Dave — what city is that? I would be glad to amend the post! Regarding site improvements: we are working on a new version of the site. It’s going to be great and, yes, photos are coming back in a big way. There will be a few other surprises as well. Ron — we will have a new way to subscribe to theaters without needing to comment on them. More to come soon I hope.
Thanks for all of the nice notes everyone. It means a lot to us. This milestone is really all about Ken, though. It’s a testament to his efforts and his immense knowledge. I don’t know if there’s a soul on earth that knows more about global theaters than him. And given the brain trust on this site, that’s really saying something.
Point of fact: millions of Muslims go to the movies globally, as they have since the birth of cinema. Egypt, for instance, has a long and storied history of film production and exhibition (including MGM’s Metro Theatre in Cairo). One need only look at the many operating cinemas in Pakistan or Morocco or the CineStar circuit in the UAE to see that.
For a rather uplifting, recent story in Jenin, check out this recent Washington Post article. It discusses how religion and the movies can be balanced and how movie theaters are as central to global cultural engagement as ever.
Those who were not fortunate enough to attend the Beverly Center Cinemas in its last year missed out on seeing a tireless staff and management working to make significant improvements to a difficult theater in a tough zone.
The only thing worse than losing out on more screens for independent film in LA — remember that the Fairfax Cinemas are now gone as well — is thinking about how all of the work that Rave, GM Edward Havens, and the rest of his staff put in will now disappear. There were a lot of great plans for this theater.
Ray — A few years back, we assembled a terrific group of writer/producers and a very accomplished director to make a documentary about the history of film exhibition. We began raising some of the money, but not enough to shoot the documentary the way it needed to be produced. We’re still hoping to do it someday soon.
Hi Chris — I’d love to. I just wrapped up a six-part lecture series on the same topic for the National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada that took place once a month between October 2009 – March 2010.
I live in LA so hopefully there will be an opportunity to present this lecture in other venues in the future. For now, I’m excited to see Cinema Treasures and movie theater fans this coming Sunday.
We have already deleted user accounts of those who have posted similar spam links. Please be advised that those doing so in the future face account deletion. Period.
Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience. It’s a common site problem and it’s come to Cinema Treasures at long last.
I would like to register my upset as well at the loss of the National in Westwood. Driving by that empty lot provides a nice kick to the stomach every time. What senseless destruction.
Thank you all for your comments above. They mean a great deal to us.
Regarding Cinema Treasures (2004), the book is currently out of print and I am speaking to the publisher to see if an updated version is possible. As for a European version, Andreas Fuchs and I discussed that a few years back. Stay tuned. :)
As for whether we have saved theaters since our inception: it’s always hard to tell, but I have heard from several exhibitors who have told me that they purchased or leased a theater, or became a film booker/manager after finding information on this site. Those are incredibly gratifying tales.
The work of Cinema Treasures, and other terrific organizations like the Theatre Historical Society, is to emphasize the importance of theatrical exhibition and commemorate those theaters still in operation and those we have already lost. In that way, I hope we’ve made at least a small contribution to commentary in the press and the national discussion about the importance of moviegoing in the public sphere.
I’m not sure that “Twilight” fits the demographics of this site (though the film’s audience has expanded greatly from the first release), but it is a box office phenomenon and is therefore certainly worthy of discussion. I say this, however, as someone who has not seen either film. :)
I’m not sure that “Twilight” fits the demographics of this site (though the film’s audience has expanded greatly from the first release), but it is a box office phenomenon and is therefore certainly worthy of discussion. I say this, however, as someone who has not seen either film. :)
It is still open and showing first-run films, but appears to be no longer part of the AMC chain. I have updated the page to reflect the recent changes …
Dave — what city is that? I would be glad to amend the post! Regarding site improvements: we are working on a new version of the site. It’s going to be great and, yes, photos are coming back in a big way. There will be a few other surprises as well. Ron — we will have a new way to subscribe to theaters without needing to comment on them. More to come soon I hope.
Thanks for all of the nice notes everyone. It means a lot to us. This milestone is really all about Ken, though. It’s a testament to his efforts and his immense knowledge. I don’t know if there’s a soul on earth that knows more about global theaters than him. And given the brain trust on this site, that’s really saying something.
Rick, you sold me!
That may provide a glimpse into how tight these razor thin budgets really are … a shame indeed.
Hope you’re on the mend Simon!
Point of fact: millions of Muslims go to the movies globally, as they have since the birth of cinema. Egypt, for instance, has a long and storied history of film production and exhibition (including MGM’s Metro Theatre in Cairo). One need only look at the many operating cinemas in Pakistan or Morocco or the CineStar circuit in the UAE to see that.
For a rather uplifting, recent story in Jenin, check out this recent Washington Post article. It discusses how religion and the movies can be balanced and how movie theaters are as central to global cultural engagement as ever.
It seems to be everywhere in comment threads these days. Most sites have an even worse problem than ours.
Those who were not fortunate enough to attend the Beverly Center Cinemas in its last year missed out on seeing a tireless staff and management working to make significant improvements to a difficult theater in a tough zone.
The only thing worse than losing out on more screens for independent film in LA — remember that the Fairfax Cinemas are now gone as well — is thinking about how all of the work that Rave, GM Edward Havens, and the rest of his staff put in will now disappear. There were a lot of great plans for this theater.
Thank you, Edward, for all of your hard work.
Hi Mark — looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Thanks for the offer — let’s talk offsite at ross at cinematreasures.org and find a good time this summer. Thanks again!
Ray — A few years back, we assembled a terrific group of writer/producers and a very accomplished director to make a documentary about the history of film exhibition. We began raising some of the money, but not enough to shoot the documentary the way it needed to be produced. We’re still hoping to do it someday soon.
Ron — I would love to meet Ian and everyone at the Coolidge and Brattle. Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll send an email asap.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Edward … and Roxy is on its way shortly. I promise!
Hi Chris — I’d love to. I just wrapped up a six-part lecture series on the same topic for the National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada that took place once a month between October 2009 – March 2010.
I live in LA so hopefully there will be an opportunity to present this lecture in other venues in the future. For now, I’m excited to see Cinema Treasures and movie theater fans this coming Sunday.
A link to video of the interior.
Thanks for all of your contributions Chuck and for keeping Jim’s work alive. I miss him.
According to the sun-drenched Google Street View image, this building is still extant.
Thank you — we have taken note.
We have already deleted user accounts of those who have posted similar spam links. Please be advised that those doing so in the future face account deletion. Period.
Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience. It’s a common site problem and it’s come to Cinema Treasures at long last.
On the Google Maps streetview, the name “Iglesia Pentecostal” can be seen on the marquee.
I would like to register my upset as well at the loss of the National in Westwood. Driving by that empty lot provides a nice kick to the stomach every time. What senseless destruction.
Thanks. :)
Thank you all for your comments above. They mean a great deal to us.
Regarding Cinema Treasures (2004), the book is currently out of print and I am speaking to the publisher to see if an updated version is possible. As for a European version, Andreas Fuchs and I discussed that a few years back. Stay tuned. :)
As for whether we have saved theaters since our inception: it’s always hard to tell, but I have heard from several exhibitors who have told me that they purchased or leased a theater, or became a film booker/manager after finding information on this site. Those are incredibly gratifying tales.
The work of Cinema Treasures, and other terrific organizations like the Theatre Historical Society, is to emphasize the importance of theatrical exhibition and commemorate those theaters still in operation and those we have already lost. In that way, I hope we’ve made at least a small contribution to commentary in the press and the national discussion about the importance of moviegoing in the public sphere.
I’m not sure that “Twilight” fits the demographics of this site (though the film’s audience has expanded greatly from the first release), but it is a box office phenomenon and is therefore certainly worthy of discussion. I say this, however, as someone who has not seen either film. :)
I’m not sure that “Twilight” fits the demographics of this site (though the film’s audience has expanded greatly from the first release), but it is a box office phenomenon and is therefore certainly worthy of discussion. I say this, however, as someone who has not seen either film. :)
Thank you for alerting us to this issue. “Tires” has been removed due to violating our terms of use and posting spam links.
It is still open and showing first-run films, but appears to be no longer part of the AMC chain. I have updated the page to reflect the recent changes …
Michael — I just wanted to thank you for another fascinating list and the invaluable service your research provides. Thank you!