After perpetually postponing an H.R. Giger exhibit, complaints/legal actions over non refunded ticket money, and non payment of rent, the Multicultural Museum ceased operations. According to the landlord, the tenant, who was doing business under “Vogue Multicultural Museum”, abandoned the space and disappeared, owing over $1.2 million. As of 2024, the theatre is now home to the Victory Outreach Third Wave Hollywood church.
On 1/6/24 a fire destroyed a portion of the unfinished retail structures on the property (the cause is still under investigation). While the theatre shell was not affected, I would imagine this will hasten the city’s efforts to have the remaining unfinished structures removed.
The heavily remodeled/repurposed site opened, as the Rivian South Coast, on 12/9/23. While primarily a showcase for Rivian electric vehicles now, they have retained five rows of fixed seating in front of a single screen and stage (the foyer, concession, and twinning has been removed, creating a single “flow through” space); there is also some random couch/stool seating positioned around the displayed vehicles/information desks and pillow seating in the balcony area. A coffee shop is located adjacent to the courtyard, with outdoor seating. Overall, the remodel has resulted in a bright, open planned, retail space, with little remaining from the building’s cinema past.
Something new is developing at the theatre. The box office has been fully restored (had been walled over during the Hologram and lounge years) and there appears to have been some considerable work done inside. A public hearing notice about the building’s future use is posted on the front doors, but it is too far behind the security gate to read.
The theatre should be classified as demolished. Aside from a couple of out buildings, the entire mall property was razed (including the theatre). The ICON theatre will be a new build, located within a completely new development.
The Ace Hotel announced that they will be ceasing operations on 1/31/24 due to “complications” with the property owner. There have been some unofficial reports that the hotel will then look to reopen under a different operator/business model. Fortunately, the theatre is supposed to continue operating, uninterrupted, with new branding.
The theatre opened as a joint venture between Premiere Cinemas and industry veteran R.A. “Skeet” Noret (utilizing the Premiere branding, rather than Noret’s namesake chain). Following “Skeet’s” passing in 2016 the Noret offices closed, so I am unsure if his family has maintained an interest in the theatre or not.
This does raise the question, as to what is the largest U.S. city without a full-time cinema? Menefee, California has to be a contender, with a population of just over 100,000 and no operating cinema. However, unlike Grand Island, there are several within a reasonable driving distance.
Following the pandemic and slow return to theatre going over the past few years, it was definitely encouraging to see Oppenheimer cause such a sensation at the Chinese. As for the historic attendance vs modern revenue disparity, that also reflects the industry’s overall focus shift. The exhibition industry has become far more focused on per capita income than raw attendance in the post megaplex era; the Chinese’s remodel sacrificing seating volume for a “premium” experience exemplifies this business model shift.
Sadly, the interior of the theatre has now been completely demolished, leaving only the facade, marquee, and foyer intact for the new condo development.
Misc Information:
The theatre had an L shaped layout. The lobby/concession stand/restrooms being at the right side of the entry, with the auditoriums down a hallway directly in-line with the entrance; resulting in most people heading straight to their auditorium and forgoing the concession stand. In an attempt to steer customers towards concession and improve sales, a stanchion roped pathway was put up in the mid 80’s; forcing patrons into an arching detour around the perimeter of the lobby as they entered.
The four auditoriums added on the left side of the hallway in 84 were constructed from a neighboring unit which had run as a swap meet for several years. The unit neighboring on the right side of the theatre housed the “Silver Screen” during the late 80’s/early 90’s; a loosely cinema themed restaurant (i.e. in addition to the business name, they hung up a few classic celebrity pictures and movie posters).
It was simply a case of the land becoming more valuable than the existing business and a developer coming in with a significant offer. Back in 2019 the drive-in’s owner, De Anza Land & Leisure, were approached with a $34.4 million offer from the Oakmont Industrial Group. As part of the deal, Oakmont allowed the drive-in/swap meet to continue operating rent free until their redevelopment plans were finalized. With the project cleared to move forward in 2023, the drive-in/swap meet was forced to close.
The alien mascot was from Virtual World; a, now defunct, gaming center that was located at the Triangle Square shopping center in Costa Mesa, CA. As you may or may not be able to tell from the picture, I was less than thrilled with his antics during this cross-promotion.
I’m sure the theatre will eventually be completed. However, as with most Krikorian projects, the process will be excessively prolonged, involve numerous legal disputes, and the finished theatre will be missing several of the promoted amenities (i.e. something like an awkward gap where the laser tag or bowling lanes were supposed to be). For some reason nothing ever seems to go smoothly or to plan when they are involved.
RogerA: As far as I know it remains the same ownership for the theatre and surrounding property. However, what business entity they are currently operating under appears somewhat murky. Pacific/Arclight and their parent company, Decurion Corporation, are defunct. Also, the group’s real estate division, Robertson Property Group, has taken down their website, but there has been no indication as to what the company’s status is. The swap meet branch remains operating under the Pacific Swap Meet/Nationwide Theatres Corp names. My best guess is that the ownership is reorganizing under a new corporate structure (the home office for this confusing web of companies, on North Robertson Blvd, is still open).
I have the vaguest of memories of this plaza opening. The general memory being that the plaza was “fancy” and highly popular. Flash forward to the mid 90’s, when I moved back to Southern California as an adult, and the plaza certainly hadn’t aged well. In it’s later years, the center was run down and less than popular. The cinema had become a last resort choice, having never been updated or had any significant effort placed into its' upkeep. I once watched a heavily scratched print of “Dazed & Confused”, amidst a sea of bagged seats, and non functioning air-conditioning during the Saddleback’s waning years. And today, the one time multiple venues (Saddleback, El Torro, & Laguna Hills Mall) epicenter for moviegoing in the area is completely devoid of theatres.
West Hollywood is presenting their plans for the newly christened “City Playhouse” to the Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission. The plan outlines a 5,000 square foot, 99 seat venue, which will serve as an event center for artists and nonprofits. The new facility will also feature regular public programming and an outdoor civic space.
I think this was a case of megaplex era speculation that the area surrounding the theatre was about to take off and the relatively isolated location would soon be a hub (i.e. early entry into a pending hotspot). Unfortunately, that area of Foothill Ranch didn’t develop as expected and they were stuck with a very large theatre hidden away on the outskirts of the community. I’m actually surprised it lasted this long.
Back in the 90’s this theatre won a string of NATO showmanship awards and always seemed to be a finalist in movie marketing contests. At the time, Cinemapolis stood out amidst a rather sterile theatre landscape. When most of its' peers were still in the generic multiplex era, this theatre was experimenting with thematic decor, new technologies, showmanship, innovative marketing, etc. Unfortunately, it became somewhat of a forgotten/overlooked location once the other exhibitors caught up and began thinking outside the proverbial shoe-box.
In many ways, it was similar to what occurred with SoCal/Sanborn/The Movie Experience’s later Gardenwalk theatre; pioneering much of what was to come in the industry, only to end up being left behind when others adopted the same path. Sanborn was always an early adopter and innovator, but they never seemed to be able to maintain or truly exploit their head start.
I wonder if the “Summer Movie Series” is a soft relaunch/test run or merely meeting a base legal requirement to maintain permits, tax classification, etc. as an active cinema?
This past week a judge ruled in favor of Woodsonia and ordered AMC to vacate the property. While the theatre is currently closed and demolition has begun on other areas of the mall, AMC is listing the site as “temporarily closed” and representatives have made statements that they still hope to find a way to retain the theatre/reopen.
It seems odd that AMC is putting up such a fight for this location. Beyond clearly being a lost cause, this theatre wasn’t exactly a top performer. Perhaps, it’s part of some negotiating ploy for a future theatre at the new development.
The theatre closed on 5/29/23 and held a liquidation sale of its' fixtures/equipment.
After perpetually postponing an H.R. Giger exhibit, complaints/legal actions over non refunded ticket money, and non payment of rent, the Multicultural Museum ceased operations. According to the landlord, the tenant, who was doing business under “Vogue Multicultural Museum”, abandoned the space and disappeared, owing over $1.2 million. As of 2024, the theatre is now home to the Victory Outreach Third Wave Hollywood church.
On 1/6/24 a fire destroyed a portion of the unfinished retail structures on the property (the cause is still under investigation). While the theatre shell was not affected, I would imagine this will hasten the city’s efforts to have the remaining unfinished structures removed.
The heavily remodeled/repurposed site opened, as the Rivian South Coast, on 12/9/23. While primarily a showcase for Rivian electric vehicles now, they have retained five rows of fixed seating in front of a single screen and stage (the foyer, concession, and twinning has been removed, creating a single “flow through” space); there is also some random couch/stool seating positioned around the displayed vehicles/information desks and pillow seating in the balcony area. A coffee shop is located adjacent to the courtyard, with outdoor seating. Overall, the remodel has resulted in a bright, open planned, retail space, with little remaining from the building’s cinema past.
Something new is developing at the theatre. The box office has been fully restored (had been walled over during the Hologram and lounge years) and there appears to have been some considerable work done inside. A public hearing notice about the building’s future use is posted on the front doors, but it is too far behind the security gate to read.
The Deja Vu completed a remodel and reopened sometime over the past couple of months.
The theatre should be classified as demolished. Aside from a couple of out buildings, the entire mall property was razed (including the theatre). The ICON theatre will be a new build, located within a completely new development.
The Ace Hotel announced that they will be ceasing operations on 1/31/24 due to “complications” with the property owner. There have been some unofficial reports that the hotel will then look to reopen under a different operator/business model. Fortunately, the theatre is supposed to continue operating, uninterrupted, with new branding.
The theatre opened as a joint venture between Premiere Cinemas and industry veteran R.A. “Skeet” Noret (utilizing the Premiere branding, rather than Noret’s namesake chain). Following “Skeet’s” passing in 2016 the Noret offices closed, so I am unsure if his family has maintained an interest in the theatre or not.
The property is being handled by The Location Portal (thelocationportal.com) for film shoots. So, you could try contacting them for information.
This does raise the question, as to what is the largest U.S. city without a full-time cinema? Menefee, California has to be a contender, with a population of just over 100,000 and no operating cinema. However, unlike Grand Island, there are several within a reasonable driving distance.
Following the pandemic and slow return to theatre going over the past few years, it was definitely encouraging to see Oppenheimer cause such a sensation at the Chinese. As for the historic attendance vs modern revenue disparity, that also reflects the industry’s overall focus shift. The exhibition industry has become far more focused on per capita income than raw attendance in the post megaplex era; the Chinese’s remodel sacrificing seating volume for a “premium” experience exemplifies this business model shift.
Sadly, the interior of the theatre has now been completely demolished, leaving only the facade, marquee, and foyer intact for the new condo development.
Misc Information: The theatre had an L shaped layout. The lobby/concession stand/restrooms being at the right side of the entry, with the auditoriums down a hallway directly in-line with the entrance; resulting in most people heading straight to their auditorium and forgoing the concession stand. In an attempt to steer customers towards concession and improve sales, a stanchion roped pathway was put up in the mid 80’s; forcing patrons into an arching detour around the perimeter of the lobby as they entered.
The four auditoriums added on the left side of the hallway in 84 were constructed from a neighboring unit which had run as a swap meet for several years. The unit neighboring on the right side of the theatre housed the “Silver Screen” during the late 80’s/early 90’s; a loosely cinema themed restaurant (i.e. in addition to the business name, they hung up a few classic celebrity pictures and movie posters).
It was simply a case of the land becoming more valuable than the existing business and a developer coming in with a significant offer. Back in 2019 the drive-in’s owner, De Anza Land & Leisure, were approached with a $34.4 million offer from the Oakmont Industrial Group. As part of the deal, Oakmont allowed the drive-in/swap meet to continue operating rent free until their redevelopment plans were finalized. With the project cleared to move forward in 2023, the drive-in/swap meet was forced to close.
The alien mascot was from Virtual World; a, now defunct, gaming center that was located at the Triangle Square shopping center in Costa Mesa, CA. As you may or may not be able to tell from the picture, I was less than thrilled with his antics during this cross-promotion.
AMC changed their listing to “permanently closed” on May 31, 2023 and the theatre was demolished in early June.
I’m sure the theatre will eventually be completed. However, as with most Krikorian projects, the process will be excessively prolonged, involve numerous legal disputes, and the finished theatre will be missing several of the promoted amenities (i.e. something like an awkward gap where the laser tag or bowling lanes were supposed to be). For some reason nothing ever seems to go smoothly or to plan when they are involved.
RogerA: As far as I know it remains the same ownership for the theatre and surrounding property. However, what business entity they are currently operating under appears somewhat murky. Pacific/Arclight and their parent company, Decurion Corporation, are defunct. Also, the group’s real estate division, Robertson Property Group, has taken down their website, but there has been no indication as to what the company’s status is. The swap meet branch remains operating under the Pacific Swap Meet/Nationwide Theatres Corp names. My best guess is that the ownership is reorganizing under a new corporate structure (the home office for this confusing web of companies, on North Robertson Blvd, is still open).
I have the vaguest of memories of this plaza opening. The general memory being that the plaza was “fancy” and highly popular. Flash forward to the mid 90’s, when I moved back to Southern California as an adult, and the plaza certainly hadn’t aged well. In it’s later years, the center was run down and less than popular. The cinema had become a last resort choice, having never been updated or had any significant effort placed into its' upkeep. I once watched a heavily scratched print of “Dazed & Confused”, amidst a sea of bagged seats, and non functioning air-conditioning during the Saddleback’s waning years. And today, the one time multiple venues (Saddleback, El Torro, & Laguna Hills Mall) epicenter for moviegoing in the area is completely devoid of theatres.
West Hollywood is presenting their plans for the newly christened “City Playhouse” to the Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission. The plan outlines a 5,000 square foot, 99 seat venue, which will serve as an event center for artists and nonprofits. The new facility will also feature regular public programming and an outdoor civic space.
I think this was a case of megaplex era speculation that the area surrounding the theatre was about to take off and the relatively isolated location would soon be a hub (i.e. early entry into a pending hotspot). Unfortunately, that area of Foothill Ranch didn’t develop as expected and they were stuck with a very large theatre hidden away on the outskirts of the community. I’m actually surprised it lasted this long.
Back in the 90’s this theatre won a string of NATO showmanship awards and always seemed to be a finalist in movie marketing contests. At the time, Cinemapolis stood out amidst a rather sterile theatre landscape. When most of its' peers were still in the generic multiplex era, this theatre was experimenting with thematic decor, new technologies, showmanship, innovative marketing, etc. Unfortunately, it became somewhat of a forgotten/overlooked location once the other exhibitors caught up and began thinking outside the proverbial shoe-box.
In many ways, it was similar to what occurred with SoCal/Sanborn/The Movie Experience’s later Gardenwalk theatre; pioneering much of what was to come in the industry, only to end up being left behind when others adopted the same path. Sanborn was always an early adopter and innovator, but they never seemed to be able to maintain or truly exploit their head start.
I wonder if the “Summer Movie Series” is a soft relaunch/test run or merely meeting a base legal requirement to maintain permits, tax classification, etc. as an active cinema?
This past week a judge ruled in favor of Woodsonia and ordered AMC to vacate the property. While the theatre is currently closed and demolition has begun on other areas of the mall, AMC is listing the site as “temporarily closed” and representatives have made statements that they still hope to find a way to retain the theatre/reopen.
It seems odd that AMC is putting up such a fight for this location. Beyond clearly being a lost cause, this theatre wasn’t exactly a top performer. Perhaps, it’s part of some negotiating ploy for a future theatre at the new development.