Niche, historic movie theaters are having a moment in Los Angeles County right now.
After several quiet years for the famed Cinerama Dome in Echo Park, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced to fanfare in late July that it would reopen the site under the operation of its Alamo Drafthouse Cinema brand by 2028. That theater, which was previously operated by ArcLight Cinemas, has been closed since 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered many theaters in its early days, and ArcLight did not survive.
In Glendale, the historic Alex Theatre – which is owned by the city and operated by Evnsong Entertainment – has pivoted from being a dedicated performing arts space to now also showing first-run movies. Ahead of Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster “The Odyssey,” a new projection booth was constructed inside the venue. The Alex, as it is affectionately called, has been among the few theaters screening the movie in 70mm film – although not in Imax – and it has become a serious draw on Brand Boulevard.
Deadline noted last week that the Alex Theatre has been the top-grossing 70mm format theater, at more than $83,000 in tickets for the film’s second weekend, including $27 from yours truly on that Sunday.
One neat perk for the Alex’s new setup: there is a window for attendees to view the film reel unspooling through the projector, which was particularly striking on the large 70mm reel for “The Odyssey.”
In other news related to Nolan’s blockbuster, Deadline also reports the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood is looking at its new all-time best grossing movie. Actual sales plus pre-sales through week five were reported at $2.48 million last week. That tops the record for Nolan’s prior hit, the Academy Award-winning “Oppenheimer,” which made $2.38 million at the venue in 2023.
The Bruin Theater in Westwood is reportedly opening its doors again this fall. And the neighboring Fox Westwood Village Theatre is undergoing renovations under new ownership and will be operated by Hollywood-based nonprofit American Cinematheque, which also operates the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Feliz.
