This theatre is also a short walk from AMC’s corporate headquarters. Surprisingly, the facility remains somewhat of a standard megaplex era theatre, rather than the cutting edge flagship one would expect to be adjacent to their home office.
Back in 2009, the theatre experienced a rather unique after-hours robbery. In addition to emptying the safe, the thief left behind a note which detailed how security inadequacies had allowed him to commit his crime and listed various performance shortcomings by the theatre’s general manager. And, if leaving a written report wasn’t odd enough, the guy actually signed the note (revealing himself as the property’s security guard). Between signing an admission of his crime and “skipping town” with a less than life changing sub $5,000, the thief didn’t manage to stay on the run for long. However, his note did prove to be productive, as Starplex investigated the items in his critique; ultimately resulting in an overhaul of the theatre’s management team. Perhaps, the world’s first operations audit robbery.
CTCrouch
commented about
Fox 4on
Jun 3, 2025 at 2:28 am
Back when I was in college (early 90’s), I remember this theatre looking a bit worse for wear and thinking it was closed several years before it actually shut down; overgrown landscaping, broken exterior fixtures, decaying asphalt parking lot, etc. Then again, there was a general “build it and forget about it” approach to upkeep with a lot of theatres in the area back then.
It’s amazing how often this hole in the wall theatre has popped up as a location in films. “Angel”, “Sweet Alice”, “Candy Goes To Hollywood”, “What Would Your Mother Say”, “Don’t Answer The Phone”, “10 to Midnight”, “Armed & Dangerous”, “Jack’s Back”, “Where The Day Takes You”, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”, “MaXXXine”, W.A.S.P.’s “I Wanna Be Somebody” music video. I’m sure I’ve missed a few with this list too.
On a trivia side note: The Cave’s use in “Angel” is somewhat of a cameo within a cameo, with a shared thread. In “Angel”, there is a scene where a character is watching “Sweet Alice” at the Cave and “Sweet Alice” contains a scene in which a character is watching a film at the Cave (a storyline film starring the namesake Sweet Alice character). So, at one point, a film’s fictional Cave patron would be watching another film’s fictional Cave patron; both ultimately watching films involving the fictional Sweet Alice character.
The theatre will be open for regular business beginning in February (first movie will be “Lincoln” on 2/12). Their website has posted the month’s movie schedule, along with some long term live events. It appears they will be primarily operating on weekends, with one screening per day.
Walking past the theatre this afternoon 1/27/25, I noticed that the exterior “gong” has suffered some visible damage. As I pass the theatre on a daily basis and hadn’t noticed the damage before, I assume this is very recent. Whether this is the result of age/deterioration, an accident, or the recent Santa Ana winds is unclear. Pictures added to the photo section.
The property was purchased by the Sundher family (founders/owners of the Hollywood Wax Museum) in 1991 and is operated under their Kuvera Partners business entity. From what I’ve been able to ascertain, they are remodeling the site into an “Outbreak: Dread The Undead” fright attraction, mirroring the “Outbreak” attractions they run in Tennessee and South Carolina.
In a 2016 interview former Carlos Tobalina associate, William Larraburre, recalled that Tobalina purchased the Mayan after returning from San Francisco with “a bag full of cash”; documentation from the time estimates the purchase price as $300,000. This transaction, along with a series of large all cash real estate acquisitions in the late 60’s/early 70’s drew the attention of the FBI. However, despite creating a 550 page file on Efrain “Carlos” Tobalina, the FBI was never able to establish any direct connection to criminal activity, beyond “unsubstantiated information” and suspicion.
While not yet open for a regular schedule, the theater’s restoration is complete and a soft opening “sneak peek” was held on 11/23/24. Additionally, the theater will be hosting a charity fundraiser screening of the 1993 documentary “Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie” on 1/29/25.
To fill in a brief history gap. Shortly after the 2004 Cinemark/Interstate acquisition, Interstate was spun off of Cinemark and merged with Starplex Cinemas (circa 2005). Starplex/Interstate later sublet a portion of the complex to an independent party which ran Indian films; the idea being to have half the complex operating as Starplex/Interstate and the other half under the Indian operator. Unfortunately, the already problematic theatre became even more of an issue under this arrangement and Starplex found an out through selling the remaining lease to Big Cinemas in 2009.
Mike Radio: Yeah, I remember that. There was the cinema by itself, with the Universal Amphitheater and Universal Studios down the way a bit (back when Universal was just the studio tour and stunt shows, with the occasional concert at the amphitheater).
The theatre’s opening day LA Times listing consists of little more than eight movie title entries as Movies 8 in the co-op independent block ad. Tell me that doesn’t scream 80’s Cinemark (I actually bet there was a discussion whether they should splurge for the eight lines or not).
The theatre recently reopened as the “Hang On to the Dream Theatre”. It appears the organization is a non profit, operating the theatre as a multi media venue; acting workshops, stage shows, a live audience podcast, open mic comedy, and a weekly independent movie night.
I was told the scenario was pretty much what Scott suspected. Cinemark signed a short term lease, which was tenant friendly, fully aware that the property’s future was in doubt. The redevelopment plans had been in play since the time of Regal’s departure, but not finalized. Had the plans fallen through or changed, Cinemark would have explored extending their lease and investing in the theatre. As the redevelopment plans moved forward, Cinemark exited, in a nothing lost fashion (having gained brand exposure and some revenue on a minimal investment).
The station entrance may not end up affecting the theatre. They are proposing two possible options. Option one would be the southeast corner of Hollywood and Highland, resulting in the current Ripley’s museum and the theatre property being affected. Option two would be the southwest corner, affecting the current souvenir shop and rear parking lot area. Option two would involve less demolition/disruption and afford the use of the large open lot running behind the blvd properties for construction equipment (option two makes far more sense, but civic projects aren’t always driven by common sense).
This theatre should be classified as closed. Cinelounge vacated the location some time ago and removed it from their website (they now operate at 6464 Sunset and a theatre in Tiburon, CA.). While it might be operating for occasional live theater performances, the venue is no longer screening movies.
The 2012 change in operators was due to Starplex departing the ownership structure which had overseen Starplex, ShowBiz, Movie Tavern, and iTZ (i.e. the separation agreement included relinquishing the Kingwood 15 to ShowBiz).
The flickering lights in that video appear to be one of the three line showtime lobby marquees; flashing gibberish because there is no TMS feed. While I’d like to think it’s a sign of some progress in the much anticipated reopening, it’s more likely that a breaker wasn’t turned off after core maintenance or a facility walkthrough.
The Cave Theatre’s lobby, along with the neighboring Howard Johnson’s (now an empty lot), were utilized in the opening segment of the 1979 adult film “Candy Goes to Hollywood”.
A welcome/advisory policy trailer from the Dragon Art Theatre (featuring Don Davison addressing the audience from his desk) is utilized by Something Weird Video for their “Dragon Art Theatre Double Features” vintage adult film series.
The Guinness Museum closed a few months ago and the interior is currently undergoing a significant remodel (looked to be stripped down to the framework). While some listings have it classified as temporarily closed, the owners (same family that runs the Hollywood Wax Museum) have taken down the Guinness Museum website and removed all references to the attraction from their existing website. Whether they are planning to relaunch a new Guinness Museum or looking to create a different attraction is unknown (I believe the family also owns the property).
This theatre is also a short walk from AMC’s corporate headquarters. Surprisingly, the facility remains somewhat of a standard megaplex era theatre, rather than the cutting edge flagship one would expect to be adjacent to their home office.
Back in 2009, the theatre experienced a rather unique after-hours robbery. In addition to emptying the safe, the thief left behind a note which detailed how security inadequacies had allowed him to commit his crime and listed various performance shortcomings by the theatre’s general manager. And, if leaving a written report wasn’t odd enough, the guy actually signed the note (revealing himself as the property’s security guard). Between signing an admission of his crime and “skipping town” with a less than life changing sub $5,000, the thief didn’t manage to stay on the run for long. However, his note did prove to be productive, as Starplex investigated the items in his critique; ultimately resulting in an overhaul of the theatre’s management team. Perhaps, the world’s first operations audit robbery.
Back when I was in college (early 90’s), I remember this theatre looking a bit worse for wear and thinking it was closed several years before it actually shut down; overgrown landscaping, broken exterior fixtures, decaying asphalt parking lot, etc. Then again, there was a general “build it and forget about it” approach to upkeep with a lot of theatres in the area back then.
It’s amazing how often this hole in the wall theatre has popped up as a location in films. “Angel”, “Sweet Alice”, “Candy Goes To Hollywood”, “What Would Your Mother Say”, “Don’t Answer The Phone”, “10 to Midnight”, “Armed & Dangerous”, “Jack’s Back”, “Where The Day Takes You”, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”, “MaXXXine”, W.A.S.P.’s “I Wanna Be Somebody” music video. I’m sure I’ve missed a few with this list too.
On a trivia side note: The Cave’s use in “Angel” is somewhat of a cameo within a cameo, with a shared thread. In “Angel”, there is a scene where a character is watching “Sweet Alice” at the Cave and “Sweet Alice” contains a scene in which a character is watching a film at the Cave (a storyline film starring the namesake Sweet Alice character). So, at one point, a film’s fictional Cave patron would be watching another film’s fictional Cave patron; both ultimately watching films involving the fictional Sweet Alice character.
Roughly a year after the fires the gutted structure and debris were cleared. As of 4/25 the site remains an empty, fenced off, lot.
The venue has reopened as a multi attraction outlet; “Outbreak - Dread The Undead”, “Chaos 5-D Adventure”, and “Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors”.
Closed on July 20, 2000. Demolition began the first week of August 2000.
After a few days of cordoning off the area directly below the gong a repair was completed.
The theatre will be open for regular business beginning in February (first movie will be “Lincoln” on 2/12). Their website has posted the month’s movie schedule, along with some long term live events. It appears they will be primarily operating on weekends, with one screening per day.
Walking past the theatre this afternoon 1/27/25, I noticed that the exterior “gong” has suffered some visible damage. As I pass the theatre on a daily basis and hadn’t noticed the damage before, I assume this is very recent. Whether this is the result of age/deterioration, an accident, or the recent Santa Ana winds is unclear. Pictures added to the photo section.
The property was purchased by the Sundher family (founders/owners of the Hollywood Wax Museum) in 1991 and is operated under their Kuvera Partners business entity. From what I’ve been able to ascertain, they are remodeling the site into an “Outbreak: Dread The Undead” fright attraction, mirroring the “Outbreak” attractions they run in Tennessee and South Carolina.
In a 2016 interview former Carlos Tobalina associate, William Larraburre, recalled that Tobalina purchased the Mayan after returning from San Francisco with “a bag full of cash”; documentation from the time estimates the purchase price as $300,000. This transaction, along with a series of large all cash real estate acquisitions in the late 60’s/early 70’s drew the attention of the FBI. However, despite creating a 550 page file on Efrain “Carlos” Tobalina, the FBI was never able to establish any direct connection to criminal activity, beyond “unsubstantiated information” and suspicion.
While not yet open for a regular schedule, the theater’s restoration is complete and a soft opening “sneak peek” was held on 11/23/24. Additionally, the theater will be hosting a charity fundraiser screening of the 1993 documentary “Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie” on 1/29/25.
To fill in a brief history gap. Shortly after the 2004 Cinemark/Interstate acquisition, Interstate was spun off of Cinemark and merged with Starplex Cinemas (circa 2005). Starplex/Interstate later sublet a portion of the complex to an independent party which ran Indian films; the idea being to have half the complex operating as Starplex/Interstate and the other half under the Indian operator. Unfortunately, the already problematic theatre became even more of an issue under this arrangement and Starplex found an out through selling the remaining lease to Big Cinemas in 2009.
Mike Radio: Yeah, I remember that. There was the cinema by itself, with the Universal Amphitheater and Universal Studios down the way a bit (back when Universal was just the studio tour and stunt shows, with the occasional concert at the amphitheater).
The theatre’s opening day LA Times listing consists of little more than eight movie title entries as Movies 8 in the co-op independent block ad. Tell me that doesn’t scream 80’s Cinemark (I actually bet there was a discussion whether they should splurge for the eight lines or not).
The theatre recently reopened as the “Hang On to the Dream Theatre”. It appears the organization is a non profit, operating the theatre as a multi media venue; acting workshops, stage shows, a live audience podcast, open mic comedy, and a weekly independent movie night.
I was told the scenario was pretty much what Scott suspected. Cinemark signed a short term lease, which was tenant friendly, fully aware that the property’s future was in doubt. The redevelopment plans had been in play since the time of Regal’s departure, but not finalized. Had the plans fallen through or changed, Cinemark would have explored extending their lease and investing in the theatre. As the redevelopment plans moved forward, Cinemark exited, in a nothing lost fashion (having gained brand exposure and some revenue on a minimal investment).
The station entrance may not end up affecting the theatre. They are proposing two possible options. Option one would be the southeast corner of Hollywood and Highland, resulting in the current Ripley’s museum and the theatre property being affected. Option two would be the southwest corner, affecting the current souvenir shop and rear parking lot area. Option two would involve less demolition/disruption and afford the use of the large open lot running behind the blvd properties for construction equipment (option two makes far more sense, but civic projects aren’t always driven by common sense).
This theatre should be classified as closed. Cinelounge vacated the location some time ago and removed it from their website (they now operate at 6464 Sunset and a theatre in Tiburon, CA.). While it might be operating for occasional live theater performances, the venue is no longer screening movies.
The 2012 change in operators was due to Starplex departing the ownership structure which had overseen Starplex, ShowBiz, Movie Tavern, and iTZ (i.e. the separation agreement included relinquishing the Kingwood 15 to ShowBiz).
The flickering lights in that video appear to be one of the three line showtime lobby marquees; flashing gibberish because there is no TMS feed. While I’d like to think it’s a sign of some progress in the much anticipated reopening, it’s more likely that a breaker wasn’t turned off after core maintenance or a facility walkthrough.
The Cave Theatre’s lobby, along with the neighboring Howard Johnson’s (now an empty lot), were utilized in the opening segment of the 1979 adult film “Candy Goes to Hollywood”.
A welcome/advisory policy trailer from the Dragon Art Theatre (featuring Don Davison addressing the audience from his desk) is utilized by Something Weird Video for their “Dragon Art Theatre Double Features” vintage adult film series.
The Guinness Museum closed a few months ago and the interior is currently undergoing a significant remodel (looked to be stripped down to the framework). While some listings have it classified as temporarily closed, the owners (same family that runs the Hollywood Wax Museum) have taken down the Guinness Museum website and removed all references to the attraction from their existing website. Whether they are planning to relaunch a new Guinness Museum or looking to create a different attraction is unknown (I believe the family also owns the property).