The Highland Theaters, a nearly 100-year-old movie theater in Highland Park has closed its doors.
As KNX News' Margaret Carrero reports, Dan Akarakian, whose family has operated the theater since 1975, said there were just too many hurdles, one after the other, as of late that led to the closure.
A year-long+ pandemic closure, contending with streaming and more modern theaters, not to mention fewer movies coming out compared to pre-pandemic, Akarakian said the theater with only three screens was losing money every week.
[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1709594086119!5m2!1sen!2sus!6m8!1m7!1sCuLOfwdR3SGwBCPRBK_h9w!2m2!1d34.10910961985959!2d-118.1936880581692!3f157.3385184849936!4f-4.484510586462733!5f0.7820865974627469 allowfullscreen="" height="450" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="border:0" width="600"]Film critic and journalist Scott Mantz says, "The smaller theaters don't have a bigger cash pool. They don't have the kind of reserves to weather the storms, and we've had quite a few storms in recent years."
Mantz says if there is a future for smaller theaters, it will take time and a shift in consumer habits. "But in order to do that," he said, "you have to have the product, there have to be movies to see, and because now we're facing this other problem that movies were pushed back because of the strikes - that's not going to happen fast enough."
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The Highland Theater building was purchased last year, but plans for its future are still unknown.
KNX News
One local is hoping whatever happens, the location will not be turned into a chain restaurant and will instead be used to maintain a part of Highland Park's heritage.
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