9500 Culver Blvd. Culver City CA 90232 | map |
The news: They expanded! Amazon reopened five additional screens to turn the screen count up to eleven. New seats are being installed in the six auditoria that they have been operating. The complex originally had twelve screens. One had been built-out by Amazon as a flat-floored events space. The project had been announced in a September 1 Facebook post. Two of the auditoria, #10 and #11, came online Friday, September 18 and by the end of the month all 11 were running. It's a mix of conventional projection and Onyx LED screens. 10 of the houses have Dolby Atmos installations. Their website: web.theculvertheater.com
Original opening: May 16, 2003 as the Pacific Culver Stadium 12.
Amazon reopened the house on December 9, 2022 with six screens running. It's now called The Culver Theater. The rest of the complex was used until 2026 for post production, a facility initially called Culver Post, now branded as 424 Post. Alex Harbaugh was the designer of the sound systems for the complex.
Architects: The 2003 design was by the San Diego firm of Benson & Bohl. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research. The image comes from their website's Screenland page. Evidently that was a working name for the project.
Seating: During the ArcLight era it was 1,658 in 12 auditoria. When Amazon reopened the house in December 2022 it was six screens open to the public, all on the main floor. At the time, the company's Culver Post site listed the total capacity as 1,046. After reopening five additional screens in mid-2026 the capacity was 1,558. The counts, not including ADA spaces:
#1 - 244, #2 - 246, #3 - 244, #4 - 187, #5 - 90, #6 - 90, #7 - 90, #8 - 107, #9 - 90, #10 - 85 (previously called #5), #11 - 85 (previously called #6).
Screens: Auditoria #1-4 and #8 and #9 have the 4K LED screens. Auditorium #11 (previously called #6) has the 8K screen. At the time of the reopening
there was no 3-D capability. The Onyx brand screens are by Samsung. See a 2019 Samsung press release about the product rollout that was located by Russ Jones.
#5, #6, #7 and #10 have conventional digital
projection. #10 was earlier called #5 when they were only running six screens.
Sound: All auditoria have Dolby Atmos installations except #11, the 8K house, previously numbered as #6.
Houses #1-4 and #11 use Meyer Ultra Reflex speakers for
the front channels, JBL Cinema speakers for subs, overhead, and surrounds. Much of the sound for the screen channels in those houses is bounced of the LED wall -- ceiling-mounted speakers point toward the screen. See a photo from theatre #4.
#10 (the old #5) uses
three JBL 4-way Screen Channel speakers in front, JBL Cinema speakers
for subs, overhead and surrounds. Data isn't available on the five auditoria they reopened in 2026, #5-#9)
An opening day ad. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org
It closed in March 2015 for an upgrade and reopened May 1 as the ArcLight Culver City.
The theatre closed in March 2020 due to Covid restrictions. In April 2021 Pacific Theatres parent Decurion Corporation noted that they would not be reopening any of their ArcLight or Pacific locations.
"Arclight gets an eviction notice..." was an April 10, 2021 story by Tom Brueggeman on IndieWire. See the Cinerama Dome page for additional stories about the closures and fates of the different ArcLight locations.
Amazon signed a lease on the building in late 2021. Costar had the news in their February 9, 2022 story "Amazon Leases Shuttered Movie Theater" although at the time it was unknown what they planned to do with it. They already had a big investment almost next door as the tenant of the former Selznik Studios. Their intentions regarding keeping it a theatre were revealed in "Amazon Studios Plans First-Run Movie Theater in Culver City, California," a July 18, 2022 CoStar story by Jack Witthaus and Mark Heschmeyer. They noted:
"Construction underway, liquor license sought by owner of Wolfgang Puck brand... Amazon Studios plans to open a movie theater in a shuttered cinema in Culver City, California, in what may be a first for one of the biggest players in streaming..."
Thanks to Steven Sharp for spotting the July 18 story for a mention in his Urbanize L.A. July 23 Weekly Headlines post.
The reopening: Amazon reopened the house as The Culver Theater December 9, 2022 with six screens open to the public. There's seating in the lobby, a full bar and various food offerings at a
revamped snackbar. Ticket prices are in the $14-18 range. Their ad copy:
"The Culver Theater is
the only theater in the United States to showcase an 8K HDR screen,
multiple 4K Micro-LED screens and Dolby ATMOS theatrical sound
capability in all 6 auditoriums."
Costar had the reopening news with their December 14 story "Streaming Giant Amazon Goes Back to the Future With Its First Traditional Movie Theater."
This is the first theatre operation for the company. It's unknown if
there are any plans for more locations. But the company is definitely
interested in the theatrical end of the business. In the November 23
Bloomberg News story "Amazon Plans to Invest $1 Billion a Year in Movies for Theaters" they noted there were plans to release 12 movies a year theatrically.
A soft opening was followed by this ad in the December 15 issue of the L.A. Times.
Check out "The latest cinema projector isn't a projector at all,"
a 2023 Danny Baldwin Rambles article on Substack that details his visit
to the Culver. Thanks to Bill Arceneaux for spotting it.
Status: Beginning in mid-September 2026 they began reopening five additional screens, getting the screen count up to 11. By the end of the month they had 11 screens running. One of the original 12 had earlier been built-out as a flat-floored events space.
The new look for Amazon:
A peek in the front door revealed that the ArcLight clock had been replaced by a temporary "prime video" display. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2022
A look across from the east side. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2022
Looking in on the day of the "grand opening," December 15, 2022. Photo: Bill Counter
A view across the bar toward the snackbar. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The showtimes board and a peek into the inner lobby. The stairs to the upstairs auditoria, not in use, are on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The attraction board with updated graphics. Thanks to Fred Topel for sharing this photo as well as ten others he took in a March 2024 post on the Cinema Tour Facebook page.
A look along the snack bar toward the real bar in front of the east windows. Photo: Fred Topel - 2024
The upstairs lounge. Photo: Bill Counter - 2026
Down the corridor. Auditoria 1-4, sizes varying from 187 to 246, are on the left. Two smaller houses, #10 and 11, are on the right. At the time of this shot those two were called #5 and 6. Down at the end, an added wall closed off screens #7 through 12. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The lounge alcove after the decorator was finished. Photo: Bill Counter - 2025
The screen in house #1 before a July 2024 KCRW sponsored sneak of "Kneecap." This is a 4K screen with a width of about 46 feet. Photo: Bill Counter
The rear of house #1, 244 seats. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The theatre's logo on the LED screen in one of the other big houses. Photo: Fred Topel - 2024
The front of house #3. Photo: Bill Counter - May 2023
The rear of #3. It has a capacity of 244. Photo: Bill Counter - May 2023
A look at the ceiling-mounted speakers for the three screen channels in #4. They're pointed toward the screen to bounce sound off the LED wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2026
Auditorium #10, previously called #5, has a conventional screen. Capacity is 85. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The rear of auditorium #10. All of the houses are Atmos equipped except #11. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The theatre's logo on the screen in #11, the house with the 8K screen. Before the 2026 expansion this one was called #6. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
A full width image on the 30' screen in #11. Scope format is a bit less tall. This image was from a doc using a variety of aspect ratios. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The front of house #11 under cleaning lights with nothing on the screen. Yes, it's a bit reflective with this lighting. Photo: Bill Counter - 2025
Trying to get a close look at the screen surface. And there's nothing to see. Just a wall of black plastic. Photo: Bill Counter - 2025
Behind the box along the bottom of the screen. Since there are no speakers behind the screen we get subs plus channels 1-2-3 here. In addition, there are speakers assigned to those 3 full-range channels mounted on the ceiling, pointed toward the screen to bounce the sound to the audience. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
A sidewall view in #11. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
The rear of auditorium #11. The capacity here is 85. Photo: Bill Counter - December 2022
Another look to the back of #11. Photo: Bill Counter - 2025
Looking back out to the lobby. Thanks to Fred Topel for sharing the 2024 photo. See more that he took in his post on the Cinema Tour Facebook page.
The theatre without a number, a house that was converted into an events space. Photo: Culver Post - 2024
One of the back auditoria when it was used as a post facility. Photo: Culver Post - 2024
Interior views during the ArcLight era:
Inside the front doors. It's a 2015 photo by Grand S. on Yelp. See their page for 200 photos of the complex.
A look toward the bar. Photo: Robert R. - Yelp - 2015
Another angle on the bar area. Photo: Doreen M. - Yelp - 2015
The bar is straight ahead, snackbar and ticketing on the right. Photo: Wayne Y. - Yelp - 2015
Ticketing kiosks and the shop, over on the right. Photo: Robert R. - Yelp - 2015
A chat under the iconic ArcLight clock before a film. Photo: Jennifer N. - Yelp - 2018
A closer look at the clock and attraction board. Photo: Shannon E. - Yelp - 2015
Another snackbar shot. Photo: Grand S. - Yelp - 2015
An inner lobby view. Photo: Nik D. on Yelp - 2016
Another inner lobby view. Photo: Janeth D. on Yelp - 2019
Thanks to Nik G. on Yelp for this 2016 look into the men's room.
A 2019 shot in one of the auditoria. Photo: Caitlin G. on Yelp
One of the smaller auditoria in the complex in 2019. Photo: Billy K. on Yelp
More exterior views:
2006 - Happy times in Culver City. Thanks to Mark Smith for locating the photo.
c.2010 - A corner view by Chris Grossman.
2012 - A look up the tower by an unknown photographer.
2015 - A look in to the clock after the rebranding as an ArcLight location. Photo: Sharon G. on Yelp
2016 - An entrance view from Lily W. on Yelp.
2016 - Thanks to Chris Utley for sharing this photo of his as a post on Cinema Treasures.
2016 - The ArcLight vertical. Thanks to Chris Utley for the photo, another post on Cinema Treasures.
2017 - A look at the ArcLight during the L.A. Film Festival in June. It's an image by an uncredited photographer that appears on Wikimedia Commons.
2017 - A fine facade shot from Daryl K. on Yelp.
2019 - A nice corner view from Peter H. on Yelp.
2019 - A look west along the facade. Photo: Richard L. on Yelp
c.2020 - A photo from CoStar that appeared with several of their stories including "Amazon Studios Plans First-Run Movie Theater..." in July 2022.
2021 - The ArcLight in April after Decurion announced their intention of not reopening. Photo: Bill Counter
August 2022 - Looking along the east side of the building. That's Van Buren Place beyond the bollards. Photo: Bill Counter
August 2022 - A corner view. The guys are covering the windows with murals of aspen trees. The Culver Hotel is out of the frame to the right. Photo: Bill Counter
August 2022 - The exciting new window display. Photo: Bill Counter
August 2022 - Scissor lifts being delivered to the west side of the building on Irving Place . Photo: Bill Counter
August 2022 - The back of the building. It's Irving Place on the left. On the right we're looking east on A St. Photo: Bill Counter
December 2022 - Open but in need of signage. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - The look after a bit more redecoration. Photo: Bill Counter
More information: Cinema Treasures has a page about the Culver Theatre. The Cinema Tour page has some 2004 exterior views by Ron Pierce. The Yelp page on the ArcLight has over 200 photos and lots of discussion.
More Culver City theatres: Culver City Theatre 1915-1923 | Meralta Theatre 1924-1983 | City Hall Theatre 1943-1947 | Culver / Kirk Douglas Theatre 1947- | Culver Plaza 6 1991-2011. The page on the Culver City Theatre has a few Culver City history resources listed.
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