Los Angeles Theatres: Cineplex / Cineplex Odeon / Mann / Rave Beverly Center Cinemas

8522 Beverly Blvd., 8th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90048 | map |

Opened: July 16, 1982 by Cineplex Odeon as a 14 plex with what was at the time the largest number of screens under one roof in the United States. The mall is located at Beverly Blvd. and La Cienega Blvd. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

In 1987 it went from 14 screens to 13. Edward Havens, who worked the theatre, explained it back in 2010:

"The theatre had so much success in its early years, the decision was made a couple years after opening to convert two smaller theatres into one, and then gut the two largest houses in order to build two even larger auditoriums on the roof of the building, which brings us to the current 13."

Two new auditoria, designated #1 and #2, got the 35/70 equipment from the smaller theatres they replaced. The Beverly Center Cinemas were an important cog in the LA movie scene with lots of premieres and record runs of major films. But it was a novelty of its time and the small screen sizes and other problems never made it a great moviegoing experience.

Architect: Mandel Sprachman, from Canada

Seating: 1,650 initially, 1,747 at the end. Capacities ranged from 60 to 465. Scott Weinfeld spotted a 2016 post by Edward Havens on the Cinema Treasures page about the theatre:

"When I worked at the Cineplex Odeon Beverly Center in 1991-1993, these were the seat counts:

1: 465, 2: 291, 3: 103, 4: 89, 5: 100, 6: 70, 7: 78, 8: 133, 9: 113, 10: 70, 11: 60, 12: 80, 13: 95

The seating stayed relatively the same until the closing in June 2010."

Projection: See some booth photos at the bottom of the page. It was Balco platters and Ballantyne Pro 35 projectors that came in pre-wired on the Ballantyne bases with Ballantyne VIP automation. Lamps were Strong Super Lumex.

In 1982 the two largest houses, #1 and #2, were equipped for 70mm using 35/70 versions of the Ballantyne machines. One screen had 16mm capability. At the time of the opening any or all of the machines could be interlocked to run a single print. Two of the houses used periscopes so the image could clear ceiling beams.

"Cineplex CEO Garth Drabinsky stresses that the projection and sound are more impressive than might be imagined, since they are being used in such very small auditoriums. He adds, 'Our 35mm has an impact greater than 70mm in a larger theatre.'" -- Boxoffice, March 1983

In 1987 when two new screens were added on the roof those got the 70mm equipment and were designated #1 and #2.

Sound: When the complex opened in 1982 twelve of the theatres were mono, using Altec A8 speakers. The only Dolby capability was in the two 70mm houses.

Screen sizes: They ranged from 8' x 13' to 11' x 24'. One house had a lenticular screen for 3-D. Of the initial 14 screens, 13 had movable masking. The two theatres added in 1987 had larger screens. #1 was 40' wide.

The new complex was profiled before the opening in a July 14, 1982 story in the L.A. Times:

Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for locating the article.

A July 16, 1982 opening day ad. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for locating it.

The Beverly Center Cinemas got a four page profile that was located by Scott Weinfeld in the March 1, 1983 issue of Boxoffice:

A closer look at the photos from the article. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for locating the Boxoffice coverage.

A fall 1984 ad shared by Scott Weinfeld.

March 20, 1987 ads announcing the opening of two new screens, both with balconies, 70mm equipped and THX certified. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for locating these.

Later operators: After Cineplex imploded, many of their theatres went to AMC but they didn't want this one. Mann Theatres tried running it beginning in 2006. They closed it August 6, 2009. Rave then tried operating it.

A May 2010 entrance view taken by Ross Melnick that appears on the Cinema Treasures page about the complex.

A June 4, 2010 look across from Ross Melnick on Cinema Treasures from. Thanks!

Closed: June 3, 2010. This time for good. The closure wasn't mourned by many.

Its passing was, as Christopher Crouch noted in a June 2010 post on his blog Cinelog, representative of the decline of mall culture in general and the ever changing fortunes of the major players in Los Angeles film exhibition. It outlasted better complexes like the nearby GCC Beverly Connection and even survived the demise of its builder, Cineplex Odeon. But newer complexes such as the Grove and the ArcLight gave it fatal competition.

The interesting thing about Cineplex Odeon's entrance into the Los Angeles market (and this strategy was also deployed in other cities) is that they seemed in the 80s to be betting both on the past and the future simultaneously. In some areas they would just buy an existing circuit to enter and dominate a market. Frequently they overpaid and, like other circuits, discovered eventually that there wasn't enough revenue to service the mountain of debt.

In L.A., without a major player to take over, the strategy was twofold. They built the multiplexes (Beverly Center, Universal Cinemas) that those with vision knew were the future of the business. But Cineplex also also went for the mom and pop operated older singles, twins and triples that would give them first run screens in interesting areas.

In Los Angeles that second strategy played out with theatres like the Gordon/Showcase, the Brentwood Twin and the Fairfax. Sprucing up an older building and making it a first run was easy and quick compared to permitting and building a large project. And, even if many of these older theatres were still doomed economically, it gave them a few more years of life. It all worked for a while.

See Patrick Goldstein's obituary for the L.A. Times: "Beverly Center Cineplex RIP: The ‘suicide rail’ is going, going, gone."

Status: The space was rebuilt for retail use. The theatre space became a Forever 21 store but that closed in March 2025. Edward Havens commented:

"Technically, the theatre has been demolished. The middle floor between the main theatre level and the rooftop additions is gone. All evidence of a theatre once being there is gone. Every auditorium. Every hallway. Every snack bar, storage area, stairway and elevator, gone. The green room I was creating for talent while they waited for their Q&As, gone. It’s all gone. Gone, baby, gone."

Listen to Episode 082 of Edward's podcast: "The Cineplex Beverly Center."

Interior views:

A look in toward the bar. Many thanks to Jeff Arellano for this June 2010 photo as well as the others appearing on this page. He shared over 200 shots on the Cinema Tour page about the Beverly Center Cinemas.

Another bar view. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

Heading toward the auditoria. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

An inner lobby view. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

Another inner lobby view. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

Looking in to theatre #1. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

A look to the rear. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

The back corner house left. #1 and #2, both added up top in 1987, were the only ones with balconies. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

The sidewall treatment. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

A look into one of the smaller houses. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010

A look to the rear. Photo: Jeff Arellano - June 2010. Thanks, Jeff! See many more of his photos on Cinema Tour.

A November 2010 demo shot in theatre #1 from JVJ construction. Thanks to Edward Havens for spotting their Facebook post that includes eleven other photos.

In the booth:

A photo from the March 1983 article about the new theatre that appeared in Boxoffice. Note the machine on the right for theatre #4. It's shooting into a periscope.

The 35/70 Ballantyne machine for theatre #1, one of the two houses added in 1987. Thanks to Jeff Arellano for this 2010 photo, one appearing on Cinema Tour.

The amp racks for theatre #1 -- with a peek down the hall toward the equipment for #2. Photo: Jeff Arellano - 2010

A closer look at the platter and 35/70 Ballantyne for theatre #2. On the left note the bracket for rollers used to run a common print between #1 and #2. Photo: Jeff Arellano - 2010