5200 Faculty Avenue Lakewood, CA 90712 | map |
Opened: January 17, 1968 as Pacific's Lakewood Center Theatre, a single screen venue in a 25,600 s.f. building. The initial film was "To Sir, With Love." The shopping center had opened in 1952 and in 1954 was rated as the largest in the country. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
It's now called the Starlight Lakewood Center Theatres. Their website: starlightcinemas.com
Architect: The original design was by George T. Nowak with Mel Glatz as a design consultant. The Heinsbergen Studio did the decoration. Nowak also designed the very similar Tacoma Mall Theatre for Pacific, also opening in 1968, and in 1970 did the
Doheny Plaza / Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills for Cinema West.
A rendering for the "Lakewood Center Pacific's Cinerama Theatre" that had been on display in the theatre lobby. Thanks to Matt Luthhans for sharing his 2009 photo of it on the Cinema Tour page about the theatre. On the marquee it's the 1965 film "Battle of the Bulge."
It's unknown who the architect was for the three screen addition in 1974. The 1999 remodel into a 16-plex was designed by Dan Tanizaki of GFBA Architects.
Seats: 1,197 when it opened as a single-screen theatre. When it was a 4-plex (after 1974) the capacities were 1,197, 742, 399 and 371 according to Bill Gabel. It was advertised as 4,800 seats in 16 auditoria following the 1999 remodel.
As a 16-plex the capacities as of early 2024 are:
#1 - 738*, #2 - 432, #3 - 348, #4 - 347, #5 - 651, #6 - 94, #7 - 94, #8 - 86, #9 - 97, #10 - 87, #11 - 94, #12 - 87, #13 - 87, #14 - about 500**, #15 - 122, #16 - 121
*Auditorium #1, reduced in depth due to lobby reconfiguration in 1999, retained its original sloped floor. In August 2024 the seats were replaced with recliners, still using the original floor slope. The new capacity is 455. They're advertising this house as "EPEX," their premium format. The website notes that the screen size is 30' x 72'. It's now a flat screen.
**Auditorium #14, the largest of the three screens added in 1974, also kept its original sloped floor. In August 2024 the regular theatre seats were replaced with recliners. The new capacity is 241. Its two neighbors from 1974, now numbered as #15 and #16, had the floors dug out in 1999 and were made into stadium-style houses.
The 12 theatres in the building that was added in 1999, #2 through #13, were all built with stadium seating. Two of the largest of these new ones, screens #2 and #3, are north of a snack bar in the back north/south inner lobby corridor. The others, #4 through #13, are in the wing south of the bar.
Equipment: The original theatre was equipped with Simplex 35/70mm projectors, amps and speakers by Altec, and a Cinerama strip screen. A Boxoffice story on May, 1968 noted:
"The Lakewood's deeply curved screen is 90 feet wide, 32 feet high. It provides unobstructed viewing from every seat for all film sizes -- from 16mm to Cinerama. And extending from floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall, the screen forms a 'participation sweep,' which draws the viewer 'excitingly into the picture more than ever.' The screen and frame are by Cinerama. The hide-away title curtain disappears into side recesses."
They didn't run any 70mm until 1977. Paul Paul Linfesty comments on Cinema Tour:
"The Lakewood Center finally
showed a 70mm presentation in December, 1977. 'Close Encounters of the
Third Kind' opened there as part of the 'selected theatre' break,
following a four-week exclusive at the Cinerama Dome (just a few years
earlier, a blockbuster like this would have stayed exclusive at the Dome
for 6 months or more). Somewhere along the line, the large curved screen was
removed and replaced with a flatter one."
Michael Coate comments:
"I
saw many movies here while a student at nearby Cal State Long Beach.
Great presentation quality (at least in the big #1 house), especially
when they managed to book 70mm. It was also one of the very first
theaters to be equipped with digital sound. This
theater’s many 70mm presentations have been catalogued in the '70mm Presentations in the Gateway Cities and South Bay' entry in my series of In70mm.com articles."
It was planned by Pacific Theatres as a Cinerama venue, and did get a strip-style Cinerama screen. This article appeared in the L.A. Times on May 19, 1963, nearly six months before the opening of the Cinerama Dome:
Of course that statement about this being the "first time a major motion picture house will be part of a shopping center" was untrue. In 1950 the 1,500 seat Northgate Theatre had opened in Seattle as part of Northgate Mall. And Lakewood didn't get a dome theatre as was planned at the time of the article.
An article that appeared in the July 12, 1967 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor. Thanks to Roland Lataille for locating it for the page about the theatre on his fine site
In Cinerama. We have several technical issues here. The screen "offering a radius of 2368 square feet" makes no sense. And it would be interesting to listen to the "Two mammoth speakers" and how they handle the "six track sound reproduction."
"Elegance in Refreshments..." A January 14, 1968 opening ad that appeared in the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. Visit his site:
Movie-Theatre.org
A January 14 story and photo. Thanks to Roland Lataille for locating it for the Lakewood page on
In Cinerama.
The opening day ad in the L.A. Times. Thanks to Michael Coate for locating it.
The Times described the house in a January 21, 1968 article. They noted that the theatre featured:
"...specially-contoured
theatre chairs with exceptional legroom, zoned heat and air
conditioning and a vast public promenade capable of accommodating the
entire audience at one time. Imported crystal chandeliers reflected
against a toned floor-to-ceiling set of mirrors create illusions of
grace and symmetry in the promenade."
An item appearing in the Modern Theatre section of the April 22, 1968 issue of Boxoffice. The issue can be viewed on
Yumpu. On the marquee it was Susan Hayward in "Valley of the Dolls."
An article that appeared in the May 20, 1968 issue of Boxoffice. Thanks to Roland Lataille for locating it for the In Cinerama Lakewood page.
The first expansion was in 1974 when two 400 seat auditoria were added.
A May 1974 ad for the opening of added screens 2 & 3. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this.
A third new auditorium, with 742 seats, debuted in October 1974, making it a 4-plex.
[ In 1981 Pacific took over a shoe store in another area of the mall and turned it into the Lakewood Center South 1-2-3 with a June opening. Later a closed Buffum's store was remodeled into six more screens with the complex then called the Lakewood Center South 9. Those screens closed in 2008.]
In 1999 the 4-plex was remodeled and expanded to 16 screens in a $12 million re-design by Dan Tanizaki of GFBA Architects. The original 1,197 seat house lost some rows in back due to the need for more lobby space to get patrons back to the new building behind the earlier ones. The 1974 triplex addition is now called #14, 15, and 16. A new 56,000 s.f. building houses screens 2 through 13. The seating capacity ended up as 4,800.
"Wall-to-wall screens - Stadium seating - 360 degree digital sound." A March 19, 1999 reopening ad for the 16-plex, "the brand new" Pacific's Lakewood Center Stadium 16. Thanks to Ride The C Train for locating the ad for a post on Cinema Treasures. Their contributor Leegard comments:
"I have to say this theater was way cooler before the renovation: it was lots of gaudy gold drapes and carpeting, and crystal chandeliers, almost reminiscent of a poor man’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Everything about this theater was big, from the screen and sound, to the restrooms the size of Montana... The renovation completely neutered the character of this place."
Closing: March 2020. In April 2021 Pacific announced that they had no intention of reopening any of their Pacific or ArcLight locations.
Reopening: Starlight Cinemas reopened the complex on July 21, 2023 calling it the Starlight Lakewood Center Theatres.
1968 interior views:
A shot that appeared in the May 20, 1968 issue of Boxoffice. Thanks to MovieJS1944 for locating it for a post on
Cinema Treasures. The caption: "Gold wall-to-wall carpeting, four 12-foot diameter chandeliers, a 72-foot refreshment bar grace Pacific Theatres' new $1 million 1,200 seat Lakewood Center hardtop, Lakewood, Calif." The original restrooms are behind the photographer. The entrance to the promenade at the back of auditorium was down at the far end of the bar: the auditorium is parallel to and behind the bar.
A photo appearing with the two-page article in the May 20 issue of Boxoffice. The caption: "'Promenade' accommodates entire audience during intermission. Refreshment bar is 72 feet long; has backdrop of 48 mirrors, backbar of full color transparencies."
A 1968 auditorium shot from the collection of John Sittig that appears on
the Lakewood page of Michael Coate and William Kallay's site
From Script To DVD.
A view of the screen appearing in the Boxoffice article from May 20, 1968. Their caption: "Seats spaced 44 inches; gold carpeting and full length, full circle drapes; a 90x32-foot curved screen keynote Pacific Theatres' new Lakewood, Calif. luxury house."
A look to the rear in 1968. It's a photo that appeared in the May 20, 1968 issue of Boxoffice with this caption: "Downlighting from overhead recess gives soft interplay of light, shadows on full length drapes. Projection from hide-away booth at rear is through apertures in moving curtains."
Along back of the house in 1968. It's a photo that appeared in the May 20, 1968 issue of Boxoffice. "Wall-to-wall carpeting, drapes grace patron promenade serving 4-aisle auditorium."
Later interior photos:
When Pacific added the 12 screens in back in 1999 they installed a big snackbar in the rear corridor and felt that the original 72' long bar was unneeded. On the right you see the wall they put up in front of it. Those are the restrooms through that portal on the left. It's a 2023 photo by Drew Adams that's shared by Google.
Another look at the big wall. Photo: Jorden Walker - 2023
A 2023 view toward the south end of the lobby with the "guest services" area, the promenade leading to the 16 auditoria, and the game area. Thanks to Drew Adams for the 2023 photo.
Starlight had a different view about the snackbar situation. This is the panoramic view you now get of their new bar when you come in the front doors. As before, restrooms to the left, entrance to the 16 auditoria off to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024.
Looking south along the bar. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A view back from near the "game room." Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A look toward the doors. It's a photo that was located by Gary Palumbo for a post on the
Growing Up In Long Beach private Facebook group.
The south end of the lobby and the promenade leading to all 16 screens. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The promenade with the entrance to auditorium #1, the original 1968 theatre, on the left. It lost a few rows at the back. On the right nearest us is the entrance to #15 and #16, the now stadium-style versions of what had been nearly 400 seat houses added in
1974. Farther down on the right is #14, the larger of the three houses
added in 1974, originally with nearly 800 seats. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
This space is an expanded version of
the promenade that ran across the back of the original theatre, with the booth above. See
the 1968 photo from Boxoffice. At the far end you run into a second large snackbar in the middle of a corridor in the 1999 addition running north and south. Take a left, along the side of the original building, for #2 and #3, two large houses. To the right are screens #4 through #13. In that wing are two large houses plus eight with less than a hundred seats each.
A 2009 look at the redecorated auditorium #1, the original 1968 theatre. At some point it lost its Cinerama screen and got the flat one seen here. The decor dates from the 1999 redesign. Photo: Matt Lutthans -
Cinema Tour - 2009
The house left wall in auditorium #1. Photo: Matt Lutthans -
Cinema Tour - 2009
The rear of auditorium #1. It's not as deep as it used to be. Note how recessed the booth is. Where the ports are used to be the back of the auditorium, plus there was the wide promenade under the booth. In 1999 that became a part of a corridor to get back to the 12 theatres in the new addition. Photo: Matt Lutthans -
Cinema Tour - 2009
Auditorium #1 with installation of new recliners underway in in August 2024. At this point the screen was covered with plastic. Photo: Bill Counter
An auditorium #1 sidewall view. The slope of the floor remains as it was in 1968. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2024
The back wall in auditorium #1. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2024
A closer look toward the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2024
One of the ramps added at the back of auditorium #1 in the 1999 rebuild. This had originally been part of the seating area. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2024
Auditorium #1 with the recliner and re-draping project completed. It's a 2024 photo from the theatre's website. The screen size is 30' x 72'. When this house opened in 1968 it had greater depth and a capacity of 1,197. After 1999 it had been 738. With the recliners installed it's 455. They have designated this auditorium as "EPEX," their premium format brand.
In the booth for auditorium #1, the original theatre. Photo: November 2024
A look out toward the big screen of #1. Photo: November 2024
Intermission time in #1. Photo: November 2024
The entry to #15 and #16, the first theatres encountered on the right when walking down the promenade from the lobby. These are the two smaller houses added in 1974, each originally with nearly 400 seats Note the amount of the recess -- they were originally deeper, and with sloped floors. They got redone with stadium-style seating in 1999. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Auditorium
#15 in 2009. After the 1999 dig-out and lobby
reconfiguration, it ended up as a stadium style house seating 122.
Photo: Matt Lutthans -
Cinema Tour
Auditorium #16 in 2024. These two smaller ones from 1974 have the back row at lobby height and step down from there. Capacity here is now 121. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The booth end of auditorium #16. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Auditorium
#14 in 2009. This was the largest of the three added in 1974. It's still with a sloped floor,
rather than stadium-style. Photo: Matt Lutthans -
Cinema Tour
Auditorium #14 in August 2024, in the middle of a project to install recliners. As in house #1, the original slope of the floor remains. The capacity had been about 500. With the recliners in it ended up at 241. Photo: Bill Counter
Surplus film equipment in one of the booths. Simplex XL projectors, Strong xenon consoles. Looks like a Sony SDDS head atop that left machine. Photo: November 2024
Looking back down the promenade toward the lobby. Note the curve of the 1968 back wall of auditorium #1 on the right. On the left is the entrance to screen #14 and, down closer to the lobby, #15 and #16. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Turning around 180 degrees from the previous shot you get a view of the bar in the 1999 twelve-screen addition. The door on the right is to an electrical equipment room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Looking north it's screens #2 and #3. You can exit out the top of these houses. The house right side of the original 1968 theatre is behind the left wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The four big houses in the 1999 addition, #2, #3, #4, and #5, have the typical stadium-style "tunnel" layout. Here it's the entrance to #2 with the options being straight ahead to the crossaisle of take the tunnel to house left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A look to the rear of house #2. The capacity here 432. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
#2 with the pre-show on the screen. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A look south in the 1999 addition to screens #4 through #13. The entrances to the two largest on this side, #4 and #5, are on the left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Top of the stairs in the south wing. As with screens #2 and #3 on the other side, you can exit the two big houses on this side, #4 and #5, from the top of the seating area. Thanks to Michael Salazar for this 2024 photo, one shared by Google.
One of the four larger theatres in the 1999 addition. The shot appears on the Starlight website.
The entrance to #11, typical of the eight smaller houses in the south wing. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Capacity in #11 is 94. These eight smaller houses all start with the back row at lobby level and step downward from that. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The booth end of #11. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
More exterior views:
c.1952 - Looking northeast with
Del Amo in the foreground and Lakewood Blvd. running in front of the west side of the May Co. Thanks to Gary Palumbo for sharing the shot on the private Facebook group
Growing Up In Long Beach. It's from a vanished site called LAHistorian.com.
mid-1950s - Thanks to John Nelson for locating this shot looking toward the May Co.
1981 - The theatre as a 4-plex. Thanks to John Sittig for sharing the photo from his collection. It appears on
the Lakewood page of Michael Coate and William Kallay's site
From Script To DVD.
2013 - A shot from the Pacific Lakewood Facebook page. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theatres for sharing it on
Cinema Treasures.
c.2017 - Thanks to Texas2step for sharing this shot as a post on
Cinema Treasures.
2021 - A shot of the dead theatre taken by Brandon Richardson for the Long Beach Post.
2023 - A photo from the Starlight website.
2024 - The original lobby and auditorium are in the lower left. The screen end is to to the left, the booth to the right. In the center foreground are the two smaller houses added in 1974 (399 and 371 seats), with the larger 1974 addition (742 seats) behind. In the upper center of the image, behind the original auditorium and wrapping around the 1974 addition to the right is the 12 screen 1999 addition. Image: Google Earth
2024 - The glamorous walkway north of the entrance doors. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - The north side of the building. The screen end of the original 1,200 seat theatre is in the center. The 1999 addition is on the left. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - The east side of the complex. This is the 1999 addition. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - The south side of the 1999 addition. The banner is advertising $5.00 shows all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - The southwest corner view. It's 1968 lobby construction on the far left. The 1974 three-screen addition is in the center, part of the 1999 twelve-screen addition is on the right. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - The boxoffice south of the entrance doors. Photo: Bill Counter
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Starlight Lakewood Center. Also see the site's page about the Lakewood Center South 9.
Cinema Tour has a fine page about the complex with over a dozen 2009 photos from Matt Lutthans. See Roland Lataille's page about the theatre on his fine site In Cinerama.
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