6081 Center Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90045 | map |
Opened: July 13, 2001 as an 18 screen complex in the Howard Hughes Center called The Bridge Cinema de lux. It's in the Westchester area of Los Angeles, just east of Sepulveda. The north side of the center is along the 405. Thanks to Scott Neff for sharing this c.2001 image on the Cinema Tour page about the theatre.
The Edwards circuit had begun the multiplex but were engulfed by
bankruptcy problems during construction and didn't finish it. Chris
Utley notes: "The Howard Hughes Promenade opened up with this big
massive shell of an empty theatre in the early part of Summer 2001." National Amusements took it over and finished it. The center had once been called the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center. It's now branded as HHLA.
Earlier on the site: A temporary tent venue with 622 seats called Disney's Fantasia 2000 Imax Theatre operated on the site from January 1 until April 30, 2000. The Edwards circuit ran it for Disney.
A June 29, 2001 pre-opening ad.
A July 13, 2001 opening day ad. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating these. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org
Seating: Initially it was 4,200 in the 18 auditoria. As of 2020 it was down to 3,418. After closing off the upper six screens in 2024 it was a total of 1,813 seats in the 12 still in use. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for these counts:
#1 -130, #2 - 138, #3 - 139, #4 - 139, #5 - 129, #6 - 146, #7 - 136, #8 - 140, #9 - 154, #10 - 190 + 22 dBox - 70mm equipped, #11 - 78 + 30 DBox, #12 - 242 XD.
Prior to their closure, the capacities of the other 6 were:
#13 - 261 + 30 DBox, #14 - 297, #15 - 292, #16 - 295, #17 - 212, #18 - 210.
Imax / XD: Screen #12, once an Imax film venue, is now branded as a "Cinemark XD" house. By March 2014 the 70mm Imax projector was gone and in April that house became an XD venue with Barco Aura 11.1 sound. It has 242 seats.
Film capability: Screen #10 currently has 5 perf 70mm capability. See the Cinemark page "What is 70mm Film?"
Thanks to Paul Rayton for spotting it. They will be running
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" in 5 perf 70 beginning August 16. See Michael Coate's In70mm.com article "'The Odyssey': The 70mm Presentations." #10 has a capacity of 212.
Architects: unknown
In a 2009 comment Chris Utley described the complex as it then was:
"... They dressed the theatre up with a way out combination of 1960s era decor mixed with 21st century flourishes. The theatre sits on 3 levels: Level 1 holds 11 screens – including their Imax theatre (a true, genuine Imax with the 6 story tall screen that we know and love), a reserved seating 'Directors Hall' auditorium with leather seats and concierge service, and another auditorium called CenterStage where they feature live performances before the show on weekends.
"Level 2 is their lobby and main entrance which leads guests to escalators taking them to level 1 or 3. Their credit card kiosks as well as Guest Services are in the lobby as well. Level 3 features their in-theatre restaurant '12 Lounge' (named because Edwards had originally slated that space to Auditorium 12, but NA had other plans) featuring lots of booze, burgers, chicken tenders and pizza (really good pizza!).
"Also on Level 3 are 6 massively sized auditoriums – 2 of them are the aforementioned Directors Hall auditoriums with reserved seating. The theatre has nice sized flat screens ranging from about 40 to 60 feet. It is equipped for digital projection in all of its auditoriums and pumps out Dolby Digital EX sound."
In early 2010 it became the Rave 18 + Imax under management of the Texas-basded Rave Motion Pictures circuit. See the December 22, 2009 article that Chris Utley located: "Sumner Redstone’s National Amusements closes deal to sell 29 theaters to Rave Cinemas." The L.A. location wasn't part of the deal but the Times noted that it would be part of a separate transaction involving six more theatres that would be finalized in several weeks. After these deals Rave would have 65 locations in 20 states with about 1,000 screens. At the time, they were the fifth largest circuit in the country.
In November 2012 it was announced that Cinemark would be taking over 31 Rave locations. As of May 2013 it was a Cinemark operation. It's now called the Cinemark Howard Hughes Los Angeles + XD.
The six upper screens were closed off in March 2024 and the boxoffice relocated after the announcement that Meow Wolf would be creating an installation for the top floor.
Status: Open as a first-run house with 12 screens.
Interior views:
The lobby in 2011 when the complex was a Rave operation. Thanks to Ross Melnick for sharing this photo and others appearing here on the site he founded,
Cinema Treasures.
A display for the Rave Burger Bar. Photo: Ross Melnick -
Cinema Treasures - 2011
The lobby in 2015, when it was an 18 screen Cinemark complex. Photo: Indah K. on
Yelp
The snackbar in 2016. Photo: Jenny M. on Yelp
Stairs going up to screens 13 to 18 and the bar. Photo: Anna Y. on Yelp - 2015
A look along the stairs with another path to the downstairs screens at the left. Photo: Nic D. on Yelp - 2017
Up the stairs in 2022. Photo: Maruko X. on Yelp
A look down on the snackbar area. Photo: Coburn S. on Yelp - 2019
The upstairs bar. Photo: Joi R. on Yelp - 2016
Another angle on the bar. Photo: Jan G. on Yelp - 2022
The new lobby look after downsizing the complex to 12 screens. Photo: Jenny L. on Yelp - 2026
A pre-renovation look into the inner lobby downstairs. Photo: Ron L. on Yelp - 2021
The XD house down at the end. Photo: Sreekar K. on Yelp - 2022
An inner lobby lounge area near screen 5. Photo: Jeff V. on Yelp - 2015
Auditorium 6. Photo: Susan B. on Yelp - 2022
The rear of auditorium 6. Photo: Susan B. on Yelp - 2022
The entrance to auditorium 12, once an Imax film venue, is now branded as "Cinemark XD." This house has a capacty of 242. Photo: Kenneth S. on Yelp - 2025
In auditorium 12. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for sharing his 2025 photo.
The back of auditorium 12. Photo: Kenneth S. on Yelp - 2024
Looking back toward the lobby in 2019. Photo: Coburn S. on Yelp
Closer to the lobby. Photo: Inna A. on
Yelp - 2024
Art comes to the upper level: The top floor, once with screens 13 through 18, will open in late 2026 as a Meow Wolf art exhibit. Their website: meowwolf.com/visit/los-angeles
Their quest for an L.A. location was covered in "Meow Wolf supercharged the way we experience art. Is L.A. ready for the wild ride?," a May 3, 2024 L.A. Times story by Todd Martens. Jack Dunn revealed the location they had picked in "Meow Wolf Unveils Location of Permanent Los Angeles Exhibition," his May 13, 2024 story for Variety. The Times also had a May 13 story with the news.
More details emerged in "First look: Inside Meow Wolf L.A., a psychedelic wonderland that celebrates the movies," Todd Martens' January 7, 2026 Times story. He noted:
"Meow Wolf Los Angeles will launch via a fantastical movie theater, one complete with a concession stand — beware of the animated, sentient candy — and a grand auditorium."
"The exhibition pays homage to the multiplex... Co-founder and executive vice president Sean Di Ianni says the team is aiming for 'sticky floor, popcorn vibes.' 'It’s a ‘90s multiplex cinema, and we’re going to lean into that, to design the space to feel like that era of multiplex cinema,' Di Ianni says...As guests traverse the cinema at the start of the show, they will encounter a concession stand where candy has sprung to life."
More exterior views:
2011 - The building when it was a Rave operation. Photo: Ross Melnick -
Cinema Treasures
2011 - A look over toward the boxoffice. Photo: Ross Melnick -
Cinema Treasures. Thanks, Ross!
2016 - After it became a Cinemark venue. It's a shot from Billy M. on
Yelp.
2017 - A photo shared by Mic W. on Yelp
2021 - The outside boxoffice. Photo: Ron L. on Yelp
2021 - Peeking into the lobby. Photo: Ron L. on Yelp
2022 - A view from the 405. Photo: Rob A. on Yelp
2023 - Masked up. It's a photo from Brian V. on Yelp.
2023 - A shot from Jesus P. on Yelp.
2024 - Looking west on Center Dr. Image: Google Maps
2024 - Still using the outside boxoffice. Photo: Daniel W. on
Yelp
2025 - The new boxoffice area in August. Thanks to Mike Olpin for sharing his photo on
Cinema Tour.
2025 - The original boxoffice over on the right. Photo: Mike Olpin on
Cinema Tour. Thanks!
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Cinemark Howard Hughes. They also have a page on the Fantasia 2000 Imax. Thanks to the Cinema Tour page about the theatre for the dates for the various operators. Cinema Tour also has a page about the temporary 2000 Imax venue. There's a page about the theatre on Yelp.
