UA Del Amo 6 is now history. I drove by Del Amo Mall today and the new owners, Mills Corp, have begun demolition of the east wing (where the old theaters were located). Now all that’s left of the theaters are the memories.
According to movies.yahoo.com, the address HarryLime posted is correct. The old Cinema #2 and #3 were torn down in 2002 when the Expo Design Center was built. Now the bowling alley is closed as well and is scheduled to be torn down. Hopefully the Redondo Beach Cinema 3 will not meet the same fate.
I remember that mural you mentioned. The inside of the rocket, though, I don’t remember too much about … I must have been around 7 or so when I went inside. I vaguely remember some flashing lights/buttons and display screens. Kind of like a Disney version of what a rocket ship should look like.
Getting back to movie theaters at Del Amo, I read Mills Co will begin tearing down that portion of the mall soon and has plans to build a new AMC 16 screen cinema in it’s place (along with other stuff). Soon Cinema Treasures will have to add a AMC Del Amo 16 page to the site!
JoeC, I think you mean the doors facing the North parking lot … I may have seen you sneaking in a few times ;) .
The rocket ship didn’t last too long. When UA Del Amo was only a four-plex, the rocket ship was just outside (North parking lot). I remember going in the ship when I was a kid. By Summer 1981, the rocket ship was gone. I’m not sure if the theaters owned it or if the mall did. Either way, when UA expanded Del Amo and built the two larger auditoriums (#5 and #6), they built them where the rocket ship was located. All in the name of “progress”, I guess. Speaking of progress, I’ll post some news when they finally do tear down that portion of the mall and theaters. I still live in Torrance and pass by there from time-to-time.
Good to hear from people who have similar memories as me.
The theater address was 91A Del Amo Fashion Square, Torrance, CA in the (now closed) east end of the Del Amo Fashion Square. The original 4 auditoriums were small, single aisle theaters. The two newer theaters that were added were larger, with double aisles. One of the two newer screens (theater #5) had 70MM projection capabilities and both newer screens (#5 & #6) were equipped with Dolby Stereo capabilities.
Through about 1982 or 1983, the theater had a full-time projectionist (if I remember correctly, his name was Al and he kept his dog with him upstairs in the projection booth). After that time, all 6 screens had platters that were operated by the ushers on staff at the time.
The complex was typical of bland mall cinemas of the time … no character or uniqueness to speak of. As Manwithnoname alluded to in the comment above, the theaters have been closed since the late 1990’s. Since nothing has replaced the theaters yet, I’d guess a lot of the old 6-plex still exists behind the shuttered doors.
UA Del Amo 6 is now history. I drove by Del Amo Mall today and the new owners, Mills Corp, have begun demolition of the east wing (where the old theaters were located). Now all that’s left of the theaters are the memories.
According to movies.yahoo.com, the address HarryLime posted is correct. The old Cinema #2 and #3 were torn down in 2002 when the Expo Design Center was built. Now the bowling alley is closed as well and is scheduled to be torn down. Hopefully the Redondo Beach Cinema 3 will not meet the same fate.
Hey JoeC:
I remember that mural you mentioned. The inside of the rocket, though, I don’t remember too much about … I must have been around 7 or so when I went inside. I vaguely remember some flashing lights/buttons and display screens. Kind of like a Disney version of what a rocket ship should look like.
Getting back to movie theaters at Del Amo, I read Mills Co will begin tearing down that portion of the mall soon and has plans to build a new AMC 16 screen cinema in it’s place (along with other stuff). Soon Cinema Treasures will have to add a AMC Del Amo 16 page to the site!
JoeC, I think you mean the doors facing the North parking lot … I may have seen you sneaking in a few times ;) .
The rocket ship didn’t last too long. When UA Del Amo was only a four-plex, the rocket ship was just outside (North parking lot). I remember going in the ship when I was a kid. By Summer 1981, the rocket ship was gone. I’m not sure if the theaters owned it or if the mall did. Either way, when UA expanded Del Amo and built the two larger auditoriums (#5 and #6), they built them where the rocket ship was located. All in the name of “progress”, I guess. Speaking of progress, I’ll post some news when they finally do tear down that portion of the mall and theaters. I still live in Torrance and pass by there from time-to-time.
Good to hear from people who have similar memories as me.
The theater address was 91A Del Amo Fashion Square, Torrance, CA in the (now closed) east end of the Del Amo Fashion Square. The original 4 auditoriums were small, single aisle theaters. The two newer theaters that were added were larger, with double aisles. One of the two newer screens (theater #5) had 70MM projection capabilities and both newer screens (#5 & #6) were equipped with Dolby Stereo capabilities.
Through about 1982 or 1983, the theater had a full-time projectionist (if I remember correctly, his name was Al and he kept his dog with him upstairs in the projection booth). After that time, all 6 screens had platters that were operated by the ushers on staff at the time.
The complex was typical of bland mall cinemas of the time … no character or uniqueness to speak of. As Manwithnoname alluded to in the comment above, the theaters have been closed since the late 1990’s. Since nothing has replaced the theaters yet, I’d guess a lot of the old 6-plex still exists behind the shuttered doors.