ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters to close permanently.

[ranger_scout]

Movie theaters, especially in the state of California, suffered a huge blow today. ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters will be permanently closing their doors. This decision means that plenty of movie houses in the heart of Hollywood and Los Angeles, most notably the iconic Cinerama Dome, will remain shuttered. These theaters were often home to movie premieres, special events, and press screenings. Boston, Chicago and the D.C. areas were also home to these cinemas. In 2019, they brought in a total of $114 million according to Indiwire. It's possible that a studio, streamer, or cinephile could buy the spaces, but we will just have to wait and see.

https://ew.com/movies/arclight-and-p...g-permanently/

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/a...ng-1234949843/

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by ranger_scout

Movie theaters, especially in the state of California, suffered a huge blow today. ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters will be permanently closing their doors. This decision means that plenty of movie houses in the heart of Hollywood and Los Angeles, most notably the iconic Cinerama Dome, will remain shuttered. These theaters were often home to movie premieres, special events, and press screenings. Boston, Chicago and the D.C. areas were also home to these cinemas. In 2019, they brought in a total of $114 million according to Indiwire. It's possible that a studio, streamer, or cinephile could buy the spaces, but we will just have to wait and see.

https://ew.com/movies/arclight-and-p...g-permanently/

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/a...ng-1234949843/

Like.... why? We're re-opening and people are gonna start flocking to theaters even if all they'll show is Wiseau's The Room. Like I understand if the lockdowns were extended to the winter or whatever, but now that we're re-opening, they can't tough it out a few more weeks?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Like.... why? We're re-opening and people are gonna start flocking to theaters even if all they'll show is Wiseau's The Room. Like I understand if the lockdowns were extended to the winter or whatever, but now that we're re-opening, they can't tough it out a few more weeks?

Because that's not the way business/banks (or let's just call it "the real world") works. Not on feelings and hopes but actions or inactions.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Because that's not the way business/banks (or let's just call it "the real world") works. Not on feelings and hopes but actions or inactions.

Yeah but actions. Aren't people desperate to do something and now we're finally reopening? People should be going to theaters no matter what's on.

[sdp]

https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/mp...ng-1234707572/
Streaming is king

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Yeah but actions. Aren't people desperate to do something and now we're finally reopening? People should be going to theaters no matter what's on.

I think what you are going to see first is young people out being a little wild and obnoxious for a while. After that you'll see a trickle the wider population going out, and even then it will take a while.

[Roseangelo]

The movie industry in general is going to be rocky for at least the next two years.

[Papenbrook]

That's saddening.

Hundreds of people are now out of jobs. Heartbreaking.

I wish them well.

[ranger_scout]

Here’s who could potentially save the Cinerama Dome.

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/a...re-1234950561/

[CyberCubed]

I wonder if Star Wars Episode 9 will be the last movie I ever see in theaters. Kind of ironic Rise of Skywalker turned out to be my final theatrical experience.

[Leo656]

Only if you choose it to be. There's stuff playing near you right now, you simply choose not to "take a chance" despite the risk of getting hit by a car on your way into the theater being greater. That's up to you.

I feel bad, I actually can't even remember the last thing I saw in theaters since we kinda stopped going as much for a while since nothing good was really coming out. Might've been "Joker", I think.

The biggest thing was, the one gym I was working at which was right around the corner from the cheaper (and yet better) movie theater closed down, so when I wasn't working over there anymore there was less incentive to just go see a movie after work on a whim. And then for the next year when I was working at the gym closer to my house, the closest theater was only ten minutes away from work but my work schedule was such that I couldn't guarantee I'd get out early enough to actually go. So we kinda just stopped making plans after a while. We could've gone on weekends more often than we did, but I get super lazy on weekends.

So, I feel pretty bad that we didn't go more often in the year before Covid hit, but a lot of that was on me being overworked and grouchy and lazy. We always really like going to the movie theater, it just was a bit of a hassle at that point for reasons that had nothing to do with the theater itself. I honestly couldn't be bothered to come home and watch a movie on the TV by then, either; I'd usually just eat, play a game and go to sleep. I'd always say, "Yeah, we'll go see _____" but we almost never did.

[superstaff]

The last thing I saw in theaters was Nobody. Last week.

Before that, I saw the first Platinum Dunes TMNT re-playing at AMC (garbage movie, but we saw it for the hilarity) and Raya and the Last Dragon.

Nobody had a crowd, for the other movies it was just me and my spouse.

[Andrew NDB]

Godzilla vs. Kong was jam-packed when I saw it, and I couldn't even go to the earlier showing I wanted to go to because everything but the front two rows were sold out. Were it not for the 50% restriction, I believe the theater would have been sold out entirely or very, very close to.

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Godzilla vs. Kong was jam-packed when I saw it, and I couldn't even go to the earlier showing I wanted to go to because everything but the front two rows were sold out. Were it not for the 50% restriction, I believe the theater would have been sold out entirely or very, very close to.

I haven't seen GvK, but I agree. People came out in full force to see it.

Heck. When AMC first re-opened, they sold tickets for 15 cents as a promotion to celebrate their 100th anniversary, and tempt people back to the theater. All the movies were reruns. All got sold out in my area, and I went to see Jumanji: The Next Level because everything else was virtually sold out.

[ranger_scout]

I am still going to cinemas because I like feeling part of a community. Also, my best friends and I live miles away from each other's houses and theaters have always been more convenient places. Before the announcement of these independent chains closing, movie theater analysts actually said the outlook for 2022 and 2023 is looking positive.

https://deadline.com/2021/04/movie-t...19-1234732297/

Seeing Godzilla vs. Kong in a Dolby Cinema was worth every cent because I felt like I was part of the movie.

[Leo656]

If I'd paid anything at all to watch GvK I would have felt like it was too much.

I technically paid for my HBO Max subscription, but at least with that I can watch Chapelle's Show.

[ranger_scout]

It's still not too late to end other cinemas.

ArcLight Hollywood May Be Closing, but It’s Not Too Late to Save Other Cinemas

[ranger_scout]

Here's an update on whether Arclight and Pacific could return at some point.

Conversations with sources this past week believe these theaters will come back, it’s just a matter of who, when and whether it’s Decurion in some shape or form in the end as a minority partner.

Everything out there is pure speculation and not solid, as Arclight/Pacific/Decurion has gone radio silent in their lease negotiations. In regards to those kicking the tires, I can tell you it’s not Alamo (which is contending with bankruptcy), AMC, or Netflix. In regards to Netflix, despite their purchases of the Paris and American Cinematheque, they have no yearnings to own a greater theater and stray beyond their wheelhouse of streaming. But all of this is a gut check to the motion picture industry: If you want to truly mess around with theatrical windows and do audacious things like play day-and-date on streaming, this is what happens. Movie theaters close down, especially as they try to resuscitate themselves after a year of lockdown.

https://deadline.com/2021/04/godzill...me-1234737707/

[ranger_scout]

The CEO of the Marcus Corp. movie chain says that they are interested in buying Arclight Cinemas.

https://deadline.com/2021/05/marcus-...rs-1234750348/

[FrederikWolferson]

How did any theater survive 2020?