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    Back to Which Way, L.A.?

    Which Way, L.A.?

    Is It Curtains for Movie Theaters?

    Is it "curtains" for neighborhood movie houses? Theater operators have gone into debt to build glitzy mega-plexes with plush stadium seating, digital sound, and gourmet concession stands. Supporters claim that mega-plexes benefit a fragmented audience, affording a combination of mainstream and specialty films. But in an age of cultural globalization, critics foresee shrinking choices. Will mega-plexes afford more supply for viewers' demand, or will they bring the decline of film culture? We ask those who make and distribute the movies. Newsmaker: Business Riders of the (Electrical) Storm - Despite power alerts and rolling blackouts, California is surprising resistant to "electricity shock." Mitchell Benson, of the Wall Street Journal, says that a temperate climate and shifting work to off-peak hours have made the situation tolerable. What's more troubling is the unpredictability of blackouts.

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    By Warren Olney • Feb 9, 2001 • 1 min read

    Is it "curtains" for neighborhood movie houses? Theater operators have gone into debt to build glitzy mega-plexes with plush stadium seating, digital sound, and gourmet concession stands. Supporters claim that mega-plexes benefit a fragmented audience, affording a combination of mainstream and specialty films. But in an age of cultural globalization, critics foresee shrinking choices. Will mega-plexes afford more supply for viewers' demand, or will they bring the decline of film culture? We ask those who make and distribute the movies.

    • Newsmaker:

      Business Riders of the (Electrical) Storm - Despite power alerts and rolling blackouts, California is surprising resistant to "electricity shock." Mitchell Benson, of the

      Wall Street Journal, says that a temperate climate and shifting work to off-peak hours have made the situation tolerable. What's more troubling is the unpredictability of blackouts.

    Wall Street Journal

    AMC Cinemas

    Sony Pictures Classics

    University of Illinois

    General Cinema Theaters

    Sarasota Film Society

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

      News
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