189 The Grove Drive Los Angeles, CA 90036 | map |
Opened: This 14 screen neo-deco style complex opened March 15, 2002 as The Grove Stadium 14 with Pacific Theatres as the original operator. AMC got it in 2021. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The theatre is in Rick Caruso's The Grove shopping center on 3rd St., just east of the Farmer's Market at 3rd and Fairfax. The Gilmore Drive-In was once on the site.
Website: amctheatres.com...amc-the-grove-14
Seating: 2,983 originally, now 2,488. All theatres are on the main floor. Houses 1 and 2 also have entrances on the second floor, up the grand staircase.
In June 2022 auditorium #1, originally with a capacity of 390, was renovated in black box style to become an Imax house. With new recliners installed it's down to 209.
Auditorium #2, branded as an "XD" house in the Pacific era, is now the "Dolby Cinema" venue with recliners and a capacity of 222. It originally was 403.
Auditorium #3, originally with a capacity of 296, has been branded as the "AMC Prime" house, now fitted with recliners for a capacity of 163.
As of 2022 the seating in the other houses hadn't been changed since the opening of the complex. Capacity numbers, including handicap spaces: 4 - 235, 5 - 180, 6 - 180, 7 -
180, 8 - 141, 9 - 140, 10 -139, 11 - 139, 12 - 139, 13 - 139, 14 - 282. Thanks to Jonathan Wells and RidetheCTrain for the research.
The Grove's auditorium layout. Original image: Google Maps - 2024
Architects: Perkowitz+Ruth of Long Beach with Marios Savopoulos heading the project for them. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research.
Part of the Pacific Theatres ad on opening day, March 15, 2002
The theatre closed in March 2020 as a result of Covid restrictions. In April 2021 Pacific announced that they had no intention of reopening any of their Pacific or ArcLight branded houses. AMC got the lease later in 2021 and reopened it August 13 as AMC The Grove 14.
In October 2023 Taylor Swift put in an appearance for the world premiere of her concert film "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour."
Interior views:
The vista from the front doors. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The bar on the east side of the lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The bar as seen from the top of the grand staircase. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Ticket kiosks on the west side of the lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The west side as seen from upstairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A closer look at the private cafe area upstairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Looking toward the upstairs entrances for auditoria #1 and #2. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A view to the entrance doors from the bottom of the stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
A peek toward the inner lobby. The entrance to #1, the Imax house, is around the corner to the left. The entrance to #14 is on the right, just beyond that lit display case. Take a right at the snack bar for the long, long inner lobby leading to the other auditoria. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The entrance to auditorium #1 to the left of the snackbar. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Auditorium #1, the Imax house. Originally with 390 seats, it now has 209 after being rebuilt for recliners. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Across the back of #1. There's an entrance at the top from the lobby's 2nd level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
#1 as seen from down front. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The neo-deco snackbar. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Along the right end of the bar. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Looking back toward the snackbar. The red signage on the right near the second column is for auditorium #2, at the time branded as an "XD" house. The entrance to auditorium #3 is out of the frame to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
The 2024 view of the entrance to auditorium #2, now the Dolby Cinema house, and auditorium #3, the AMC Prime venue. Photo: Bill Counter
Looking west down the inner lobby from in front of the entrance to auditorium #3. On the left it's 4 through 8. The entrance to #9 is straight ahead in a little rotunda. On the right it's 10 through 13. That wall on the right is the house left side of auditorium #14. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
One of the auditoria when it was a Pacific Theatres operation. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
The rotunda at the end of the inner lobby with #7 and #8 to the left, #9 straight ahead, #10 to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Auditorium #9. Capacity is 140, unchanged since the complex opened in 2002. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The rear of auditorium #9. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The view back toward the main lobby when coming out of #9. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Auditorium #14, entered from the right side of the main lobby, just before the snackbar. It's a 46' wide screen in this one. Capacity is 282, unchanged since the theatre's opening. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
The rear of auditorium #14. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024
Several more exterior views:
2002 - Thanks to Ken Roe for sharing this photo of his on
Cinema Tour.
2010 - The west end of the building. At the right it's 3rd St. Photo: Bill Counter
2019 - A vista across the fountain during the Pacific Theatres era. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - Signage on the 3rd St. side of the building. We're looking west toward Fairfax. Image: Google Maps
2024 - Looking south across the tracks. Photo: Bill Counter
More information: See the Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour pages about the complex.
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The theatre exhibition is going, this place is going to make one hell of a church one day!
ReplyDeleteActually the theatre is doing quite well. It's consistently one of the highest grossing complexes in the L.A. Area. It's no secret why AMC wanted to get the lease after Pacific bailed out. Making it a 14 room church was never a possibility.
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