Los Angeles Film & Revival Houses

Thankfully, there’s still a healthy filmgoing tradition in this town, with some robust revival houses. By this I mean theaters that regularly screen—projecting either in celluloid or digital format—movies no longer in release. I profile a handful of recently visited theaters below (but for a more exhaustive list, check out: https://www.revivalhouses.com/theaters/) (i) Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema; (ii) Downtown LA’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema; (iii) Universal Cinema AMC (the IMAX at CityWalk Hollywood); and (iv) Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Note that the first two in the list are certifiable revival houses while the last two are regular multiplexes featuring mostly current releases.

A word about format: regardless of how a film was originally captured on camera, by “format” here we refer to how it is projected in the theatre. “Celluloid” includes the salient professional film formats such as 35 mm, 70 mm, and 70 mm IMAX; “digital” refers to DCP or Digital Cinema Package (the encrypted hard drive delivered to theatres).

New Beverly Cinema

Quentin Tarantino currently owns this theatre on Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood, often lending his personal film prints to be screened here. They proudly screen only in the celluloid format (with a film projector as opposed to the digital ones in vogue at most multiplexes). Keep in mind the interiors, the screen, the seats are very retro—but the ticket prices are significantly less compared to regular multiplexes. And for double bills—two movies screened back-to-back—often you can pay for only a single ticket allowing you to see both movies. I also like their tradition of having someone personally introduce each screening.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Located in downtown LA within the business/financial district, this is actually part of a nation-wide chain with in-show food/drink served at your (generous arm-chair-style) seat. The tickets are commensurately pricey, but you might save big on their “season pass” if you plan on being there multiple times within a limited duration. Representing the best of both worlds between multiplexes and single-screen revival houses, the Alamo screens both current releases as well as select yesteryear re-runs.

Universal Cinema AMC

Bit of a hike to reach—situated deep inside CityWalk Hollywood, the IMAX theatre here is arguably the best in the LA metro area, with a dual-laser digital projector for usual releases as well as a 70 mm film projector for Christopher Nolan-style big format celluloid releases. This is also the place to choose if you’re a purist of sorts—the IMAX theatre here projects in the 1.43: 1 aspect ratio, aka “true” IMAX.

Chinese Theatre

Smack in the middle of the Hollywood Walk of Fame—featuring hand & footprints of stars past and present—they advertise themselves as “the only IMAX in Hollywood.” Their claim is technically true—the earlier listing above comes under Universal City geographically—but bigger might or might not necessarily be better. They do have a giant screen, and ornate interiors—and the proximity might also be a factor in case you are staying in Hollywood. (Plus if you’re fond of tacos, one of the best taco spots in town—tacos neza—is right next door.)