TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
159 people
favorited this theater
Showing 276 - 300 of 1,670 comments
Mark: They’ve been double booking ArcLight & Chinese since “Gravity” opened. Surreal, I know.
I too miss the old Calendar section that listed all the theaters including AMC which no longer uses print. Which made me think of the below….
BTW – Geek Alert that a few of us might like. If you use the Fandango IPad App (this doesnt work on the website or the iphone app)when you select your Theater and movie time it will tell you the Auditorium number the movie will play in. For me, this is a huge geek gadget. I can now pick any theater and I do not have to call them to ask what is playing in what Auditorium, i just look on Fandango and it is there. Finally a way to find out what auditorium is showing what movie.
Back to The Chinese, Does everyone know that the Chinese 6 (upstairs multiplex) appears to have Dolby Atmos installed in Auditorium #1? I saw it listed when they played Gravity, I called and they said it was only for this engagement. Now I see that Capt America is advertised in ATMOS. Great news, as I have fallen hard for ATMOS.
When they duel book titles with the Chinese, Arclight Hollywood still pulls in much larger audiences; plus, they receive money from booking the Chinese/the benefits of being able to book an additional house with the tittle. On those occasions when a movie is only booked at the Chinese, the Arclight Hollywood usually has a full slate booked for itself, receives money from the Chinese booking, and reaps the booking perks of having that house available for the movie. It’s a win/win for the Arclight/Pacific group, as the Chinese doesn’t impact their business levels to any notable degree, pays them for booking, and provides another venue to shore up their buying clout (a high profile venue at that).
Seems odd because there is an Arclight (direct competition) just around the corner from the Chinese. Why would they attempt to book desired films at the Chinese when they weigh preference on the Arclight/Cinerama Dome?
markinthedark – “So essentially does this mean Pacific/Arclight books and manages the place and splits the profits (if any) with the owners?”
Pacific/Archlight is just the “film buyer” and likely has a marketing deal in place too (i.e. why the Chinese is included in their advertising). The Chinese has its' own management, staff, etc. Many independent operators utilize outside “film buyers”, as there is more leverage through pooling resources (i.e. the more theatres, the greater the buying power). Smaller operators often contract out their purchasing, human resources, etc. for the same reason.
I stopped buying the LA Times a couple of years ago. The legendary Calendar section is a pale imitation of its former self. I now get my showtimes and whatnot via the internet like everyone else.
Thanks. Up in Seattle now and I miss the LA Times Theatre ads on Fridays.
Hey Mark They have not been consistent with the LA Times ads. More days then not it is not listed. But then on some days it is. I will try and snap a shot and post here next time I see it. I get the paper every day so I will look.
RobertAlex or Chris: Can one of you snap a photo and post the a current Pacific Theaters listing in the LA Times with The Chinese Theatres listed? Would love to see it.
So essentially does this mean Pacific/Arclight books and manages the place and splits the profits (if any) with the owners?
The new marquee above box office is in place. Currently (4/25/14), the “TCL Chinese Theatre” branding runs through an animated light cycle, but the main body of the sign hasn’t yet been activated. As with the recently overhauled box office, this remodel is a significant upgrade and creates a much more prominent visual presence for ticket sales.
It’s Mann Theatres that is extinct, not Pacific.
I didn’t know Pacific Theaters still existed I thought it was an extinct chain RobertAlex.
That makes sense since ArcLight books them.
The Chinese and the Chinese 6 movie times are listed under Pacific Theaters in the LA Times now.
They’ve almost finished the box office remodel. While still in the same location (adjacent to Hollywood Blvd. sidewalk), it is now much more prominent and wraps around the corner, in to a street side entry (entrance which provides access to the escalator on the right and Grauman’s on the left). A definite upgrade from the somewhat inconspicuous configuration which existed previously.
Ad from March 14, 1935 upload in the photos section announcing that Shirley Temple would appear to leave her handprints that evening. The film, The Little Colonel, had opened at the Chinese, and also at the downtown Loew’s State, the day before.
bigjoe59… there has certainly been an increase in business as well as a decent turnover in films. The biggest problem with the Chinese right now (and this is going to sound strange) is that very few people know about it. When Mann started dumping off theaters and the Chinese lost what little booking power it had to Arclight and the El Capitan, a lot of people (myself included) kind of abandoned the theater. Not because I really wanted to, but because it wasn’t the (overall) best place to see a movie anymore. There was no reserved seating and (worst of all) usually nothing of interest to see there. I can honestly say that in the past 5 years I’d only gone to Grauman’s to see Fast and Furious, District 9, Clash of the Titans, Predators, McGruber, Harry Potter 7.2, and X-Men: First Class (I didn’t even attend one single movie there in all of 2012). So that’s 7 movies in 5 years. Since the IMAX conversion I’ve been there at least once a month (going again tonight to see Jack Ryan, which will be my 5th trip there in 4 months). But that’s us here on CT. I don’t think the public at large is really aware of the changes. It was painful and sad to watch the Dome pack itself rather quickly for Catching Fire while the Chinese was half to half+ full. But I think (hope) that people are becoming more aware and we’ll see what happens this summer, which will have Spider-Man, Godzilla, Edge of Tomorrow, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Transformers 4, Jupiter Ascending, and Into the Storm giving them plenty of product to choose from.
bigjoe59 – There has been a noticeable increase in business. Still far short of the levels the theatre should be doing/once did, but movement in a positive direction, none the less. Just having decent bookings once again has helped.
As for Arclight booking the Chinese complex; it’s not all that surprising. There are many small operators that utilize larger chains and co-ops for bookings, purchasing, etc.It’s a win-win for both sides, as greater numbers mean greater buying power.
Does Arclight program the 6-plex as well?
Hello-
I live in NYC and always tried to attend a movie at the Chinese whenever I came out to L.A.. to which my question- has the IMAX-ing of the theater really increased the patronage to any great extent? if I am not mistaken I remember reading a post from someone who attended a Sat. afternoon performance of Catching Fire the weekend after it opened and they stated there were only like 12 people in the theater.
I saw that as well… kind of shocking. The Chinese co-existing with the Arclight is the best thing for the Arclight because they now get Disney.
Interesting…I did not know they booked the Chinese also. Both Arclight HW and Chinese seem to be co-existing with same bookings.
Really … … .!
Hold on to your popcorn buckets!
Tucked away in the recent announcement of ArcLight Cinemas expansion to Santa Monica, CA is the following:
“ArcLight also owns and operates the historic Cinerama Dome and programs the TCL Chinese Theatre and IMAX in Hollywood.”
Hmmmmm…
I just discovered that the Chinese 6 installed Dolby Atmos in Theater 1. I called to confirm as it is not on the Dolby website yet and was told they do indeed have Atmos. I was able to get to the IMAX to see The new Hobbit movie on Sat (epic) and when i see it again, I will definitely try to check it out it Atmos. If I remember, Theater 1 of the multiplex is the larger one to the left when you walk in. I haven’t been to that screen in years and I am curious to see how the Atmos sounds.