Los Angeles' Last Family-Owned Theater Is A California Vintage Single-Screen Gem With A Lovely Community Focus

Single-screen cinemas hold a special place in many a cinephile's heart. Folks of a certain generation, before online ticketing was a thing, can fondly remember standing in lines that wrapped around blocks for a chance to see "The Empire Strikes Back" or "Return of the Jedi." But the advent of streaming services and multiplexes has decimated most of these iconic venues, and the remaining ones are often owned by corporations. This is not the case, though, for Gardena Cinema in the diverse suburb of Gardena in greater Los Angeles, where celebrity hotspots abound.

Billed as the last family-owned theatre in Los Angeles (though purists point out that Quentin Tarantino runs the single-screen Vista Theater in Los Feliz), Gardena Cinema is an 800-seat, single-screen time capsule that's been around since 1946 when Pacific Theaters opened it as the Park Theatre. Its survival today is a testament to its current dynamo of an owner, Judy Kim, who worked at the theater growing up and has since thrived in her pivoting role. Her family bought the theater in 1976 from another community-minded family and changed the theater's name to Teatro Variedades, running second-run Spanish films to better serve the community.  The family renamed the theater to Gardena Cinema in 1995 and started screening family-friendly, first-run movies. 

Eventually, Kim left for college, returning when the family struggled. She even went to law school to help navigate their financial and legal woes. Buying a nearby parking lot proved prescient, enabling her to screen drive-in movies during the pandemic. Even with the changes, many things remain the same, earning the theater a culturally significant designation from the LA Conservancy. Inside, the red-velvet draping, carpeted floors, non-reclining seats, and concession neon lights maintain a vintage allure. Kim did upgrade to a digital projector, then once again switched programming from money-losing, first-run films to repertory fare to stay afloat. 

Judy Kim's clarion call for help a couple years ago was rewarded with an army of volunteers who chip in and help sell tickets or organize events. While not totally out of the woods, she pivoted again and set the theater up as a non-profit organization in 2023 to solicit donations, and plans to leave an endowment for the theater's future care. 

To help it thrive, the theater limits screenings to Thursdays through Sundays and keeps a lid on ticket prices to around $12 to $15. Kim curates themed events for the community, such as "Friday the 13^th" double features, pride screenings, panel discussions, and anime features. A recent calendar on the theater's Instagram, which boasts 17,000 followers, showcases classics such as the 1964 satire "Dr. Strangelove," cult B-movies like "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," free screenings of "Grease" and "Ghostbusters" in partnership with Pluto TV, and monthly screeners of short films made by local filmmakers  

Concessions aren't extravagant, but fit the bill with staples such as nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, slushies, candy, and sodas. Studios and celebrities seem to lend a helping hand to Gardena Cinema as well. There are posters for sale for movies like "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" and "Paddington in Peru." Recently, Gardena screened "Anora" to a sold-out crowd and sold an "Anora" T-shirt, a collaboration with the movie's indie distributor, Neon Rated. Last year, comedian Bill Burr performed to a sold-out audience for a benefit concert for the cinema. For more Gardena-area fun, know that this hidden gem for budget beach vacations thanks to its close proximity to the ocean is also home to one of America's legendary fusion eateries that is in a bowling alley.