Pacific's Cinerama Dome and Other Theaters Closing Permanently

Above, the Cinerama Theatre is permanently closed. Wikipedia photo.

Back in 1963, a new theater opened in Hollywood that has become a Los Angeles Cultural-Historic Monument. It is a favorite venue for theatergoers.

It was the Pacific's Cinerama Theatre, commonly known as the Cinerama Dome. 

I first went there to see the theater's opening engagement of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in November 1963 and I have seen movies there several times over the years.

Now, it and other Pacific Theaters are permanently closing. The economic impact of the pandemic is the reason given.

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

In a blow for Southern California moviegoers — and those in Los Angeles in particular — the ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres are closing all of their 16 locations for good after seeing their business decimated by the pandemic.

ArcLight's stable includes the prized Cinerama Dome Hollywood. The Dome, built in 1963 by Pacific Theatres' parent company the Decurion Corp., is the crown jewel of the small theater complex that was later reconstructed in the early 2000s.

Throughout the decades, the Dome, in particular, has been a favorite site place to stage premieres — it timed its opening to the global launch of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World — and is beloved among many cinephiles.

In recent years, the ArcLight Hollywood complex has been a bastion for both first-run movies and independent titles and was among the first L.A. cinemas to offer high-end food.

We can now thank the stupidity of the state government's (i.e., Gavin Newsom) overreaction to the coronavirus for this loss.

To read more, go here.