Expanding Hollywood’s Small Picture

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Expanding Hollywood’s Small Picture
Got Them Covered: Christian Meoli at Arena Cinema in Hollywood.

Hollywood microtheater Arena Cinema shows films you’d never see in multiplexes and sells snacks you’d never find there either: room-temperature boxed water and roasted seaweed.

But by doing things differently, the 92-seat hideaway off North Las Palmas Avenue has become a haven for the city’s independent movie lovers and a favorite venue for indie distributors.

“While there aren’t huge profits in serving an appreciative community with great smaller films, within the paradigm of doing what you love and helping others, you can find immense riches,” said Managing Director Christian Meoli.

After three years in business, the intimate art house has gathered a loyal fan base eager for an alternative filmgoing experience.

“Arena Cinema has become the go-to spot in L.A. for indie fare,” said Justin DiPietro, sales and distribution manager for IFC Films.

Just as the films shown there are carefully curated, so are the contents of the concession stand.

“Because we care about our audience it’s a source of pride to offer them healthy goodies rather than junk food and overpriced, oversized sodas you need two hands to hold,” said Meoli, 42.

Currently showing low-budget but highly praised new films “The Riot Club,” “Candlestick” and “Infernal,” the theater is positioning itself to independent distributors as the West Coast launch pad for their films.

“A major market like Los Angeles is an influencer to the rest of the country and a theatrical run here can certainly help lead to the films we show being booked in other art houses around the country and the world,” Meoli said.

Also helping such movies find a larger audience is his innovative idea of placing them as video-on-demand offerings, after their theatrical run, on the theater’s website. Arena takes a facilitator’s fee in the form of a small but undisclosed slice of every download.

“Great ideas like that are why we’ve launched several of our indies at Arena,” said Michael Repsch, of Philadelphia distributor Breaking Glass Pictures. “We love how Christian and his team make each release an event with premiere screenings, Q-and-A’s, press and other attention-getting ideas. Such things can be a struggle when you don’t have the resources of a major player.”

– Sandro Monetti

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