AAA Theatre
8612 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90003
8612 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90003
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Functions: Church
Previous Names: Encell Theatre, Broadway Mecca Theatre, Pix Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Opened as the Encel Theatre on October 19, 1921 with Lyman H. Howe in “Ride on a Runaway Train”. Operating as the Broadway Mecca Theatre from 1926, by 1930 it was staging live theatre. Returning back to movies following the installation of a Photophone sound system in 1931. It was closed briefly during World War II. On August 18,, 1944 it was renamed Pix Theatre with Bud Duncan in “Hillbilly Blitzkrieg”. It was closed on March 28, 1948 for remodling. It reopened on November 3, 1948 as the AAA Theatre, opening with Paul Henreid in “Hollow Triumph” & Alan Baxter in “Close-Up”. From October 19, 1962 it went over to screening Spanish language movies. It was closed in 1964 and offered ‘For Sale’. It functioned as the Victory Outreach Church and became The Potters House Church. By July 2025 the occupying church was named Ministerios Ebenezer Campamento Celestial.
Contributed by
MagicLantern
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Recent comments (view all 18 comments)
Known as the AAA Theatre in 1964 at least.
The zoning information system of the L.A. planning department lists this property at 8610 S. Broadway, but it’s definitely the same building: just under 5000 square feet, and currently serving as a church. The building was erected in 1921.
I can’t see the street numbers in the photo I took in June, but I had the impression that the theater building was the older one on the left and not the one with the marquee on the right. I will take another look the next time I’m in the area.
Here is a December 2008 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6rd5tn
Here is an ad for the New AAA Theater in a January 1959 LA Times ad. The theater was showing a horror double feature. Click on the ad on the left to zoom in.
http://tinyurl.com/aesgyv
Here is an April 2009 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/d3xlnd
Advertised as Encel’s Theater in a 1923 Paramount ad.
Here is an ad for “Monster on the Campus” at the New AAA in October 1958:
http://tinyurl.com/kwplqt
I saw a rock and roll movie there in 1955 which was one among many which starred the group that sang Who Wears Shorts Shorts. There were a lot of double features including Charlie Chan and other 40’s movies on a Saturday afternoon and it was always sold out on Saturday and Sunday.
This long-running, name-changing movie house of 43 years opened as the new-build Encell Theatre / Encell’s Theater near the corner of Moneta Avenue and Manchester Avenue on October 19, 1921 with Lyman H. Howe’s “The Ride on a Runaway Train” and other short subjects. (The properties had been offered for sale as lots in 1920.) Beginning on January 1, 1926, Moneta Avenue was renamed as Broadway. So they felt the need to change the name of the theatre later that year - or, more likely - under new operators became the Mecca Theatre.
The Mecca transitioned to live events programming at the start of the 1930s likely unable to covert to sound. But in 1931, they installed both Photophone sound and air conditioning of some sort to become viable. It appears to have closed briefly during WW2.
On August 18, 1944, it was reopened as the Pix Theatre on a 20-year leasing agreement with the Snuffy Smith / Barney Google B-series film, “Hillbilly Blitzkrieg” - the second and final film in the series. On March 28, 1948, the Pix closed for remodeling.
Under new operators, it was relit as the AAA Theatre (sometimes Triple AAA in marketing which one could assume as aka the AAAAAAAAA Theater). The Gala Reopening Week began on November 3, 1948 with Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett in “Hollow Triumph” and Virginia Gilmore and Alan Baxter in “Close-up.”
About three operators later it is listed as the Triple AAA Theatre and it switches to Spanish language films on October 19, 1962 with Cantinflas in “un día con el Diablo” and Silvia Pinal in “una Golfa.” It was also the 41st birthday of the veteran neighborhood cinema: feliz cumpleaños. El teatro trío AAA dijo “no más” al finalizar su contrato de arrendamiento on 16 de agosto de 1964.
The Broadway theater was offered for sale or lease in 1964 becoming various houses of worship thereafter. In the 2020s, it was Ministerios Ebenezer Campamento Celestial: Los Angeles.