There was a story on NPR today about the evolution of the term blockbuster from simply meaning a movie that’s very successful to meaning a particular type of movie (the overblown summer action flick). It got me thinking about the increased number of movie theaters in the area, and then is it really that big an increase, or is it just in line with population growth?
Then I realized: nearly every movie theater I’ve been to in the past couple of years, I remember being new. And all the ones I remember going to as a kid are gone or, if they’re lucky, converted into art house cinema.
- AMC Orange Mall? Gone. I think it’s part of the Wal-Mart parking lot now.
- Edwards Town Center? I think the building is still there, but I’m not so sure.
- The Cinedome? Long gone, and whatever replaced it was also recently razed to the ground.
- Those theaters across the street from South Coast Plaza? Finally closed down a few years ago.
- Edwards Woodbridge? Sold off and became a second-run theater.
- Edwards University? Art-house.
- South Coast Village? (Not that I remember going there much, if at all.) Art-house.
In fact, the only one I remember going to regularly that’s still first-run is Edwards Hutton Center, and I have a vague feeling it might have been new at the time. At least, I think it was still there the last time I drove past it. With so many other theaters around, I’m not sure I’ve actually been there since high school.
Big Newport has escaped the encroachment of the new, mainly because it’s, well, the biggest screen this side of the Rockies (according to legend, anyway). And I’ve probably been to University and South Coast Village more often since they became art houses than I did “back in the day.”
Man, I remember seeing ET in that theater. It was my first late-night show.
But, I have to admit, I like the stadium seating and adjustable armests of the new theaters.
Now that I think about it, that was the theater where I first went to a movie with friends instead of my parents. It was Ghostbusters.
I also remember standing in line there with my parents and brother to see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade opening night. We managed to be the second or third group in line, but we forgot to bring folding chairs.
ET reminds me of another theater I completely forgot about, which was about a block away from South Coast Plaza, on the other side of South Coast Village. That’s where I remember seeing ET. I don’t even know if that one’s still around, or if not, how long ago it closed down. I think it was already pretty run-down in the early 1990s, and I couldn’t begin to guess how long ago I last saw a movie there.
But, I have to admit, I like the stadium seating and adjustable armests of the new theaters.
Absolutely! It’s funny how simple nostalgia can make you remember the “bad old days” with fondness. “Back in my day we didn’t have any of these newfangled seats. Cup holders—feh! We had to hold the soda in our lap or put it on the goldurn floor! If we wanted to put our arm around our dates, it hurt! And if a basketball player sat in front of us, you looked at his head for the entire movie! You kids just don’t know how good you have it these days!”