The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly)
We’re REOPENING CINEMAS
Los Angeles’ hard-core cinephiles are in good spirits these days, at a time when their counterparts in hundreds of cities have been losing their cherished neighborhood indie theaters to the ravages of COVID-19 and the comforts of streaming. In the past year alone, three historic single-screen venues reopened throughout L.A. after being rescued and renovated by a devout theatrical junkie (Quentin Tarantino), a deep-pocketed streaming giant (Netflix) and a female-founded alternative video operation (Vidiots). Tarantino, who already owned New Beverly Cinema on Beverly Boulevard — which also was renovated in recent years and is dedicated
to showcasing old movies in 35mm and 75mm — now also owns the Vista in Los Feliz, likewise devoted to showing films in 35mm and 70mm, whether first-run or older titles. The Egyptian in Hollywood is back in operation after Netflix bought the iconic movie palace from the nonprofit American Cinematheque. As part of the deal, the latter still programs the venue during the weekends, while the streamer uses it during the week for its movies and awards events. In Eagle Rock, Vidiots took over the famed Eagle Theatre after losing its longtime Santa Monica location and resumed showing repertory titles and cult faves along with running a video rental operation. “Watching people walk up or bike to the Eagle from the neighborhood tells me everything I need to know, which is that if there had been a theater this whole time, this would have been a thriving film community,” Maggie MacKay, executive director of Vidiots, told The Hollywood Reporter when the theater reopened. “It just got taken away.”