Major operators such as AMC and Cinemark reopened as soon as state and local officials allowed. Greater Los Angeles’ culture of independent movie theaters was already under threat before COVID-19 shut down the industry, thanks to competition from streaming services and international chains that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to retrofit their auditoriums and lobbies. “We’ve benefited from some of that industry uptick, but not as much as the mainstream players.” “It’s clearly rebounding,” said Paul Serwitz, president and chief operating officer of West Hollywood-based Landmark, which operates three Los Angeles locations, including the 12-screen Landmark on Pico Boulevard. Operators such as Landmark Theatres and Laemmle Theatres have had to resort to filling out their screens with the Hollywood tent poles more so than usual. MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler estimated that, even with the $80-million opening of “Black Widow,” total domestic ticket sales were only about 60% to 65% back to normal. The pandemic was especially difficult for the team behind the Lumiere, as they survived an attempt by another company to take over the lease at the space.ĭespite some big films, domestic ticket sales industrywide are improving but still far behind pre-pandemic levels, according to analysts. The team had reopened the venue just a handful of months before the shutdown happened in March 2020. Ambrosio, a former employee of the Music Hall’s former operator Laemmle Theatres, took over the spot in 2019 with two other Laemmle alumni, Lauren Brown and Luis Orellana. That message was heartening for Peter Ambrosio, co-owner of the three-screen Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills. “I do think boutique cinemas will actually thrive in this time,” Tarantino said on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” show, while pooh-poohing the big chains’ luxury amenities such as dine-in service and recliner seating as a detriment to the cinematic experience. During the podcast interview in which Quentin Tarantino announced his purchase of Los Feliz’s beloved Vista Theatre, the two-time Oscar winner made a bold prediction about the future of film exhibition: that “boutique” movie houses will experience a resurgence after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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