The Last Picture Show: The Enduring Legacy of L.A.’s ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres

More than just movie theaters, Los Angeles’ famed ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres redefined the theatrical experience and became iconic institutions of L.A. film culture.

With mass vaccination campaigns in full effect, an end to the COVID-19 pandemic finally seems in sight. Based on current projections, the magic date is June 15, 2021. That’s when many COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted in California, finally allowing businesses and millions of residents to return to a semblance of pre-pandemic life. In Los Angeles County, that reopening date could come even sooner in mid-May. But just when movie theaters were finally allowed to reopen their venues at limited capacity in March, and after Warner Bros. released the spectacle Godzilla v Kong to a starved movie-going public and lit the box office up as the most successful studio release in over a year, mid-May couldn’t come fast enough for ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres.

Unlike the corporate exhibition chains like AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, which boast hundreds of locations globally and annual revenue in the billions, The Decurion Corporation – the parent company of ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres – had only 11 nationwide ArcLight venues, most of which were in Southern California, and six Pacific Theatres locations based entirely in Los Angeles.

With drive-in theaters a thing of the past, there was no way exhibitors could modify their indoor venues to accommodate health and safety protocols to allow theaters to safely operate during the pandemic. Exhibitors had no choice but to wait the pandemic out. With that came unpaid bills and mounting debt.

For Decurion, the debt was too much to bear. On April 12, 2021, after more than a year of closures, Decurion announced they were shuttering all of their ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres locations, including Pacific’s iconic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, effective immediately. The news sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry. Moviegoers lamented the loss. Director Adam McKay was completely dejected and told the Los Angeles Times, “If I’m being honest I think I’m in denial. I can’t imagine Hollywood without the ArcLight. I really can’t.” Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins put it rather succinctly on Twitter: “FUCK.” It’s the end of an era. Or is it? The puzzling nature of the closure seems to suggest otherwise and may offer a glimmer of hope to those still in denial at the loss.

“If I’m being honest I think I’m in denial. I can’t imagine Hollywood without the ArcLight. I really can’t.”

Director Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short)

In a town where admiration is wholly dependent on the impulses of collective appetites and where the zeitgeist determines the ebbs and flows of the entertainment industry, ArcLight Cinemas negated all these compulsions to become an enduring Los Angeles icon in its own right.

ArcLight’s journey to iconic status started with the help of another Hollywood icon that showcased to the world the epitome of a first-rate moviegoing experience. Pacific Theatres’ Cinerama Dome opened its doors to the public in 1963. The Buckminster Fuller-inspired dome showcased a dramatically contoured movie screen measuring 32-feet high and 86-feet wide.

The Cinerama Dome became a staple of Hollywood premieres and event screenings. The grandiose geodesic dome overlooked Sunset Boulevard and became synonymous with Hollywood. The Cinerama Dome soon earned its rightful place amongst other Tinseltown theatrical icons like Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and The Egyptian Theatre, when in 1998 it was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The venue closed in 2000 and underwent a renovation as part of a massive redevelopment plan for the area.

In a span of four years, the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood saw a transformation that gave rise to a contemporary cultural nucleus for a modern Los Angeles. In 1999, The Los Angeles Film School opened in a lofty high-rise that incorporated the old RCA building and gave birth to a new generation of filmmakers. In 2001, Amoeba Music opened across the street and brought to Los Angeles a sweeping catalog of physical media that rivaled the Sunset Strip’s iconic Tower Records.

After two years of renovation, Pacific Theatres’ iconic Cinerama Dome reopened in 2002 and incorporated itself into the newly constructed ArcLight Cinemas multiplex. More than just a simple exhibition space for movies, much like The Cinerama Dome, the ArcLight multiplex redefined the moviegoing experience.

When Hollywood’s ArcLight Cinemas opened, the multiplex offered a formal and luxurious moviegoing experience not seen at theaters at the time. The massive two-story, 15-screen multiplex offered stadium seating and state-of-the-art sound and picture technology for all screens. Ticket prices were $14 compared to the national average of $5.81. Many viewed the high ticket price as a deterrent to filter out indecorous moviegoers who would ruin the experience for everyone else. An usher would greet the audience, introduce the film before showtime, and remain in the theater to guarantee that the presentation’s sound and picture quality were up to par. In addition, cellphone use was forbidden during showtime, and latecomers were prohibited from seating to preserve an uninterrupted cinematic experience.

Cinephiles applauded ArcLight’s no-nonsense approach for moviegoing. Some, like Quentin Tarantino, loved the location but hated the rules, venting to the Los Angeles Times, “They’re trying to turn movies into opera. That’s garbage.” But audiences felt otherwise and appreciated their moviegoing experience at Hollywood’s ArcLight Cinemas. The most popular features with patrons at ArcLight were reserved seating and alcoholic drinks served at the concession stand, both of which were novel ideas at the time.

In the mid-2000s, Hollywood’s ArcLight experience expanded throughout the greater Los Angeles area and Southern California with the opening of more venues. Further expansion in the 2010s added out-of-state venues in Chicago, Boston, and D.C. The popular amenities that characterized ArcLight Cinemas’ first-rate moviegoing experience became a precursor for larger theater chains like AMC adopting similar features years later with other theater chains following suit.

More than just exhibition spaces, ArcLight’s Los Angeles locations became the central hub for Los Angeles film culture. Movie premiers, award consideration screenings, and local film festivals were frequent, particularly at the Hollywood venue. Special-event screenings were common and featured cast and crew in attendance who engaged with audiences in in-depth discussions after showings.

For the average moviegoer, sitting next to a celebrity at a random showtime on any given day became a common occurrence as the venue was the go-to moviegoing destination for many in the entertainment industry. What started as an upscale and swank approach to the theatrical experience two decades ago had become the embodiment of how culturally impactful movie theaters could be to a city built on a foundation of celluloid fantasies.

Despite having some of the top-grossing theaters in the region and an audience that was devoutly loyal, nothing could have prepared ArcLight for 2020 and the subsequent sea change the year would bring to theatrical exhibition. With their release schedules hinging solely on the management of the pandemic, movie studios continually shifted theatrical release dates throughout the year, some by months, some even a full year. Some studios cut their losses and sold hopeful theatrical releases to streamers in need of content.

Citing the uncertainty of the pandemic, Warner Bros. took the drastic step of simultaneously releasing their entire 2021 theatrical slate day-and-date to theaters and on their new HBO Max streaming service. Although high-definition TVs are the norm and home theater systems commonplace, nothing can truly replicate the immersive sights and sounds of a theatrical experience when viewed on a larger-than-life movie screen. This was a sentiment that was echoed by many filmmakers who were blindsided by Warner Bros.’ announcement. These filmmakers not only voiced their frustrations at Warner Bros. but grew unsettled at the precedent this would set for exhibitor relations and the future of the theatrical experience.

If successful, would Warner Bros.’ strategy force other studios to adopt a similar model? Disney had already toyed with an on-demand model with their 2020 live-action release Mulan, which was slated for an exclusive first-run theatrical release. With on-demand services on the rise and pandemic-related lockdowns only deepening consumers’ penchant for streaming, it’s hard to say if audiences will gravitate away from theaters and towards the convenience of home exhibition. Whatever the outcome, the exhibition industry that emerges from the wreckage of the pandemic will be vastly different than before.

Since its inception, ArcLight Hollywood’s neighbor has been another Los Angeles icon, Amoeba Music. In 2018, it was announced that Amoeba’s Sunset Boulevard location would be demolished and replaced with yet another mixed-use tower. What was supposed to be a rousing sendoff for Amoeba in 2020 turned into an infuriatingly swift and bittersweet closure thanks to the pandemic. Amoeba Music still lives, albeit in a different building a few blocks north on Hollywood Blvd.

Now with ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific’s Cinerama Dome shuttered, Sunset and Cahuenga sits eerily empty and devoid of any of the eclectic appeal that defined that part of Hollywood for the past two decades.

Is this the end of an era in Hollywood? That question remains to be answered as Decurion’s motives are rather reticent when it comes to the future of their ArcLight and Pacific properties. Decurion made no mention of selling, nor did they declare bankruptcy; just the confounding message that effective immediately, they were out of the exhibition business altogether.

Whatever Decurion’s motives, the uncertainty surrounding ArcLight and Pacific’s eventual fate is more unnerving than the actual announcement of their sudden closure. Some have speculated that Decurion’s careful statements represented a negotiating tactic with landlords over their leases. Most of Decurion’s cinemas are located in shopping and entertainment centers that rely heavily on the traffic brought in by movie theaters, and their absence would be a major death blow to retailers who are trying to navigate the insecurity of brick-and-mortar retail in a post-pandemic world.

With ArcLight and Pacific’s Cinerama Dome indefinitely shuttered, and Amoeba Music relocated to Hollywood Blvd, one final vestige of Sunset and Cahuenga’s epoch revival remains: The Los Angeles Film School. More than just venues for entertainment, ArcLight Cinemas and the Cinerama Dome served as aspirational retreats for the many students who matriculated at the campus right across the way. These exhibition icons symbolized dreams not yet realized for promising filmmakers.  For the many dreamers who came to The Los Angeles Film School hoping to one day have their films play in the very theaters they would frequent, the dream still endures. And for cinephiles who mourn the loss of these venues, a flicker of hope still exists.

In a year and a town that saw the Lakers win their seventeenth NBA championship after a 10-year dry spell; where the Dodgers won the World Series after a 32-year drought; where Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will both suit up once again as Batman after being written off from the role; where Zack Snyder finally got to unveil his mythical unicorn of Justice League to the world to finally see; will the saga of ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres have a hero swoop in during the final act to save their venues and deliver yet another Hollywood ending?

Being the Los Angeles icons they are, it’s hard to imagine ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific’s Cinerama Dome permanently shuttered or worse, demolished by a venal developer and converted into yet another complex of obscenely priced lofts. As Hollywood heavyweights voiced their anger, frustration, and sadness at the news of the closure, there remains a groundswell of support within the entertainment industry and in the community at large about keeping all of the ArcLight and Pacific locations operating. We’ll just have to wait and see if anything comes from this enduring adoration. Far from over, this just might be an intermission for ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres, with the picture show ready to resume any minute.