Just days after I wrote about the joy of seeing my favorite movie — It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World — at the Cinerama Dome theater in Hollywood, we get the news that the Pacific Theater chain is permanently closing all its outlets in California. That amounts to 300 screens and includes the ArcLight complex near Sunset and Vine. And the ArcLight complex includes the Cinerama Dome.
The Cinerama Dome was literally built to show Mad World. It was the opening attraction there on 11/7/63 and I first saw my favorite movie there on 11/23/63 and many times since. I went to other movies at the ArcLight, as well. It was a great place to see movies. I can't quite explain why but I always had the feeling that the operators of the theaters there and the people who went to see movies there respected movies a little more than what I felt at other theaters around.
The news reports (like this one) suggest that someone or some company may step in and acquire the chain. I hope so. I'd sure like to see the theater complex at The Grove remain up and operating also.