Hollywood Galaxy

The Hollywood Galaxy played alongside the Avco Cinema 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' in the 1990s. I heard it closed because of competition from the new Arclight Cinemas and the Mann Chinese 6. And I heard the Galaxy played second-run features before it closed.

New York is cut throat with film bookings but California seems worse. Here some complexes manage to co-exist and split product but out there as a theatre opens 2 close. Was this place just average? I took pictures of the outside a few years ago but figured it was just like a mall-plex.

This theatre closed not get any bookings at all. It had Lord Of The RIngs: ROTK up through June. It was a full price second run house under AMC.

The Hollywood Galaxy, which closed in the fall of 2003 ('Under the Tuscan Sun', 'House of the Dead', and 'Step Into Liquid' were among its final features), was indeed squeezed by the Arclight Cinemas and Chinese 6 within the same booking zone, playing deep-run films at full prices during the final two-plus years of its existence. Its former space is currently being divided for two new tenants - a 24-Hour Fitness branch and a pharmacy.

They should have tried a $3 policy. Is that one single screen house still open that ran double features?

It is - the Vine - at the long-running discount cost of $5 per ticket.

It's next to the Knitting Factory in that ill-fated complex (which isn't doing too well itself) - are the fitness branch and pharmacy actually in the physical space of the theatre itself?

Seating 2400, this theatre was also known at alternate points as the AMC Hollywood Galaxy 6 and the GCC Galaxy 6. I saw "Billy Madison" here when it first opened.

I was at the opening of the Galaxy and not very impressed. It was the first new theatre to be built in Hollywood since the opening of the Cinerama Dome.It was an average mall 6-plex that GCC was building at the time, no wonder they are no longer around.Im not counting the Chinese twin addition built in the 1970's and torn down a few years ago for the Hollywood/Highland entertainment mall.brucec

I attempted to see a sneak preview of "Goldeneye" at the Galaxy 6 but there were many more people than seats available. This theater, along with the "ill-fated" complex, did contribute to the renaissance of Hollywood west of Highland but newer theaters and better retail space caused its demise. The last movie I saw here was "Secretary" in 2002.

Trivia Note: The Galaxy was built on the site of the Garden Court Apartments, a luxurious complex constructed in 1916. Suites came furnished with Oriental carpets, baby grand pianos, oil paintings and famous Hollywood names such as Mack Sennett, Louis B. Mayer, Lillian Gish and John Barrymore took up residence. The glory years ended in the 1950s, however, and after a few decades of decline, the building was completely abandoned in the early 1980s and became a derelict wreck known as 'Hotel Hell', an unoffical gathering place for runaways and gang members. It was eventually demolished in 1984/5.

Photos of the Garden Court Apartments and an interesting account from someone who lived there in the 1970s can be found at the following website:

http://www.geocities.com/welkerlots/garden.htm

Dave

A night view of the Hollywood Galaxy:
http://www.cinemaphotogallery.com/photos/large/galaxy.jpg

Is listed as a filming location for Thirteen (2003).

The main scene in 'Thirteen' featuring the Hollywood Galaxy is set at its box office. Among the attractions listed - this being a low-budget indie, the expense of coming up with fake titles wasn't an issue - is the film 'Like Mike', dating the production to the summer of 2002.

To add to DaveRoberts post of Jan. 25 2005:
You can see alittle of what the Garden Court Apartments looked like in the 1980s in the film "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie" (1980).

Went here several times to see movies in the early 90's such as "Sneakers" and "Lawnmower Man" but the place was a tad creepy and inaccessable to general public, which may've attributed to its demise.

The larger auditoriums were THX. I never visited this theater, but I heard once that Tomlinson Holman rated the presentation quality at the Galaxy very high. Does anyone know if that is true? I know the two theaters that he personally THX'd himself were the AVCO over in Westwood, and the Northpark theater in Dallas, TX.

The GCC Galaxy complex had a very good presentation quality. I was there many times during the first few years, that was only during the GCC timeframe. During the later timeframe the theatre rated just good but not great. I got to work the Galaxy once and many times at the Avco. (before the twinning of the main house)

I watched Chicago in one of the THX Houses (Downstairs) at the Gallaxy it was just me and my boss at the time along with a handfull of other people watching. We were just a drop in the bucket compaired to the 488 empty seats that surrounded us (Twin 500 Seat houses) The presentation was excelent for a theater that had been in opperation at that time for about 12 years. We toured the boot before the show and it was what I consindered equially impressive. Each house had the standered V-5 Projectors , but to look at the sound racks and see 8 Foot sound rack with Dolby CP-500 processor and a Dolby Digital, DTS 6D and An SDDS 3000 Unit in Each Rack Wow. What a steal in Sound equipment AMC Got when they closed that theater not to mention the fact that both THX Houses had V-8 Projectors 35/70's. I am not sure if the closed the twin to the Galaxy the Beverly Connection or not but that theaters booth is exactly the same. If not I would love to get the equipment from that one.

Here's an aerial view of the Galaxy:

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=pph8dk5448sc&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=6892018

Jason3570, the equipment from the Beverly Connection was sold to the people that operate the Academy 6 in Pasadena, Ca.

Film presentation at this plex was very good, however the entire design of the Galaxy Complex was just ugly and did not fit on Hollywood Blvd. Even today, it's an eyesore. I'd rather see Hotel Hell still sitting there. If it hadn't become such a flophouse for transients, druggies and gangs, it would probably be undergoing a renovation into more Hollywood Blvd. luxury condo's.

The Galaxy was built on the site of the Garden Court Apartments, a luxurious complex constructed in 1916. It was eventually demolished in 1984/5.
--My mother was so horrified that they were tearing this beautiful building down, she shot an 8mm movie of the destruction, now, if i'm correct, I think it was torn down a little earlier than 84, but I could be mistaken... my mom couldn't believe what went it's place...what a shame that the whole galaxy building was a waste. (It really helped to close all the other theaters down on hollywood blvd. if you ask me, since that was the first multiplex in the area.) I wonder what they are going to put up instead?

After the Garden Court Apartments were demolished, the site was vacant for nearly 10 years. The CGC Galaxy Complex opened in the early '90s (I think it was 1992). The complex has never lived up to its potential and has been altered several times. At one point, a Hollywood museum was located in the lower level.

LA Fitness is in the space formerly occupied by the theaters. It opened in the fall of 2006. The fitness center follows the layout of where the various theaters stood. There used to be escalators leading up to the theaters, but they were removed and only the stairs remain. There is an elevator that leads directly into the fitness center. Before, when you got off the elevator, you basically faced the box office window. It was a few steps to the left.

Another footnote, the CGC Galaxy had the misfortune of being built a few years before stadium seating became the popular standard.

A good street level view can be seen near the begining of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie.

The old Hollywood Galaxy complex in Sept. 2007:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdGalaxySept162007002.jpg

The Galaxy complex looks better not being a theatre.

The Mann Chinese 6 has almost taken over as the new Galaxy theatres with the films being book there. Arclight pretty much takes most of the "A" films leaving Mann very little to book into the Chinese 6 plex, they show move-overs (from Main Chinese and Arclight) and the films Arclight passes on.

It seems AMC aquired all the LA area GCC's at a bad time:

Hollywood Galaxy: Arclight and Chinese 6 had recently opened. Result? Closed.

Beverly Connection: The Grove had recently opened. Result? Closed

Sherman Oaks: Pacific opened Galleria nearby. Result? Pacific takes over screens 3-7 as a move over house, Screens 1 and 2 demolished.

Glendale 5: Always had 14 Mann screens nearby. Result? AMC dumps it quick, independent operator takes over, but only for a short time.

The Redondo Beach Galleria and the Avco seem to be the only LA GCC theatres remaining in AMC's operations. But the Redondo Beach is probably being cannibalized by AMC's new Del Amo 3 miles away as is the Avco with new AMC Century 15. At least in the Avco's booking zone 9 screens have closed in the last couple of years (I write this with a heavy heart as my favorite, the National, just closed again, this time probably for good).

Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yq4wdd

That photo should be from around 1993.

photos taken in 1992
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2121395166/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2121396256/

Films showing in the 1993 photo:

1- either Jurassic Park or Undercover Blues (hard to make out)
2- The Secret Garden
3- Needful Things
4- Kalifornia
5- Calendar Girl
6- Hard Target

Here is a photo taken today:
http://tinyurl.com/3tvfzp

Do any interior features remain?

The whole thing's gone. Nothing remains.

The mall, even today, has the feeling of a deserted suburban shopping center. A Fresh & Easy supermarket is now on the lower level and brings some life to the central courtyard. A sad example of 90's commercial architecture.

For KingBiscuits post it's "Jurassic Park". "Undercover Blues" played the Hollywood Pacific.