With ArcLight Cinemas closing, Hollywood rallies behind 'such a special place'
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Hollywood heavyweights are rallying to save ArcLight Cinemas after the owner of the beloved theater chain announced that its doors would not reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic took an extreme financial toll on the moviegoing industry.
The jointly owned ArcLight and Pacific theaters will both remain closed after shutting down due to the public health emergency, Pacific Theatres said Monday in a statement. It said, "Despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward.”
Mindy Kaling, Rian Johnson, Lulu Wang, Barry Jenkins, Jon M. Chu and James Gunn were among the entertainment luminaries who took to social media to mourn the loss of the ArcLight, known for hosting movie premieres and in-depth panel discussions with filmmakers.
"Well this sucks," tweeted Johnson, director of blockbusters "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" and "Knives Out." "Every single person who worked at the Arclight loved movies, and you felt it. Sending love to every usher, manager and projectionist who rocked that blue shirt and made it such a special place."
"I am cynical," wrote producer, writer and actress Kaling. "I feel like the arclight’s not really gone and some corporation has already bought it and this is part of a strategy to cause mourning and then they swoop in and save it and we love them and forget they’re a corporation. I mean, that’s how I would do it and I’m evil."
🥺 Well this sucks. Every single person who worked at the Arclight loved movies, and you felt it. Sending love to every usher, manager and projectionist who rocked that blue shirt and made it such a special place.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) April 13, 2021
The "Never Have I Ever" mastermind also reminisced about date nights at ArcLight screenings of movies helmed by Oscar-nominated writer and director Greta Gerwig.
"We’ve all been on bad dates to the Arclight where you’re watching a Greta Gerwig movie & the guy doesn’t like it bc he knows Greta is more talented than him and also would never date him and you had the realization you can’t date this kind of guy anymore," Kaling joked. "SAVE THE ARCLIGHT."
"Guardians of the Galaxy" filmmaker Gunn said he would "miss talking to the employees about their favorite films, which they had listed on their name tags."
We’ve all been on bad dates to the Arclight where you’re watching a Greta Gerwig movie & the guy doesn’t like it bc he knows Greta is more talented than him and also would never date him and you had the realization you can’t date this kind of guy anymore, so SAVE THE ARCLIGHT
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) April 13, 2021
Upon hearing the news, "The Farewell" director Wang remembered her "first time meeting Quentin Tarantino in the lobby of the Hollywood Arclight," while "Crazy Rich Asians" filmmaker Chu fondly recalled debuting his first feature at the same location, home to the famous Cinerama Dome theater.
"Devastating," Wang wrote. "Too many losses to process. It's too much."
"What sad news," echoed Chu. "I loved this theater. And I had my first premiere for my first movie #StepUp2TheStreets there. I snuck out of the movie early so I could cut a piece of the red carpet out and keep it. It sits on my desk. man this is hard to read."
"Honey Boy" director Alma Har'el tweeted, "Arclight forever. Spent a whole decade seeing films in this temple of cinema and was so ... lucky to have our film there right before Covid."
Here's a sampling of reactions from heartbroken ArcLight lovers — minus "Moonlight" director Jenkins, who may have summed up the dejected sentiment best when he responded with a simple, "F—."
Devastating. Too many losses to process. It's just too much... At some point when I'm less upset, I'll tell you guys a funny story about my first time meeting Quentin Tarantino in the lobby of Hollywood Arclight. https://t.co/cFypJxEk4L
— Lulu Wang (@thumbelulu) April 13, 2021
I am cynical. I feel like the arclight’s not really gone and some corporation has already bought it and this is part of a strategy to cause mourning and then they swoop in and save it and we love them and forget they’re a corporation. I mean, that’s how I would do it and I’m evil
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) April 13, 2021
I’m gutted. The ArcLight has been an amazing support to cinema in LA. I’ll miss talking to the employees about their favorite films, which they had listed on their name tags. The theaters have been an integral part of so many key moments in my life, I’ll miss them forever. 💔 https://t.co/2tV3yQ6Pl8
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 13, 2021
What sad news. I loved this theater. And I had my first premiere for my first movie #StepUp2TheStreets there. I snuck out of the movie early so I could cut a piece of the red carpet out and keep it. It sits on my desk. ❤️😢man this is hard to read. #Arclight https://t.co/3vR3XFHhhh
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) April 13, 2021
I have so many great and proud memories of the Arclight and Pacific Theatres, (the Dome, Arclight Hollywood, The Americana and Grove too). But I don’t want to post my thoughts in the past tense as I don’t want to write an obituary. My first thought was, what can be done to help?
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 13, 2021
This is so painful. The Arclight is my go-to. Clean, great sound, assigned stadium seating, great popcorn, usher movie introductions. A true movie-going experience. 🤬 https://t.co/EtkfA9sMCx
— Gina Prince-Bythewood (@GPBmadeit) April 13, 2021
This is heartbreaking. https://t.co/ldii9tFdLZ
— Adam McKay (@GhostPanther) April 13, 2021
The Arclight Hollywood was my most favorite theatre in the world to see movies. My home court of cinema in LA. I saw my first movie in LA there when I moved here in 2009 and the last movie before the pandemic there. Truly a bummer. https://t.co/sziPORAGcA
— Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) April 13, 2021
Seriously, when people asked me what my benchmark would be for what I wanted when this was over, it was to go back to sitting in the far weird corner of the arclight restaurant drinking wine doing a crossword waiting for my friends to meet me for a movie. https://t.co/q8hAzf4Oh7
— Shannon Woodward (@shannonwoodward) April 13, 2021
I’m just saying that whoever buys the Arclight and does it right will be a legend forever.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) April 13, 2021
I’m so sad. I remember going to the Cinerama Dome to see Star Trek IV with my dad when I was little. So many memories since then. 😢https://t.co/ptQsiMgYoA
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) April 13, 2021
Defund the LAPD and save the Arclight instead ✨
— Camilla Blackett (@camillard) April 13, 2021
The Arclight is definitional to my Los Angeles experience and my film career.
It is frankly beyond my imagination to think of it closed. Very much hoping this is the beginning of a negotiation that saves it. https://t.co/fWnSlft6kh— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) April 13, 2021
RIP Arclight Cinemas
— FINNEAS (@finneas) April 13, 2021
One time we went to the Arclight Sherman Oaks and after the opening speech Annie clapped and no one else did. Someone shot her a look and looked them dead in the eye and said ‘we clap in hollywood’
— Timothy Simons (@timothycsimons) April 13, 2021
The place I went to see my first movie appearance, the first movie premiere I was at ... both at the Arclight. Such an amazing cinema, so many great memories .. good dates, bad dates, nights with friends.... heartbreaker, Sorry for all the staff who were always lovely. 💔 https://t.co/bluu0Yo0GS
— Caitríona Balfe (@caitrionambalfe) April 13, 2021
I had so many beautiful experiences here, I feel like I lost a best friend. The Cinerama Dome is the only concrete geodesic dome on earth, and the largest motion picture screen in the world. https://t.co/L88U4EYaNw #ARCLIGHT #savecinema
— Lewis Tan (@TheLewisTan) April 13, 2021
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.