Hermosa Beach 6 Theatres
1617 Pacific Coast Highway,
Hermosa Beach,
CA
90254
1617 Pacific Coast Highway,
Hermosa Beach,
CA
90254
1 person
favorited this theater
This six-plex probably opened in the late 80s in the Hermosa Beach Pavillion located on Pacific Coast Highway. The theatre featured a concession stand as well as a cafe that served various coffee drinks and pastries. The two largest auditoriums seated close to 350 each. All six theatres were equipted with SDDS – Sony Dynamic Digital Sound.
This theatre, when booked with good product, was moderately busy. However, competition with the busier Mann Manhattan Beach 6 Theatres meant sharing product. Coupled with lack of foot traffic (the Hermosa Beach Pavillion was mostly empty – the only other tenants were an arcade and a beauty supply store), declining attendance was inevitable.
AMC rebranded the theatre "Art Plex" towards the latter portion of it’s life span in an effort to draw the independent and art film crowds. This proved to be unsuccessful as well and the theatre closed in the late 90’s. The entire Pavillon was closed for remodeling and reopened featuring a fitness center where the theatre once stood.
Contributed by
Earle Bayan
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
I saw “Mr. Baseball” here in the early nineties. This mall always has bad luck no matter how many times they remodel it.
Most of these small theatre complexes did not last. The late 90’s brought larger Stadium Style seat theatres that audiences embraced.
Here is a July 2008 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6kn449
Hum drum, no frills 80’s era AMC plex. Went here about 3 or 4 times maybe (I used to work down the street).
The AMC Hermosa Beach opened on Nov. 18th. 1988. During the opening day they held a classic film festival and had penny popcorn and dime cokes.
The films shown at the festival:
“The Bridge on the River Kwai"
"Casablanca"
"From Here to Eternity"
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
"High Noon"
"Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
"North By Northwest"
"The Quiet Man”
Brix Cafe is now closed. That location is the kiss of death.
I worked here from 1991 to 1993. Always very slow during the week. Weekends were fairly busy. Desmond was GM for a while, the place went downhill when he left. Mgr Heidi Dean was a nightmare.
I saw “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Parenthood” here. The auditoriums were very nice. Good sight lines, curved screens, comfortable seats. I’m suprized that it closed because, both times I was there for the matinees, it was pretty crowded, and this was in the summer and during the week.
The Manhattan Beach theaters aren’t that close, and beach people have this saying, “There isn’t any life West of Sepulveda.” They stay close to the beach; I thought they would support these theaters. On the other hand, beach people tend to spend their lives letting the sun bake their brains and the waves crash against their heads. I spent three years watching them not do much but hang out around the bike path that passes through Hermosa, Redondo, and Torrance.