TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
160 people
favorited this theater
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advance tickets are on sale for Wolverine.
Here is a 1980 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/daol7o
Here’s a 1983 photo of the Chinese:
View link
“Titanic” was playing at the Chinese in April 1953:
http://tinyurl.com/dc5at8
I went to the Chinese to see Fast & Furious (both the opening weekend Thursday midnight and Saturday night shows).
The biggest mistake Mann seems to be making with this theater (other than the bookings, obviously) is that they really seem to be going out of their way to make this theater a tourist trap. Unlike the Dome or the Village, where you really have to make an effort to go to those theaters, the Chinese grabs people off the street with nothing better to do. For the Thursday midnight, that wasn’t a problem because only people who really wanted to see the movie were on Hollywood Blvd at that time. The Saturday show was another story entirely with families and yapping teens and crying babies all over the place! Just a really horrible experience. The majesty and the experience of the Chinese is essentially wasted on these people who would be just as happy in a 100 seat AMC auditorium.
After spending so much time with the Arclight and the Dome, the Chinese is really starting to become a disappointment. Mann should be spending more time trying to improve the overall experience for people who make a point to go to the Chinese and less time worrying about pulling people in from the courtyard who are going to see a movie there once and then never come back. The tourists come and go, but the movie-lovers are what has kept that theater successful for decades.
Sadly, it’s a shadow of how mighty it once was. I wish Mann would just get out of the movie business already and let someone else (preferably Pacific) put some muscle behind it.
on the arclight website they are selling advance tix for Star Trek (May 8) at both Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, but they are selling advance tix for Wolverine (also May 8) only at Sherman Oaks. So it looks like Wolverine will play here.
Here is a postcard, perhaps late twenties or early thirties:
http://tinyurl.com/cvna7r
The LAPL recently added this view of an unidentified premiere in 1948:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00078/00078398.jpg
Are Mann Theatres attempting to kill off this famous theatre? The “B” grade bookings of late would seem to indicate the end is near. Do Mann Theatres no longer have any importance with major studios? Would not be surprised to see a policy of Z-grade double features programmed soon in an attempt to justify closure.
I guess the next film is FAST AND FURIOUS Apr 3rd; advance tickets on sale now for main theatre and Chinese 6 (which yes, is D-Box).
Street Fighter is on its 3rd week at the Chinese when most any other theatre has dumped it. Will it do a 4th? Really, if they cannot get good bookings they should show a classic (2001? Lawrence of Arabia?) or plan a week long festival (Classic SciFi? Star Trek I-VI) in the interim to make good use of the theatre that might actually bring in an audience.
I’m guessing that this theatre is getting Fast and Furious since the film is compatible with the D-Box motion format and this theatre has it.
Grauman’s Chinese continues to spiral down. I’ve been wanting to go see a film there but they continue to get crappy bookings. I thought maybe with all the March releases they would have something I could go see. But EVERYTHING seems to be going to Arclight. Even next week with DUPLICITY, I LOVE YOU MAN and the crappy type of Chi film the Chinese has been getting KNOWING are all opening at Arclight. Are they keeping STREET FIGHTER for another week? Nobody wanted to see it opening weekend. They must be running the film with empty audiences at this point. Mann is a mess, they need let someone else book this theatre. It is a landmark theatre that is turning into a dumping ground for mediocore films. It is very sad.
Well you can see Dracula on the marquee on Chinese theatre 2.
Check the first photo, far left.
exterior shots from 1992 with displays up for Dracula (released nov 13 1992 and Malcolm X (released nov 18 1992)
View link
View link
shot of hollywood boulevard, the Chinese in the distance and the now demolished Galaxy in the fore ground
View link
I would gladly go to Grauman’s more if they showed movies I wanted to see. Ditching the Screenvision preshow would also help too.
I think it has come down to the Studios prefering the Arclight and would rather have thier “A” films there. Plus, I know for a fact that many locals hate going to the Chinese because of the tourists and the congestion. They rather go to the Arclight or Grove. The landmark status of the Chinese means nothing to many. Not me though.
Also, the Chinese 6 are pretty much useless theatres. They are good for move-overs or crappy films Arclight does not want.
Mann theatres almost seems not to care anymore. They are slowly getting rid of theatres from its chain. When leases expire they do not renew. The pending non-renewal from them re; the Village and Bruin will be our next heartbreak. It a perfect world it would be nice if someone like Pacfic would step and and do something, but in this economy it is not good business sense. It is sad, I still will patronize these theatres first before any other, but I seem to be the only one.
Why the hell was “The Unborn” dumped at the Chinese? “Defiance” or “Notorious” would have been much classier choices than another stupid American screw up of an Asian horror flick.
Meant “since Christmas”. This does not include premieres, just regular bookings for the general public. These days the Chinese and Chinese 6 has been losing most releases to the Arclight Hollywood. The mix of films at the Chinese & Chinese 6 has been 2 or 3 less desirable first run features and the rest of the screens showing stuff that has been moved over from the Arclight after it has played out. What I am saying is that since Christmas the Chinese Theatres have (happily) only had first run bookings of their own, rather than move-overs from another theatre.
Don’t know if the pattern will continue or if it is merely a result of a lot of product during the holidays. (See conversation above about the lousy year the Chinese and Chinese 6 have had).
Mark, I don’t understand your comment. Are you saying “since Christmas” and it has been awhile since what? are you saying no premieres or what?
Through Christmas, the Chinese and Chinese 6 have had only 1st run bookings. Its been a while!
There are a couple of them missing from the balcony level perches. Look at old theater photographs to see what was once there…
I saw the post about the missing statuary, does anyone know what it looks like?
I looks like the Chinese will Get VALKYRIE, MARLEY & ME and TALES OF DESPERAUX as thier Christmas line up. That is according to the Arclight flier I picked up this weekend. These are the films NOT booked into Arclight Hollywood. MARLEY & ME looks to be the one of the three that has box office potential. It is sad that this great theatre is losing its edge.