ArcLight Hollywood

06/19/2008 Posted by chefstar

From first visit, you will fall in love with the Arclight Cinemas. You park close to the theaters in the well lit, comfortable garage. Quick elevator ride to the lobby level and you are on your way to the theaters. You could already have your "RESERVED" seats tickets purchased online. You can use one of the many kiosks outside on the wall or you can walk in and buy your tickets from a real person not hidden behind 7 inches of glass. But, wait. Once you walk into the lobby - do you want a drink or dinner? That is off to the right at their full bar and restaurant. Or, do you have time to wander through the very entertaining and well stocked gift shop/bookstore. Okay. You finally got your tickets now you have a few moments to wander around. Take a look at the latest art exhibit along the walls. Time for the movie? Pick up popcorn with real butter. A Smoked Apple Chicken Sausage instead of a boring hot dog and you are all set. No irritating commercials. Perfect sound. Perfect picture. A true winner!

Pros: The whole experience. Love the place.

Cons: Would love to see the rest of the storefronts full of things to see and do nearby.

05/16/2008 Posted by evywang

I don't go here on a regular basis because of how expensive tickets are, but this is the place to go if you want your movie outing to be more special than usual. Beautiful decor, cool displays once in a while (e.g. actual costumes from movies), interesting photographs adorning the walls, and fantastic gourmet popcorn. They have a great selection of movies but plan ahead - there's a limited amount of showings and the times are pretty spread out. I like having our seats picked out beforehand so there's no hassle of finding seats once we get there, but we're always careful to get there early since there are no previews and they don't let people in after the movie starts.

Pros: Ambience; service (all the employees are ridiculously nice)

Cons: Can't be late

02/10/2008 Posted by spelt

Plan ahead when you want to see a film at the Arc light! This theater is only 4 miles from my home, but if I don't know by 5 pm which movie I want to see I don't even bother. Tickets for many mid evening shows are often sold out (or you are sitting directly in front of the screen) hours before the show time. If you do get a ticket, good luck parking. STESSFUL!!! As mentioned in other reviews, they will not seat you past a certain time. It can take up to 20 minutes to get into the parking structure and find a spot! No kidding! Leaving the structure can take time too. That said, all of the positive reviews about the theater itself are ABSOLUTELY TRUE! The employees here are the best! I don't know how they find so many cool, friendly, even funny people to work at a movie theater. The screens and audio set up are the best. I saw Sweeny Todd there and am convinced that the theater made the movie even better. So, go to the Arc light, but plan ahead a bit, or see an early movie.

Pros: Audio Visual is great...service great

Cons: Parking situation is a nightmare

01/16/2008 Posted by denthx87

went on a date there. very little kids presence. staff was nice. really clean and cool look to it. loved it. prices a little high but i wasn't paying so that was cool.

12/31/2007 Posted by losfelizboy

It is official. I can't see a movie anywhere else now. Nowhere in the city can you get a "civilized "movie-going experience like you can at Arclight Hollywood. I went to the Grove and Chinese 6 recently to see films that weren't screening at Arclight and the experience there was horrid -- patrons either wouldn't stop talking, they'd keep getting up and down during the "slow parts" of the film and at the Chinese 6 there was almost an altercation because one patron told another to "shhhh" and the offender shouted back "no body tells me what to do" until security finally came in to remove the offender. The Grove bathrooms, while nice are one big P*ss Fest during weekends -- it is just gross in there -- the staff can't mop and wipe fast enough. 99.99% of the time my experience at Arclight is great --- the patrons are more respectful of each other, there are NO frigggin commercials(and no lame Coke Film Quizzes), the seats are comfy -- reserved seats are the best thing ever, the sound and picture top notch. Even my favorite old school neighborhood theatre, the Vista -- which I love -- can't compete -- the Arclight Hollywood brings out a more "educated" crowd (in general, not always) than most places and I think with that comes a bit more respect for your fellow movie-goers that I'm finding doesn't happen at other theatres. It is more akin to going to a play in some respects. I ran into parking issues during the AFI Fest - the garage was full much earlier than normal-- I just circled around and parked at the shopping center across the street (Borders). As for other negative comments regarding parking -- hey that's life in LA -- you got a show to go to leave early to get parking, you come late, don't be surprized there's no room. Also -- the garage is run by the city of LA, not Arclight (Pacific Theatres).

Pros: Reserved Seating, Best Sound and Picture, Civilized Patrons

Cons: Garage can get full on weekends -- just come early!

10/19/2007 Posted by weeno

REASON 1: I spent 1 hour driving to Arclight from the West Side, only to be greeted by “LOT FULL” sign. REASON 2: As a result of not being able to park in the theater lot, I had to drive 2 blocks away in Friday traffic to park in an expensive valet lot. REASON 3: The 2-block drive in Friday traffic, and the walk (run) back to the theater, added 10+ minutes to my travel. And though I bought my tickets in advance to ensure I’d have a seat, I was refused entry because I got to there after the previews started – due to the fact that Pacific's lot can’t accommodate all of its customers and I had to park 2 blks away. Though Pacific claims to care about its “customer experience”, which its staff repeatedly uttered like automatons in attempting to explain why I (and the other frustrated guests at my side) weren’t going to be let into the movie, it’s clear that Pacific actually only cares about the experience of a portion of their customers – namely, those lucky enough to park in its structure and get to their seats before the cut off. Ironically, while I was arguing with the usher abt the rationale of the hair-brained policy of selling reserved seats at a premium, but putting roadblocks up to actually sitting in them, there were DOZENS of customers on the other side of the rope, standing in the concession line, all of whom were able to go back into the same theater to which I was refused entry – and long after I would’ve been in my seat had I been permitted to pass the rope. Besides these folks, need I even raise the issue of the fact that ANY customer can get up and back to their seats during the show as often as they want and without any restriction? This policy gives me – and the DOZENS of others who were in line behind me seeking refunds for the same reason -- another reason to stay at home, where I can have movies delivered to my door and where I can watch them from my oversized couch and on my oversized tv.

Pros: great seats -- if you're allowed to sit in them

Cons: you can't get to your reserved seat if you get to the theater late -- even if it's the theater's fault b/c you had to park far away due to its lot being full

07/09/2007 Posted by gychii

Movie theatres in Hollywood have gotten pretty good recently and the Arclight is one of the best. It doesn't have the greatest decor nor does it have the fastest service (check out my other reviews for recommendations there) but it is special because of the fact that it has reserved seating via online reservations. The rewards program is pretty good too for frequent moviegoers. The parking deck lines up on the way out at the pay booths, but parking is a generic problem one way or another with all the Hollywood theatres. The Arclight Dome is a must choice if you're only going to go once, tourist-like. All the seats are good, even the front row, which sits back quite a ways from the screen. Plan on lines at the concession stand though, so give yourself time, even if you're just going to any of the basic theatres, not just the Dome. They often have movie set/costume pieces for big blockbuster showings, so that's interesting. Overall, I like this place and make it a regular destination when I choose to go to movies.

Pros: No annoying commercials before the movie.

Cons: Long concession lines.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/30/2007 Posted by beckynmoses

For as much as I pay to see a film at Arclight ($14 on Fridays) I expect to watch my film in a pristine setting. I pay this much because I am serious about the film I am about to watch. Unfortunately, Arclight staff are either unwilling or unable to provide me with the "luxury experience" they promise. I went to a showing of BU G last Friday night where phones were ringing, people were talking at full volume, and babies were crying ( why are infants even allowed in an 11 PM screening of a horror film on a Friday night????). I even went so far as to miss a large section of the film while I tracked down several ushers and then BEGGED them to come in and shush some of the talkers. That helped for exactly five minutes before the people went right back to their loud conversations. The ushers never bothered to check in again. This was only one of many bad experiences I have had at Arclight. If I want to be around rude people, I'll visit my local AMC. But when I visit the most high tech, luxury theater in Los Angeles (possibly in the country) I expect to be able to enjoy my film in a suitable environment. Arclight needs to find a way to deal with these problems. A simple request for quiet at the beginning of the movie is not enough. Ushers need to be in the theaters, handling the talkers IMMEDIATLY. And unless it's a kiddie film, they need to follow the example of most other high priced theaters in the country, and ban infants.

Pros: Reserved Seating, Pristine Prints, Great Sound

Cons: For this price, it should be SILENT in there. Or at least quiet.

05/03/2007 Posted by keziah

Arclight is probably one of best movie theaters in LA. The movie sound quality was crisp clear and no bumps on the screen... (God, I hate those bumps on the movie screen! They look like gigantic pimples and can totally ruin the movie experiences) The staffs were polite and helpful. The Cafe serves good food. (Bf and I had 2 main dishes and one appetizer costed about $36) Lobby has a nice design. Restroom is clean and has cool faucets... anyway, It's a pleasant place to be at Wednesday night... The ticket was $11 per person so it's not bad at all. I was very happy with my bf who took me there...

04/07/2007 Posted by francola

Three things really distinguish this place -- no commercials in front of your movie, assigned seating, good projection and sound quality. There is also a high staff to customer ratio. The cons are if you want to just walk up, you often don't seat where you want to. The best way to enjoy this place is to buy your seat on line in advance, so you can select your own seat.

Pros: Great movies, good sound, assigned seats

Cons: doesn't lend itself to a spontaneous evening