15301 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles) CA 91403 | map |
The mall is located at Ventura Blvd. and Sepulveda, just east of the 405. The initial 4 plex in the mall was open from 1980 until 1999. The replacement 16 screen complex opened as the Pacific Galleria 16 in 2001.
The Pacific 4:
"Why I care: the Sherman Oaks Galleria was synonymous with the mall culture of the early '80s. 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' was shot there. The song 'Valley Girl' was written about it. It was not a large mall; it was not unique; its popularity was fleeting. But I'm a pop culture buff and an urban archaeology buff.
A c.1985 photo from the Valley Relics Museum Facebook page.
The Pacific 4 Theatres in the movies:
The theatre plays a part in Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (Universal, 1982). The film features Brian Backer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Robert Romanus, Ray Walston, Kelli Maroney, Eric Stoltz and Forest Whitaker. Cameron Crowe did the screenplay based on his book. The cinematography was by Matthew F. Leonetti. Thanks to Whiteberry for this screenshot shared in a post on Blu-ray.com. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for eight more shots from the film.
Marty Glassman comments:
"I was in there watching 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' with a friend, when they showed the scene of the inside of the mall. Everyone started laughing in the theater, and then they showed the kid taking tickets in the theater that we were watching the movie, and then we really started laughing."
We see the theatres during a fine brawl at the Galleria in Mark Lester's film "Commando" (20th Century Fox, 1985). The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rae Dawn Chong. Featured are Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, Alyssa Milano, David
Patrick Kelly, James Olson and Sharon Wyatt. The cinematography was by
Matthew F. Leonetti. See a clip of the mall brawl scene on YouTube. There's another shot from the scene showing the theatres on the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post.
The mall also appears in "Chopping Mall" (1986), "Innerspace" (1987), "Walk Like a Man" (1987), "Mother" (1996), "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge" (1989) and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" (1992). A post by Whiteberry on the forum pages of the site Blu-ray.com has a superb rundown of the mall's movies with many screenshots. TV appearances include the 1983 TV movie "Sunset Limousine" and the "Bad Eggs" episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from 1998.
The new Pacific Galleria 16:
A November 2, 2001 ad located by Mike Rivest.
Rebranded as the Arclight Cinemas Sherman Oaks:
The Arclight auditorium look:
A 2019 view. Thanks to Scott Neff for sharing this one on Cinema Tour. It's one of over 30 photos dating from 2010 to 2019 that appear on their page about the theatre.
Closing: March 2020 due to Covid restrictions.
On April 12, 2021 the Decurion Corporation announced that they were not going to reopen any of its theatres using the Pacific Theatres and ArcLight brands. Their Vineland Drive-In was operating at the time but none of the indoor locations had tried reopening even as pandemic restrictions were easing. 300 screens were involved.
Pamela McClintock had the sad news in "Arclight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres to Close," an April 12, 2021 story for The Hollywood Reporter. Also see stories from Deadline, the L.A. Times and Variety. A Decurion statement noted:
"This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward... To our guests and members of the film industry who have made going to the movies such a magical experience over the years: our deepest thanks. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve you."
Tom Nunan had a nice April 13 story for Forbes: "Iconic Movie Chain Closes In Los Angeles; 5 Predictions For Future Of Cinemas Nationwide." Ryan Faughnder's April 16 story for the times asked "After ArcLight Cinemas' closure, what happens next?"
The Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corporation, part of the Forman empire, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on June 18 so that they could have protection while they liquidated their assets and paid creditors. The plan was to sell off whatever is theirs: seats, projectors, popcorn machines, etc. at both company owned and leased locations.
Included was whatever equipment the landlords didn't claim at the leased ArcLight locations in Culver City, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, El Segundo, Pasadena, La Jolla, Chicago, Boston and the D.C. area. Also affected were the Pacific locations (some owned, some leased) in Lakewood, Northridge, Chatsworth (the Winnetka), Sherman Oaks (the 5 plex), City of Industry (Vineland D-I), the Grove, and Glendale (Americana at Brand). Deadline had the story: "Pacific Theatres Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy."
In Variety's June 18 story, also titled "Pacific Theatres Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy," they noted that creditors, including landlords and film studios, might get little or nothing:
"According
to the bankruptcy filings, the six entities that filed for bankruptcy
on Friday had $69 million in liabilities, and just $4.8 million in total
assets. The only secured debt is a $6.4 million obligation to Bank of
America, which means that all the unsecured creditors — including
landlords, taxing authorities, former employees, vendors, various
litigants, and gift card holders — will likely wind up with little or
nothing. The unsecured creditors also include all the major film
studios, along with many smaller distributors, who were still owed box
office revenue when Pacific’s theaters closed last year. Disney is owed
$1.26 million, followed by Warner Bros. ($779,000), Universal
($619,000), Paramount ($501,000), Sony ($389,000) and indie distributor
Neon ($231,000). In sum, 25 distributors are owed $4.26 million."
See the Cinerama Dome page for more stories about the disposition of other ArcLight locations.
As the Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria:
The rebranded entrance. It's a 2022 photo by Steven B. on Yelp.
Status: In January 2023 the Sherman Oaks Galleria venue was on the list as one of 39 locations Regal was planning on shutting in the midst of their bankruptcy proceedings. Variety had the list. But it continues to stay open. A story shared on Cinema Treasures:
"Regal announces new lease agreement at Sherman Oaks Galleria - KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – The 16-screen Sherman Oaks Galleria theatre will continue operating as a Regal property following entry into a new lease agreement with the owner. The Regal theatre is the only structure left standing from the original Sherman Oaks Galleria mall, which was transformed into today's modern open-air, mixed-use facility in 2002.
The building in 2023 with its new "Regal" signage. Photo: Google Maps
More information: See the Cinema Treasures pages on the Pacific 4 and the Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria. The Cinema Tour page about the 16-plex has over 30 photos dating from 2010 to 2019.
A mall remodel in 1992 was discussed in the June 8 L.A. Times story "Galleria Remodels in Effort to Lure 'More Mature' Customer.." One of their comments:
There's a nice history of the mall in a 2017 Behind the Deals story by Joshua Beroukhim. Wikipedia has an article about the Galleria. Of course there's a page about the Regal Galleria on Yelp.
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