ARCLIGHT

News of the ArcLight permanently closing its doors broke film lovers’ hearts this week. It’s tough for those living outside of LA to understand why this loss is hitting film nerds so hard, especially since there are multiple ArcLight locations across the country. But if you’ve ever had an opportunity to watch a movie at the Cinerama Dome, then you know exactly why this loss hurts. Forget that the instantly recognizable landmark is the only concrete geodesic dome in the world, or that it was one of only three theaters on the planet that showed movies in 3-projector format, or even that it’s in Hollywood, the very heart of the industry. The reason I will personally mourn the loss of the ArcLight Hollywood is because there is no other place in the whole wide world where you can end up in an unannounced Q&A with Robert Zemeckis, have an hour-long conversation about DPs with an usher clocking out for the night, draw for hours sitting cross-legged in front of real wardrobe and props from a movie you grew up watching and can recite word-for-word, watch a movie sitting next to Paul Thomas Anderson, or attend a midnight screening surrounded by three hundred people who are vibrating from excitement, just like you.

 The Dome will probably (hopefully) be rescued before anyone even thinks about tearing it down, and there will be other movie theaters that care about giving moviegoers the best experience possible, but today we mourn this loss. ArcLight Cinerama Dome, you were church for film nerds like me; a sanctuary for transplants chasing dreams. Goodbye, old friend. And to the rest of you—I’ll see you at the Tarantino-led Empire Records-style protest to Save the Dome!

—Sonia Pineda, Associate Manager, Physical Production