Bobbie Franklin
Google
Really enjoyed the aesthetics of the theater itself. Has such a rich history and significance to the film industry and Los Angeles. The updated section is simply beautiful. I would have preferred the nostalgia of the original dome, but they seem to only to screen special showings there. We went for a late showing of It: Chapter Two. Because we had not eaten dinner, we wanted to try their concessions and bar.
The bar had an assortment of cocktails themed around movies. We also tried their house beer. It was good, though service was a little dispassionate. Because we were arriving around 9, they were no longer serving food at the café that adjoins the bar. It looked good from the menu, but they were *very* outspoken about the kitchen being closed without even making suggestions for which concessions were good or anything.
We went on to the theater and grabbed a large buttered popcorn, with real butter, the stuffed pretzel, and a hotdog. The popcorn was really good. However, no salts were present. They gave us little packets of salt as an alternative. The hotdog was good— no complaints there. We bought the stuffed pretzel at the recommendation of the girl at the counter and found it to be lackluster. Would opt for the regular pretzel sticks next time. We grabbed a “movie-pour” of the house beer for the movie and found it to be good.
In terms of the screens and sound— excellent. Seats— not so much. I felt like I was sitting on a public bus seat. I’m talking hair, dog hair, sand??, and crusty spots on almost every seat in sight. We sat in our assigned seats, but I felt grossed out and even reluctant to put my head back. On top of that, the seats were not comfortable. They had no lean.
Some recommendations: add a couple more simple menu items to remain competitive with places like Alamo Drafthouse (my favorite theater) and give people an actual reason to pay $16 for the movie tickets. Keep a limited bar menu for late night movies. Moreover, I could have sat in a lawn chair on a rooftop in LA for the same price and had arguably better seats. Improving or even cleaning the seats would make a difference.
Would I go back? No. I’d probably head somewhere more affordable. But it’s definitely worth walking inside to look around, if anything.