Long Beach : Theater Chains Invited to Submit Proposals

Saying there are plenty of Long Beach residents who would flock to a downtown movie theater complex--if one existed--the local Redevelopment Agency is asking major theater operators to submit proposals for an 8- to 14-screen cinema complex. It would be constructed within a redevelopment area bounded by 1st and 3rd streets, Pacific Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard on land that the agency would sell to the operator.

Many of the city’s old theaters have closed or been demolished over the years, leaving a dearth of movie theaters in most parts of Long Beach. The city’s only two major complexes are both located in the southeast corner, on Pacific Coast Highway.

Redevelopment officials say a number of major theater operators are convinced there is a strong local market to support a downtown complex as large as 14 screens. The city has long envisioned theaters as an important piece of the downtown redevelopment picture.