Northridge Center Cinemas
Northridge,
CA
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When the Northridge Fashion Center opened in the early 1970s, this triplex was nestled inside, across the mall from Bullocks. Ultra modern (some would say sterile), with a frontage inside the mall that gave no clue to how much space the theatre took up. You could grab an early dinner next door at the sit-down Mexican restaurant (Don Something-or-other), but when the last show let out you were stuck exiting from only one set of mall doors closest to the theatre. If your car was parked on the other side, too bad! Mall security guards would shoot everyone to the nearer door (probably to keep kids from running amok inside the mall).
If the theatre was still open in early 1994 (I had moved out of the area by then), the large earthquake nearly destroyed the entire mall and led to a major renovation. The theatre never came back, and the area where it was locacted is comepletely different now.
Contributed by
Dave
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
This theater was part of the GCC chain. The Northridge Fashion Center â€" I worked at Sears in the Northridge Fashion Center from 1986 to 1987 – has undergone many renovations including the one after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. When the mall reopened the theater was gone (a large multiplex is now attached to the mall). A software store and an Old Navy occupy the space. I remember seeing “Octopussy” here on opening day after the last day of 9th grade. The only time I had to wait in a long line at this theater.
This is probably one of more obscure and forgotten mall theaters but it was a regular hang out for me as a kid in the late 70’s/early 80’s. I think mainly because they had a DEFENDER (video game) machine in their tiny lobby and it was right across from the Malibu Grand Prix arcade which was a 2nd home for me around 1980-82. Though i remember seeing a lot of films here at the time as well, hopping from screen to screen, things like “Heavy Metal”, “Megaforce” and “Tron”. The one i think i saw the most here was WIZARDS (Bakshi) i guess i was just old enough to be dropped off by myself (around 10) at the mall and this film was a childhood obsession, must have seen it 50 times. I remember walking past that Mexican restaurant (Don something or other) and a jewelry shop right on the corner every day for years. Haven’t been back there since the 80’s and really don’t care to see how it’s changed, i’m sure it looks like every other modern homogenized place.
Address was/is 9301 Tampa Ave., Northridge, CA 91324
The Mexican place was “Don Ricardo’s.” Nice frozen margaritas and good food at most times, but I went there once for breakfast (I worked at the American Handicrafts store next door while going to grad school), and was served a cup of coffee with a dead “cucaracha” floating on top. I don’t think I went back after that.
The theatres…I saw a number of films there, but have virtually no memory of the place rather than it being a standard small mall multiplex. The one thing I do remember was that the marquee was located on the front of the parking garage at the opposite end of the mall, which probably confused a lot of moviegoers.
Here is a February 1977 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/ycvt8qw
Any Photos?
The GCC Northridge Cinemas 1,2,3 opened on Dec. 12, 1972. The opening films were “The Getaway” on screens 1 & 3 and “Snowball Express on screen 2.
I knew this theater as a Pacific Theaters theater when I first came across it in the late 1990’s. Shortly before the theater was completely destroyed, the marque that I knew and had seen every time I went there was removed. And what appeared to be there was the “original” marque behind that one.
The theater was called, “Sun Cinema.” Here’s another time I wish I had a camera handy. It was a very nice looking marque too. I was there to see “Reign of Fire” one time, and after the movie was done running there, the manager let me have the bus-stop-size poster of that movie hanging inside the theater.
What stupid design for a Mall cinema.I worked at two, both GCC and it was easy access to the parking be it 2 pm or 2am.