Gardena Cinema
14948 Crenshaw Boulevard,
Gardena,
CA
90249
14948 Crenshaw Boulevard,
Gardena,
CA
90249
6 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Gardena Cinema (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Clarence Eugene Noerenberg
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Previous Names: Park Theatre, Morning Calm Theatre, Teatro Varieadades, Gardena Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
310.217.0404
Manager:
310.217.0505
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jul 1, 2008 — Gardena Cinema for sale
The Park Theatre opened December 11, 1946, and is still a single screen movie house after all these years.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 38 comments)
I remember this theater. I saw Easy Rider there – I was under 17 but the Park would let younger folks in – I was probably 16 when I saw it. In earlier days I saw a lot of movies there – it was a cheap second run theater then. I haven’t been by there for along time – last time I was by there it was showing Mexican films only.
I am a retired union projectionist, and on my travels around the country I seek out single-screen theaters. I visited the Gardena a few years ago and liked it very much, except for the fact that they didn’t have a CinemaScope screen. Everything was shown in 1.85:1, which resulted in the edges being cut off on a scope picture.
WOW! I can’t beleive this place is still there. I used to go the movies there back in the mid 50’s. It was .35 cents for a double feature !!! My parents would drop us off there with a dollar and we got candy and popcorn. This is were I developed the fine art of sailing popcorn boxes… I could hit the screen from way back there.. Saw a lot of classics there (The BLOB, War of the Colossal Beast, well a lot of memories…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8X9ivsAgZo
I saw the youtube video about this theater need to take a road trip to this theater I love the vintage look
Hi Everyone. This is Judy, the daughter of the owners of the Gardena Cinema. Thanks for all the info and feedback on our big little theater. As many of you know, my parents are in their 70s and need to retire from the daily management of the business. I’m trying to come up with ideas on how to retire them without selling the place. I really cannot run the business on my own. Any ideas to keep the place running and still allow my parents to break free from the day-to-day business responsibilities?
https://youtu.be/onrWc_XOAJA Music video shot at the Gardena Cinema.
This is a wonderful movie theater. Judy and her father are running the theater along with volunteers. The people in the surrounding area neighborhoods and a little farther out of the area absolutely have to support this beautiful single screen theater. It would be terrible for it to close. They’ve tried doing a drive-in with a screen painted on the side of the theater. They did that when they were close to the indoor theater. Even with not paying any staff members. They still have expenses taxes utilities etc. I don’t know why more of the people in the neighborhoods don’t come out and support this wonderful theater in bigger numbers. They have to or else Theatre would be forced to close. Don’t let that happen once single screen historic theaters are gone they’re usually gone forever.I guess the neighborhoods around the theater have changed over the years and not as many people in that area are going to movies
2023 - The community is rallying to save the theater!
Most Wednesday nights, the 800-seat Gardena Cinema has only a handful of people sitting in front of its single screen.
But last week, hundreds of moviegoers almost filled the historic theater twice in one evening, for back-to-back shows as part of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. And that came days after another film organization hosted a special event, drawing about 500 guests to the cavernous space behind an unassuming front on Crenshaw Boulevard.
“I haven’t seen that many people at the theater in probably a few decades,” said Judy Kim, who runs the cinema, one of the last family-owned and operated single-screen theaters in Los Angeles. “I’ve been going nonstop with these special events.”
The revival of the neighborhood cinema, built in 1946 and purchased by Kim’s parents almost 50 years ago, was ignited a few months ago, when Kim realized she couldn’t keep the theater afloat on her own.
It had been a difficult few years for the family: Her mother — the cinema’s heart since the Kims took over in 1976 — had recently lost her battle with cancer, and the theater remained shuttered for almost three years due to the pandemic.
“The money started running out,” said Kim, 51. “I told my dad, ‘I’m going to need volunteers because I can’t do this by myself.’”
Almost immediately, the community responded to her call.
A groundswell of energy and support breathed new life into the theater as volunteers pitched in to sell tickets, fill concessions, improve the theater’s social media presence and spread the word about the longtime family business.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-19/fans-rally-to-save-family-owned-gardena-cinema-los-angeles
That’s great news. Can you possibly get a picture of the screen JonFB.