Years after ArcLight theaters across the country screened their final films, a new movie theater chain is moving into one of the shuttered locations.
This week, Cinema West announced plans to take over the space once occupied by ArcLight Beach Cities off Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo.
The new 16-screen theatre will feature “luxury recliner seating, full restaurant and bar and a streamlined ticket and concession-buying experience,” the company said in a news release.
Cinema West Beach Cities will replace the once-loved theater, which closed its doors for good in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
The project will include a top-to-bottom redevelopment, transforming the space into what its new operators are calling a “luxury movie theater experience.”
Each auditorium will feature cutting edge laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound technology. Two of the auditoriums will feature “premium giant screens.”
An upscale woodfired pizza restaurant on site will serve craft beers, California wines and signa-ture cocktails.
Cinema West Executive Director James Howard said the goal of the project is to create a “luxury lounge movie experience,” where guests can enjoy quality food and significant comfort and immerse themselves in the film.
“We are stepping into a new era, leaving behind the generic, corporate-style, cookie-cutter the-aters. Cinema West Beach Cities will be a sophisticated cinematic experience on par with pri-vate screening rooms at the major studios,” Howard said.
The South Bay movie theater will serve as a flagship location for Cinema West.
“We look forward to the opening of Cinema West Beach Cities in El Segundo, providing an ex-ceptional movie experience for our residents and the entire South Bay,” said El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles.
Boyles thanked both Cinema West and the developer, Continental Development Corporation, for “recognizing” the location as a prime spot for those looking to enjoy a movie and a meal.
Developers anticipate a grand opening taking place in summer 2024, and the launch will in-clude special screenings of classic films and indies, in addition to the normal slate of summer blockbusters.
Cinema West says it hopes to succeed where other movie theater chains have failed, pointing toward the massive success of previous summer hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” as examples of a rebounding industry.
There seems to be a discrepancy for the address of the first El Cajon Theatre. The Sanborn Maps 1929 (in photo section) show the location to be 28 Magnolia Street, now 126 S. Magnolia, between Main and the Douglas. (Today town homes).
Have also added a news clipping from Daily Pacific Builders September 11, 1945, confirming the address of the first El Cajon Theatre at 126 S. Magnolia, owner Gerald Gallager.
Daily Pacific Builders, September 11, 1945, Page n325
EL CAJON, San Diego Co., Calif. —Scherer ft Prichard. 8964 Orange St, Riverside, at $85,466 a submitted low bid to Architect Robt Halley Jr., 601 Spreckels Bldg. San Diego, Sept 5, for the construction of a 900-seat reinforced concrete theater building on Main Street EI Cajon, San Diego Coun-ty for Gerald Gallagher, c/o El Cajon Theater, 126 S Magnolia, E
Here’s a little fun. Photo is from a 1957 movie Crime Of Passion. This house can be found today at 11170 Fairbanks Way, Culver City. The neighborhood was built in 1949. The Studio Drive-in is probably farther away than it looks but it is still overpowering.
It was opened by Robert L. Lippert Theatres. According to a news clipping in the photo section, Robert L. Lippert, owner of Hayward 6 Cinemas, passed away four days after the theaters opened.
The Cabart name was derived from combining partners Charles A. CABallero and Milton ARThur. Milton Arthur came to Long Beach in 1930 and leased the Capitol, later named the Tracy Theatre. His brother, Harry Arthur, ran several East Coast theaters, in the 1930s, most notably the Fox New England Circuit and was listed as a stockholder in New York’s Roxy. Mr. Caballero partnered in 1947 with William Foreman to form United Drive-In Theatres, later known as Pacific Drive-In Theatres.
As early as April 1932, Mr. Arthur was mentioned in the Santa Ana Register as division manager of Fox West Coast Theaters. A story appearing in Variety on February 26, 1936, reported Milton Arthur was banned from the Fox West Coast home office because of a feud with Charles Skouras. At the time Arthur was FWC district manager of five Orange County theaters and the feud may have had something to do with a contract for the Broadway and West Coast Theaters to share revenues. Milton’s father, Harry C. Arthur Sr., managed the Fox West Coast in Anaheim for 18 years before his death in 1945.
Film Daily Year Book 1940 lists Cabart Theatres with 15 Southern California locations. Cabart’s Long Beach houses at one time or another were the Atlantic, Brayton, Dale, Cabart, Art, Ritz, Rivoli, Tracy, and State. By 1950, with offices at 4425 Atlantic Blvd in the Towne Theatre, the La Shell and Santa Fe were added to now 21 locations. As for the Art Theatre it was Mr. Arthur’s idea in January 1949 to change the name of the Lee Theatre to the Art Theatre, that name being more descriptive for at the time the theater was playing Laurence Olivier’s Henry V.
Other theaters mentioned as Milton having an interest in were the Southside Theatres and Alto Theatre, Los Angeles, Fanchon & Marco theatres and the Temple Theatre in San Bernardino. In 1949 Cabart purchased the State, Walkers, Yost, and Princess in Santa Ana and would later operate the Paulo Drive-In, Costa Mesa.
Cabart theatres weren’t without problems. In December 1947 the Ebell Theatre filed suit against Arthur and 15 distributors for violation of the anti-trust law. In October 1952 Milton assumed the lease of the Ebell for $750 a month. In August 1950 a similar suit by Eulah and Ivan Hanson of the Atlantic Theatre against Cabart was dismissed. Mr. Hanson had passed away the previous April and in 1958 the Atlantic came under the Cabart Theatres banner.
The most devastating hit to Cabart Theatres was the February 25, 1952, $500,000 fire of the Broadway Theatre in Santa Ana. Managed by a Cabart officer George King (Milt’s brother in-law), the theater had just undergone a $250,000 refurbishment. The Broadway was rebuilt, reopening in 1955, with mid-century minimalist architecture, in contrast to the ‘Skourasized’ Fox West Coast, Santa Ana.
Mr. Arthur began planning the Los Altos Drive-in Theatre in 1953. When it opened on June 3, 1955, the Long Beach Independent noted it was jointly owned by Cabart Theatres and Pacific Drive-In Theatres. In 1960 the Cabart, Rivoli, State, and Towne, became part of Pacific Theatres.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Arthur for many years was chairman of the Los Angeles County Park and Recreation Commission and was a proponent to bring major league baseball to Los Angeles. At one time he, and brother Harry, was part owners of the St. Louis Browns baseball. In March of 1957 Milton was part of Mayor Norris Poulson’s entourage who met with with Walter O’Malley in Vero Beach to persuade him to bring the Dodgers to Los Angeles. Before meeting with O’Malley, Arthur said he had already researched Chavez Ravine as a possible site.
Mr. Arthur led a colorful life prior to becoming a theater magnate. The Press-Telegram noted he was born in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and was a bat boy for the Yankees in 1913-14 under Frank Chance. He came to Los Angeles in 1921 as a film salesman and opened his first theater there in 1926. At the time of the October 1951 interview he made his home on Myrtle Avenue in Bixby Knolls. Mr. Arthur passed away in August 1973.
Opened as the El Segundo Theater. An advertisement for a name change to the State Theater January 6, 1928, is now in the photo section.
From KTLA TV, November 17, 2023
Years after ArcLight theaters across the country screened their final films, a new movie theater chain is moving into one of the shuttered locations. This week, Cinema West announced plans to take over the space once occupied by ArcLight Beach Cities off Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo. The new 16-screen theatre will feature “luxury recliner seating, full restaurant and bar and a streamlined ticket and concession-buying experience,” the company said in a news release. Cinema West Beach Cities will replace the once-loved theater, which closed its doors for good in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The project will include a top-to-bottom redevelopment, transforming the space into what its new operators are calling a “luxury movie theater experience.” Each auditorium will feature cutting edge laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound technology. Two of the auditoriums will feature “premium giant screens.” An upscale woodfired pizza restaurant on site will serve craft beers, California wines and signa-ture cocktails. Cinema West Executive Director James Howard said the goal of the project is to create a “luxury lounge movie experience,” where guests can enjoy quality food and significant comfort and immerse themselves in the film. “We are stepping into a new era, leaving behind the generic, corporate-style, cookie-cutter the-aters. Cinema West Beach Cities will be a sophisticated cinematic experience on par with pri-vate screening rooms at the major studios,” Howard said. The South Bay movie theater will serve as a flagship location for Cinema West. “We look forward to the opening of Cinema West Beach Cities in El Segundo, providing an ex-ceptional movie experience for our residents and the entire South Bay,” said El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles. Boyles thanked both Cinema West and the developer, Continental Development Corporation, for “recognizing” the location as a prime spot for those looking to enjoy a movie and a meal. Developers anticipate a grand opening taking place in summer 2024, and the launch will in-clude special screenings of classic films and indies, in addition to the normal slate of summer blockbusters. Cinema West says it hopes to succeed where other movie theater chains have failed, pointing toward the massive success of previous summer hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” as examples of a rebounding industry.
There seems to be a discrepancy for the address of the first El Cajon Theatre. The Sanborn Maps 1929 (in photo section) show the location to be 28 Magnolia Street, now 126 S. Magnolia, between Main and the Douglas. (Today town homes).
Have also added a news clipping from Daily Pacific Builders September 11, 1945, confirming the address of the first El Cajon Theatre at 126 S. Magnolia, owner Gerald Gallager.
Daily Pacific Builders, September 11, 1945, Page n325 EL CAJON, San Diego Co., Calif. —Scherer ft Prichard. 8964 Orange St, Riverside, at $85,466 a submitted low bid to Architect Robt Halley Jr., 601 Spreckels Bldg. San Diego, Sept 5, for the construction of a 900-seat reinforced concrete theater building on Main Street EI Cajon, San Diego Coun-ty for Gerald Gallagher, c/o El Cajon Theater, 126 S Magnolia, E
Opens November 9, 2023 as Nordstrom Rack
Here’s a little fun. Photo is from a 1957 movie Crime Of Passion. This house can be found today at 11170 Fairbanks Way, Culver City. The neighborhood was built in 1949. The Studio Drive-in is probably farther away than it looks but it is still overpowering.
Thanks Scott,
It was opened by Robert L. Lippert Theatres. According to a news clipping in the photo section, Robert L. Lippert, owner of Hayward 6 Cinemas, passed away four days after the theaters opened.
Grand opening ad for November 12, 1976, as Hayward 6 Cinemas is now in the photo section.
Designed by: Bonfanti & Lawrence. (Vincent Robert Bonfanti; Donald J. Lawrence).
Seating: 1,636. Original operator: Festival Cinemas.
The Cabart name was derived from combining partners Charles A. CABallero and Milton ARThur. Milton Arthur came to Long Beach in 1930 and leased the Capitol, later named the Tracy Theatre. His brother, Harry Arthur, ran several East Coast theaters, in the 1930s, most notably the Fox New England Circuit and was listed as a stockholder in New York’s Roxy. Mr. Caballero partnered in 1947 with William Foreman to form United Drive-In Theatres, later known as Pacific Drive-In Theatres.
As early as April 1932, Mr. Arthur was mentioned in the Santa Ana Register as division manager of Fox West Coast Theaters. A story appearing in Variety on February 26, 1936, reported Milton Arthur was banned from the Fox West Coast home office because of a feud with Charles Skouras. At the time Arthur was FWC district manager of five Orange County theaters and the feud may have had something to do with a contract for the Broadway and West Coast Theaters to share revenues. Milton’s father, Harry C. Arthur Sr., managed the Fox West Coast in Anaheim for 18 years before his death in 1945.
Film Daily Year Book 1940 lists Cabart Theatres with 15 Southern California locations. Cabart’s Long Beach houses at one time or another were the Atlantic, Brayton, Dale, Cabart, Art, Ritz, Rivoli, Tracy, and State. By 1950, with offices at 4425 Atlantic Blvd in the Towne Theatre, the La Shell and Santa Fe were added to now 21 locations. As for the Art Theatre it was Mr. Arthur’s idea in January 1949 to change the name of the Lee Theatre to the Art Theatre, that name being more descriptive for at the time the theater was playing Laurence Olivier’s Henry V.
Other theaters mentioned as Milton having an interest in were the Southside Theatres and Alto Theatre, Los Angeles, Fanchon & Marco theatres and the Temple Theatre in San Bernardino. In 1949 Cabart purchased the State, Walkers, Yost, and Princess in Santa Ana and would later operate the Paulo Drive-In, Costa Mesa.
Cabart theatres weren’t without problems. In December 1947 the Ebell Theatre filed suit against Arthur and 15 distributors for violation of the anti-trust law. In October 1952 Milton assumed the lease of the Ebell for $750 a month. In August 1950 a similar suit by Eulah and Ivan Hanson of the Atlantic Theatre against Cabart was dismissed. Mr. Hanson had passed away the previous April and in 1958 the Atlantic came under the Cabart Theatres banner.
The most devastating hit to Cabart Theatres was the February 25, 1952, $500,000 fire of the Broadway Theatre in Santa Ana. Managed by a Cabart officer George King (Milt’s brother in-law), the theater had just undergone a $250,000 refurbishment. The Broadway was rebuilt, reopening in 1955, with mid-century minimalist architecture, in contrast to the ‘Skourasized’ Fox West Coast, Santa Ana.
Mr. Arthur began planning the Los Altos Drive-in Theatre in 1953. When it opened on June 3, 1955, the Long Beach Independent noted it was jointly owned by Cabart Theatres and Pacific Drive-In Theatres. In 1960 the Cabart, Rivoli, State, and Towne, became part of Pacific Theatres.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Arthur for many years was chairman of the Los Angeles County Park and Recreation Commission and was a proponent to bring major league baseball to Los Angeles. At one time he, and brother Harry, was part owners of the St. Louis Browns baseball. In March of 1957 Milton was part of Mayor Norris Poulson’s entourage who met with with Walter O’Malley in Vero Beach to persuade him to bring the Dodgers to Los Angeles. Before meeting with O’Malley, Arthur said he had already researched Chavez Ravine as a possible site.
Mr. Arthur led a colorful life prior to becoming a theater magnate. The Press-Telegram noted he was born in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and was a bat boy for the Yankees in 1913-14 under Frank Chance. He came to Los Angeles in 1921 as a film salesman and opened his first theater there in 1926. At the time of the October 1951 interview he made his home on Myrtle Avenue in Bixby Knolls. Mr. Arthur passed away in August 1973.