AMC AVCO Center
10840 Wilshire Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
10840 Wilshire Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
24 people
favorited this theater
Formerly the AVCO Center Cinemas, this theatre did bang-up business, especially on the weekends – with lines snaking down the block. It was closed on December 6, 2011.
In July 2012, iPic Entertainment announced plans to build a new 480 seat theatre on this site. Slated to open in early-2013, the theatre will feature six auditoriums seating between 60 and 80 people. Reclining chairs, pillows, and blankets will be provided and at the push of a button, moviegoers can summon waiters for meals and cocktails.
Contributed by
MagicLantern
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Recent comments (view all 244 comments)
It’s obvious Westwood is a dead zone for moviegoing. From 10 commercial movie theatres with 19 screens just ten years ago to three single screeners today, with nary a sellout at any of those houses no matter what is playing is proof of that.
The moviegoing public today would rather go down Westwood Blvd. a mile or so and go to a certain twelve-screener with smaller rooms with smaller screens, because there is more and cheaper parking closer to the building, more things to do near the theatre and a nice wine bar right there in the lobby. Or they’ll go a couple miles down Santa Monica Blvd. to a certain fifteen-screener with smaller rooms and smaller screens, because there is more and cheaper parking closer to the building, more things to do near the theatre and a place to have beer and wine next door to the theatre.
If they come back to the IPic Theaters at Avco Center in 2013, it’ll be solely because there isn’t anything else like it in the area, because it’ll be expensive to keep the kids and tightwads out, and they’ll be beer and wine right there at your seat.
I just walked past this theatre and it made me sad that they’re dicing it up further. With home theatres getting better and better, and with first run films appearing on VOD earlier and earlier – what is the difference between ordering fancy takeout at home, and going to a theatre like this?
I think we all agree here that the draw of the cinemagoing experience is the fact it’s playing on a huge screen with a packed audience of excited strangers. A crowd of 40 on a postage stamp screen is not what filmmakers would have ever intended.
Additionally, when iPic (how stupid of a name is that, by the way) inevitably goes out of business, it’s going to be that much harder to get it started again as a legit theatre because nobody is going to want to take over a theatre with tons of teeny screens (like the Beverly Center 13).
I just hope that these screens don’t force the larger scale films out of the Bruin or Village. Previously – the Avco would never book the same films; how pissed would you be if The Dark Knight Rises played at iPic, and the Village could only play something like The Watch.
There is no chance a film like Dark Knight Rises will get a booking at the iPic over the Village. Regardless of it is sells out or not the Village has more seats and with a film like that a studio wants as many seats as possible. Also, Regency is an official theatre chain. They now have the muscle to outbid iPic because of the other screens they operate.
iPic will get smaller films, maybe indie and some foreign and move overs. They will get films first run films like The Watch and Hope Springs. Dark Knight perhaps on a move-over. In the meantime The Landmark will probably continue to get the return customers, the film lovers who want to just see a movie. iPIc will not cut into that audience.
Well, if what you are essentially saying is true, BRADE48, then this IPic will be operating differently than its other nine current locations. If you look at the IPic website, the offerings at its current eight or nine other locations are almost all mainstream releases (all are playing “Dark Knight” and “Total Recall”). They are few art or independent films.
I don’t know. don’t know what the other theatres are in the areas those movies are playing. I’m just guessing that “unless double booked” big blockbusters are not going to show in a 80 seat screen when there are 1,000 seats across Wilshire Blvd. But it is just spectulation on my part, who knows these days. It may not be the powerhouse it once was but I think there is still respect for the Village, studios are still buying big murals for the tower, it still hold premieres there and it may have a 70mm exclusive of The Master this fall. Maybe since iPic theatres are essentially restuarants that show movies they will get day and date with the Village.
ANYONE REMEMBER FIELD OF DREAMS PLAYING HERE? I SAW IT OPENING NIGHT 1989 AND IT WAS A NEAR RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. On the behind the scenes of the Field of Dreams DVD, the director speaks of the first showings at the Westwood Avco and how it was a special experience.
I believe I saw the original Die Hard here. The Dolby made the sound of bullets echo in the back of the theater.
Brad— I don’t imagine double-booking will be a problem. The iPic less than a mile from the ArcLight Pasadena plays basically all the same stuff.
For sake of clarity, in September of 1993 General Cinema made the horrible “business decision” to split the famous Avco Cinema 1 into two auditoriums. This evil deed was done long before AMC took over after GCC’s demise. Some of the finest moviegoing experiences of my life took place in that magical room. It is missed.
Anybody know when this place relaunches…?