The SoCal moviegoing experience

Adult moviegoers who arrive at ArcLight Hollywood (6360 Sunset Blvd.) early can go to the upstairs bar and watch with a cold beverage as others wait in lines below.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The Landmark Theatres at Westside Pavilion (10850 West Pico Blvd.) is posh and fun inside, can be difficult to get to -- the parking, while free, can be horrendous. Walk if that’s a viable option.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

The Landmark goes above and beyond in the snack department: gourmet pretzels and breads and candies, many from other countries.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A giant lightbox at ArcLight Sherman Oaks (15301 Ventura Blvd.) promotes “Iron Man,” the highly successful Marvel superhero movie that effectively started this year’s summer movie season.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

ArcLight Sherman Oaks’ lobby bar offers a view of the 405 Freeway.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

The Crest (1262 Westwood Blvd.) in Westwood is a majestic sight with a small-town movie experience: Owner Robert Bucksbaum tears the tickets and pops the popcorn.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

A look inside the lobby of Westwood’s Crest.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Sure, the court in front of Grauman’s Chinese is packed with tourists comparing hand sizes with the cement impressions of Tinseltown legends, but if you go inside you’ll find one of the city’s most opulent movie palaces and a screen with a curtain that they actually go to the trouble of opening and closing.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The ornate interior of the Orpheum on Broadway near 9th Street has been restored to its 1930s glory. The theater, now a concert venue, can also be seen on the Los Angeles Conservancy’s organized tour of the old Broadway movie houses on Saturdays. See www.laconservancy.org  (Alexander Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)