TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
160 people
favorited this theater
Showing 501 - 525 of 1,676 comments
90 feet wide & 46 feet tall according to the big press release in the LA Times. Taller and wider than (GASP!) The Dome. Anyone still wanna label this a LIEMAX?
Hey Big Joe, what about the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland? Opened in 1926 and still going strong.
Hello-
i thank Howard H. for the info. i was under the assumption that the Uptown in D.C. had opened as a 1st run theater but according to you it only became 1st run in the late 50s.
therefore that makes the Chinese distinctive in that its the only grand old movie theater/palace built in the 1914-1941 building boon that opened as a 1st run theater and has continued to operate as such since the day it opened.
Chris, to be fair, IMAX didn’t “step away” from 15/70. The company was going broke, and the only way to keep the brand going was to get updated and adapt into something different than what we’re used to. Had they not made the move, IMAX would be gone now.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-chinese-oz-20130806,0,6967513.story
Nice find, Robert! This must be what the big announcement is supposed to be tomorrow (Aug 6) on the Chinese Facebook page!
Joe, though DC Uptown is one of my favorites, it didn’t go 1st run into 1950s, I believe the late 1950s & certainly not in the 1930s & 1940s.
I get “sartana’s” (and others) gripes and fears. It’s all about change. We hate to see our proverbial sacred cows get updated and adapted into something different than what we’re used to.
These gripes and fears arose from too much dumbing down of the IMAX brand.
IMAX originally was all about larger than life 70MM technology in the biggest theatres on the biggest screens you ever saw. But IMAX chose to step away from that and create a stripped down version of their tech in darn near every shopping mall multiplex in the country – projecting images on screens half the size of those super large screens that made their name legend. The complainers are afraid that the mighty Chinese will become another example of this.
Looking at the pics of the new stadium seating layout, I’m conceding the fact that, although the screen will be 94 feet wide, it won’t be 2 stories tall like the built from the ground up IMAX'es. But that’s not enough to dampen my excitement for the changes that are to come. The IMAX name insures that the theatre will have a steady stream of big ticket (non-Disney) titles running throughout any given calendar year and, despite the fears, will breath some fresh new life into the world’s most famous movie theatre!
After sitting in the Chinese auditorium too many times on opening weekends this past year with maybe a grand total of 30 other people, it will be fantastic to see this theater filled with other movie goers again.
Like many others, I too want to magically walk back into 1979 and see the Chinese filled with crowds of people watching a 70mm 6 track Dolby Stereo movie….but that aint going to happen.
I spent most of my opening weekends this summer at the Village since I wont pay for 3D at the Dome anymore…It will be nice to go back to the Chinese..I just hope they keep it under $20. (HA!)
Hello from NYC-
I have to agree with Escott N. that as long as the new owners preserve the original architectural design,ornamentation, elements etc….. while in the process of upgrading the sound and projection systems one can’t complain to much.
also there’s one very interesting distinction about this theater that i’m betting few people realize. the the heyday of building grand old movies theaters/ palaces was approx. 1914 -1941. when I first came upon this delightful website I created a task for myself- to find any grand old movie theaters/palaces that were built from the get go as 1st run venues and have continued to operate as such since the day they opened. needless to say I have centered my search on big cities. of the searching I’ve done so far I have found a grand total of 2- the Uptown in D.C. and this theater. amazing when you think about it.
I agree Robert. I love the Chinese, have gone there all my life! I was there as a docent for the last public behind-the-scenes tour, and I think they are doing the right thing for the theatre. Folks who don’t even use their full names and are trashing something that they probably do not have first hand experience with are generally people I don’t pay much attention to.
Movie theaters have always been about spectacle, and an experience you can’t have at home. Theaters lost that over the last few decades and they are fighting to get that back. What the Chinese is doing is preserving and protecting the existing historical elements AND improving the experience. If they can keep the beautiful theater and fill the seats, this is GREAT for the Chinese! Those who insist on hanging on to the past, or some specific technology should buy their own theaters and do what they want with them.
Those of us who can not afford our own theaters should stop complaining on message boards and support the theater owners who care to preserve and improve at the same time, keeping these Cinema Treasures alive and prospering!
Chris I think the problem is that IMAX haters like Sartana just like to complain to complain.
The initial use of Lie Max was by Aziz Ansari, who called it Lie max cause it was a much smaller screen. Now the IMAX haters have morphed that into no its really digital that makes it Lie Max.
Sad that someone like Sartana makes a judgement before the theatre has even reopened. And you are 100 percent right 94 ft wide screen is def not LIEMAX.
A 94 foot wide screen ain’t LieMax. Me thinks you’ve been to too many retrofitted AMC’s. And the bass in a true blue, built from the ground up IMAX theatre will make your chest pound. I speak from experience.
Just came across this news. It looks like all the great theatres in LA are either vanishing, being split up or getting converted to crap such as LieMax.
And there is nobody to blame but the masses who turned their back on great venues such as this and the National in Westwood, in favor of shopping mall shoe boxes and LieMax theatres. Those people do not realize or care that watching 2.35 films in these new theatres will result in a smaller picture than films that are 1.85. Not to mention that most of them do not have any masking for improved presentation.
And finally the LieMax sound system is a joke. Since there is no dedicated LFE channel, I have no doubt that they violate standards by turning up the bass to impress the Amateur masses. Their bass in nothing more than a distorted BOOM BOOM to my ears. The THX system which was put in 1984 is far better in comparison, and is only second in performance after the HPS-4000 sound system.
RIP Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
In those photos you can see that the THX surround speakers are still there and covered in plastic. The THX system will still be used then? The IMAX auditoriums I have been in don’t have arrays of surround speakers on the side/back walls. They just have a pair of large speakers hanging in the rear corners.
It definately looks like the sound curtains on the side are still in place.definately they have done a great job of keeping the historical look of the auditorium
I wonder what they’re planning on doing with the sides between the pillars. There’s some strange box shapes there. Is the space between the pillars and theater wall still accessible?
I hope they kept the curtains closing between the side pillars when the lights dim as well as the hidden drinking fountain on the right side.
Thanks for posting the aditional photos Escott.. Sooo cant wait for Sept. Anyone else notice that the AP photos mention Sept 15th reopening? This leads me to belive OZ-3D must definately be the 1st movie. Since Riddick opens Sept 6th.
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation was also present at todays event, and LAHTF photographer Wendell Benedetti just posted some amazing shots. I’ve added them here. All of the historic elements were protected and saved as promised. The seating capacity will 986, a bit less than before, because of required accessible seating, and the fact that todays seats are wider than they were in the 1920s!
http://www.sipa.com/en/feature/2647517/chinese-theatre-renovation/page/1/SN/ENTERTAINMENT
It was apparently called Media Preview day, here are some from Gettyimages.
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/general-view-of-atmosphere-of-tcls-chinese-theater-news-photo/174245081
So it looks to me like the heavy work is done and now its down to the stage where they start installing the theatrical accutriments (Screen, seats,etc)
Can I just add, that I think its impressive that they allowed press into take photos, when there is still a good deal to be done. very cool that the owners are being transparent as to what the renovations look like well before they are completed.
Apparently there was some sort of media event at the theatre today, and AP has photos posted of the renovations thus far http://binaryapi.ap.org/23a2d126182941d9a7bf7513e939d4ab/512x.jpg
Danny, Thats what I was hoping But as we all know theatres actually in Hollywood follow their own rules on who gets what.
Fingers crossed that IMAX knocks that equation out of pay atleast somewhat.
Edward is that the case for a number of IMAX films your theatre plays or was After Earth the exception to the rule?
Danny, our theatre, which has a IMAX digital installation, did not play “After Earth” in IMAX. We kept our print of “Star Trek Into Darkness” until “Man of Steel.”
yes they do.
Don’t all digital IMAX screens play every domestic digital IMAX release? My understanding was only the 1570 sites don’t play certain IMAX releases, when the windows are too short to justify making 1570 prints. The only time I can see the Chinese bucking that trend is if Disney refuses due to the El Capitan.