As wildfires rage in Los Angeles, residents find a temporary escape in movie theaters, seeking solace and distraction from the devastating events. Despite the dangers and disruptions, AMC Century City and other Los Angeles theaters remain popular destinations, offering a safe haven and a reprieve from the crisis.
Like many Angelenos, Cheyenne Shannon’s routine was disrupted by the devastating Palisades Fire that broke out on January 7, followed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Shannon, a talent agent residing in Culver City, has never experienced an evacuation but is well aware of the numerous individuals who have been temporarily or permanently displaced. The unfolding disaster reopened wounds from the pandemic and triggered anxieties about being confined indoors once again.
For thousands in the entertainment industry, like Shannon, it also reignited fears that more productions would relocate from Los Angeles permanently. Shannon's coping mechanism involved seeking refuge in movies as much as possible. She attended three films during the week of the fires, culminating with Brady Corbet's acclaimed drama starring Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor and architect tasked with designing a community area for a wealthy patron. I met with Shannon during the film's intermission at AMC Century City 15. 'It's been a truly sad week,' she shared. 'Coming to the movies is a way to escape everything and get absorbed in a different story, while still leaving feeling somewhat triumphant.' Shannon wasn't alone in using movie theaters to distance herself from the relentless stream of negative news and the constant urge to doomscroll. This weekend, no one complained about the need to silence their phones. AMC's Century City location, situated within the upscale Westfield mall, surprisingly remained among the top-grossing theaters in the country during the January 10-12 weekend, despite its proximity to the Palisades Fire and surrounding neighborhoods under evacuation orders or warnings. Furthermore, Los Angeles was well-represented among the nation's top five-grossing theaters. AMC Lincoln Square in New York City topped the list with $227,000, followed by Century City ($221,000), AMC Burbank 16 ($178,000), AMC The Grove 14 ($145,000), and AMC Disney Springs 24 in Orlando ($142,000), according to studio sources with access to proprietary data. Business on January 10th was particularly robust due to school closures. In a testament to the enduring significance of movie theaters to a community, the decades-old Bay Theater in the Palisades emerged as one of the few structures to survive (it is not currently operational). It's part of a small mall owned and operated by mega-developer Rick Caruso, who employed private crews to protect the commercial property, which includes newer buildings purportedly constructed with fire-retardant materials. 'Los Angeles-area movie theaters that were able to remain open provided a sanctuary of sorts for patrons seeking respite or a temporary escape from the devastating fires occurring in real time in the region,' noted Paul Dergarabedian, chief analyst at Comscore. Another advantage: many theaters have sophisticated air-filtration systems installed during the pandemic era, a significant draw considering the hazardous air quality caused by the fires. It's important to note that the Greater Los Angeles moviegoing market wasn't entirely unaffected. Although usually the top market in the country, it slipped to second place over the January 10-12 weekend, trailing only New York. Several key theaters were significantly impacted due to heavy smoke and proximity to the fires: ticket sales plummeted 51 percent at Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk and dropped 37 percent at AMC The Americana at Brand 18, near Altadena. Furthermore, the former ArcLight at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, which bordered an evacuation zone as the fire spread, became a ghost town (business has never been the same since Regal took over, sources say). AMC Century City remained a top contender, ranking second only to New York City's AMC Lincoln Square as the nation's highest-grossing cinema despite the fires raging just miles away. One 10-year-old remarked about his outing: 'There was really nothing else to do, so my mom said, 'Why don't we take them to see a movie?' The fires, which have displaced thousands, arrive at a critical juncture for the box office, which requires a strong performance this year after a decline in 2023. With Los Angeles being the premier moviegoing market, studios and theater owners are hopeful that the escape provided by a trip to the movies - which still costs considerably less than other forms of entertainment - will continue as the city embarks on a lengthy and challenging recovery. By mid-afternoon on January 11th, the view from the plaza outside AMC Century City served as a stark reminder of the impending Palisades Fire and its relentless advance on multiple fronts. While the sky directly above the mall remained blue, the imposing wall of smoke extending over the hills to the north was undeniably unsettling
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