Sherman Oaks : 5-Screen Movie House Joins Sister 2-Plex

General Cinema’s Sherman Oaks Cinema at Van Buys Boulevard south of Milbank Street reopened Friday, marketing director Bob Artz said.

The new five-theater complex replaces a three-plex that was irreparably damaged in the Northridge earthquake and had to be torn down. The two-screen sister complex on the north side of Milbank gives the Sherman Oaks location a total of seven screens.

“It’s a really nice location,” Artz said. “It’s nice for the community; it’s nice for us.”

The interior of the complex is unusually colorful, he said. The lobby lights give a pale blue, hazy effect resembling a sky and the carpeting has a purple, blue, orange and red bold abstract pattern.

Four of the five new theaters are “200-seaters plus some change,” Artz said, and they have so-called stadium balconies--balconies with enough of an angle so that everyone can see.

The fifth venue has no balcony and seats 170. This theater will house art house films or commercial movies that are late in their run.

But, Artz said, “The smaller theater isn’t earmarked for any one type of film.” It will also be used for morning trade screenings.

On the seven screens, viewers should expect a mix of family, action, drama, avant-garde and comedy offerings.

In addition to standard concession fare, the theater expects to carry Starbucks coffee within two weeks.

“We want this to feel like the community’s cinema,” Artz said.

And the most important amenity?

“We have cup-holder armrests too,” Artz noted. “Let us not forget the cup-holder armrests.”