ArcLight Cinemas

ArcLight Cinemas
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryMovie theater
FoundedMarch 22, 2002; 22 years ago (2002-03-22)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DefunctApril 12, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-12)
FatePermanently closed in April 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Number of locations
11 (at the time of closure)
Area served
United States (locations in California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland)
OwnerThe Decurion Corporation
WebsiteArchived official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

ArcLight Cinemas was an American movie theater chain that operated from 2002 to 2021. It was owned by The Decurion Corporation, which was also the parent company of Pacific Theatres. The ArcLight chain opened in 2002 as a single theater, the ArcLight Hollywood in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and later expanded to eleven locations in California, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois.

The chain has been credited for pioneering features such as assigned seating, reclining chairs, and in-house bars and restaurants that were later adopted by major theatre chains. Screenings at the ArcLight were usually introduced by an employee and visitors would not be admitted after the screening had started.[1]

ArcLight Cinemas closed temporarily in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 12, 2021, Pacific Theatres announced that the ArcLight and Pacific Theatres chains would permanently close, citing the lack of a viable path forward after the pandemic. Following the closure, all former ArcLight locations (except the Santa Monica one) were acquired by other theater chains. The Decurion Corporation plans to reopen the former ArcLight Hollywood with the Cinerama Dome in 2025 as the Cinerama Hollywood.

  1. ^ Vary, Adam B. (2021-04-13). "The Closure of Arclight Cinemas Has L.A. Movie Lovers in Mourning — and Asking, Can It Be Saved?". Variety. Retrieved 2023-05-06.