Arena Cinelounge
1625 N. Los Palmas Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
1625 N. Los Palmas Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
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This theatre’s address remains 1625 N. Las Palmas Avenue. The 6464 Sunset Blvd location is a different theatre that has its' own page on Cinema Treasures. I.E. the group operating as Cinelounge moved, the theatre didn’t.
On a side note: In 2021 they utilized the adjacent Egyptian/Arena parking lot as the Cinelounge Drive-In (roughly 20 car capacity). Unfortunately, the drive-in operation was relatively short lived and shut down post COVID.
Current address is 6464 Sunset Blvd
Opened on July 19th, 1972 as the UA Egyptian II & III Theatres with Skyjacked and The French Connection. Grand opening ad posted.
the theater is now named Arena Cinelounge
Love to see interior photos
in the 1970’s I went to a lot of 2nd run theaters in Hollywood. The Egyptian 1 (the real theater) ran double bills like “Waterloo” (in 70 mm) and"Wrath of God" with Robert Mitchum. It was great. 2 and 3 were dumps, but UA booked great dump double bills like “SSSSSSSSSS” and “Boy That Cried Werewolf”. Also saw “Stop Making Sense” at the 2, awful venue.
The current incarnation of this venue is a very barebones/DIY sort of operation; the overall experience comes across like a long shuttered theatre being reopened for a night by some enthusiasts. Access to the theatre comes via a public parking lot and rear alleyway. As the theatre originally utilized the main Egyptian’s box office, the, now separate, Arena is forced to make do with a folding table in the entryway for ticket and concession sales. Aside from the auditorium, the interior stands relatively unchanged, looking every bit the worn/modestly maintained 70’s add on. The shallow auditorium is heavily modified from its cinema days and now appointed more for live theater than movies. Seating is listed at 99, but the slightly terraced rows appear to seat closer to 50. Presentation quality is more reminiscent of home movie night than commercial cinema, but befitting the indie programming. From what I’ve seen, the theatre experiences relatively healthy business, given its alternative booking and limited seating capacity.