theatre underwent a rennovation back in the 1990s, restoring the lustre of its glory days. From the outside, it looks like little more than an oddly shaped brick building with a huge lighted sign on top and a flashing neon marquee in front; however, the ornate white carvings around the doors, and the balconies besides the marquee, give some suggestion of the architecture delighs within. Taking a cue from Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the concrete around the box office bears the impressions and signatures of celebrities who have been there; many of these are relatively recent, as the theatre hosts occasional revival events (like a HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS cast-and-crew reunion back in 2000). The interior is ornate in the manner of the grand old movie palaces of the 20th Century, with an Egyptian ambience: on either side, the walls are molded to suggest five obelisks, each topped with the looming face of a sarcophagus staring down. Red velvet curtains shield the screen, and blue drapery fills the mock "windows" between the obelisk, with faint light suggesting twlight illumination seeping in from outside. In short, this is a theatre with some personality, worth visiting even if the movie is not very good.
THE AREA: Situated east of Hollywood and south of the major Los Feliz district, where Sunset and Hollywood Blvd converge, the Vista Theatre is located in an area that looks a bit grungy, but it is actually filled with interesting local establishments. A block west on Hollywood Blvd is Rosemary's Billygoat, a curio store filled with macabre items. East on Sunset Blvd you will find Tiki Ti, a small bar offering tropical drinks; Akbar, another bar, with a Middle Eastern flavor, which also offers entertainment; The Kitchen, a nice late-night coffee-shop-type eatery; and Malo, a Mexican cantina and taqueria.
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