TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6925 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
159 people
favorited this theater
Showing 676 - 700 of 1,670 comments
For the REAL history, you might look here –
http://www.angelfire.com/ri2/valleygirl/index.html
Saw “Red Tails” on 1/21. Small to medium crowd. Tech top notch as usual. Theater has NO BUSINESS being reserved seating!
Unless there have been dramatic changes with the new operator, the tour doesn’t involve any non public areas. It’s more about pointing out architectural details, trivia, and the general history of the theatre. While that may sound a bit disappointing, I found the tour enjoyable. If you go to the first tour of the day, prior to any showtimes, they also allow you to look around on your own (i.e. you are afforded some private time in the theatre, before they open for business). If a movie is playing during your tour, they spend less time in the auditorium (the guide communicates via a headset that is issued). I had heard there were plans to expand the tour’s coverage a bit; so, it may have changed since Mann.
The theatre tour has been running for years. It’s not a new thing.
Does anyone know anything about the “Graumans Chinese Theatre Tour” that the new operation has recently started up?
It’s probably not worth the $13.50 price, but I assume it likely includes normally non-public areas, and I was curious what that might be.
One odd thing is they’re scheduled frequently through the day- all during the times a film is playing. And I would think you can’t really have a tour group and its guide tramping through the auditorium while a movie is screening. Hopefully not.
The new silver screen (installed in 2010 for 3D) is 73 feet wide for scope. It is not bigger then the DOME, but it is bigger then most every other large screen in the city.
Back when they still owned it, Mann was advertising the screen as 60 feet wide. It sure ain’t 90 feet wide right now…they’d be wider than THE DOME!
In other news: looks like my final visit will be worthwhile: RED TAILS!
Chris Utley posted that the screen at the chinese was 60 feet and suggested they go with a larger screen. the current screen at the Chinese is 90 feet. There was a 120 foot screen installed at one time. the problem is getting enough light to fill a large screen. With 70mm and carbon arcs it was easy to do but with digital and xenon short arcs it isnt easy to fill a huge screen.
Actually it’s wall to wall lunatics. Freaks in costumes who are NOT employees. Rappers who scream if you don’t buy their CD’s. And the religious kooks who stalk.
It is a new era indeed. Up until recently studios craved having thier films in the Chinese. But the climate HAS changed; locals hate going there because it is wall to wall tourists. The Arclight presents a more attractive presentation and is stress free. I used to go quite often when Mann was booking it decently. Since the new owners took over I have not been.
Chris Utley is right, we are in a totally different era today than even 10 years ago when it comes to film placement by the studios. These new owners have got to be creative with the marketing of the Chinese, it can be done, but I question if they think in the terms that Chris is describing.
moviebuff82 FOR THE WIN!
Brad: In our perfect old school world, studios would book at Chinese simply because IT’S THE CHINESE THEATRE! Unfortunately, this is a completely different era. Like RobertAlex said, they’ve got to get unique with their marketing. Market the screen size! Market the (still ear-splitting) Dolby/THX combo! Market the fact that this is the theatre that first showed the original Star Wars! And get a savvy film booker who will negotiate titles that are TRULY WORTHY to be shown in THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MOVIE THEATRE!
Crazy thinking, I know…
This theater is truly the greatest cinema treasure in the world. The famous sidewalks, the fancy exterior, and many film premieres including Star Wars. How is this theater experience compared to the AMC in Rockaway?
I am with Chris on this. They should market the Large Single Screen Experience here. I actually remember the screen advertised as being 73 feet in the LA Times when Clash of the Titans opened. They could get it to 80 feet or so I bet…and maybe get a few good films to show on it. If they get the product, market it as something unique…people will come.
Closed “MANN Theatres” has now sadly closed it’s doors. We would like to thank everyone for your patronage throughout the years. It has been our pleasure to serve your communities.
All inquiries may be sent to the link below.
Speaking of mann.. anyone visit their website lately.. sad :(
Maybe the new owners should focus of getting “A” films booked into the theatre instead. Perhaps share with Arclight as Mann did with Terminator a few years back. Instead they just want to turn the place into another Tourist Trap like the Hollywood wax museum, have “Rave” parties and hold premieres and hand/foot ceremonies so they can rub elbows with the Hollywood Elite. They really are not taking the place in the right direction. It is a movie theatre and should focus on getting people in the damn seats.
I wish Mann still opearated it.
Crazy thought: The screen inside Chinese is 60 feet…and very obviously masked from top to bottom and from the sides. Maybe the owners can expand the masking to its fullest capability and readvertise Chinese as a Large Screen Experience house? Heck…the CURRENT sound and screen blows LieMax (the digital version), ETX and all the other pretenders out of the water! Why not go all in to justify the raising of the ticket price? Then they could offer 2 out of the remaining Chinese 6 as supplemental houses.
Like I said…crazy thought. Right?
The article is not very encouraging. Did I miss the part where they are going to try to get good films booked?
KingBiscuits FOR THE WIN!
What did you expect from the producer of Battlefield Earth, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever and the Get Carter remake?
So the plan is to live off of pimping the footprints, more film fests and T-shirts/coffee mugs & the inevitable iPhone/Android apps. But ZERO plans or thoughts on how to put butts back in the seats. Sigh.
New article in the Hollywood reporter on future plans for the Chinese: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/graumans-chinese-theatre-makeover-hollywood-279246
Grauman’s Chinese still must be making lots of money from film premieres and events like that. It seems like just about everytime I’m in the area that block of Hollywood Blvd is closed off in front of it!
Chris is on the money. With no major chain behind it they do not get first stab at the big films. They lucked into Harry Potter Deatly Hollows 2 last Summer probably only because Arclight/Dome had to commit to 3 weeks of Transformers. Other than that the Chinese has not had any tentpole releases and will probably just continue to show what are essentially rejected films that Arclight did not want.
Too bad Mann (Cinemamerica) did not continue to own the Chinese and lease it out to a chain. I think since it was a SALE and not a LEASE the major chains did not want to touch it. If it were a lease then probably someone like Regal, AMC or maybe even Pacific would have taken over. As it stands it is a Landmark that is more interesting as a building than what it screens. Yes, the TCM and the AFI festivals are nice and are the highlights for the theatre.