Metropolitan Theatres (Los Angeles)

Metropolitan Theatres
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1923 (1923)
FounderJoseph Corwin
FateFiled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024
Headquarters
Los Angeles
,
United States
Area served
Southern California
Loveland and Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Park City, Utah
Key people
David Corwin (CEO)
ServicesMovie theater
OwnerCorwin family
Websitewww.metrotheatres.com

Metropolitan Theatres is Los Angeles's oldest movie theater chain.[1] Opened in 1923, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024, at which point they owned 15 theaters: ten in southern California (including seven out of eight in Santa Barbara), three in Colorado, and two in Utah.[2][3]

History

Metropolitan Theatres was founded by Joseph Corwin in 1923.[2] At the time, the Corwin family operated almost every movie theater in downtown Los Angeles's Broadway Theater District, the city's premiere theater venue until Hollywood was built up in the 1920s and 30s.[1][4][5]

In the 1950s, Metropolitan Theatres expanded into Santa Barbara.[3] In the 1970s, they shifted to blaxploitation films in their downtown Los Angeles theaters, and in the 1980s, those same theaters shifted again, to Spanish language cinema. The company at one point had more than 1000 employees.[1]

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024. Chief Executive Officer David Corwin blamed the bankruptcy on the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said was "devastating to the business," as well as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and increased labor, rent, and utilities expenses.[1]

List of theatres

Notable theaters that have been either owned or operated by Metropolitan Theatres include:

Greater Los Angeles

Broadway Theater District

Los Angeles Theatre, Los Angeles

Other

El Portal Theatre, North Hollywood

Elsewhere in California

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Nichols, Chris (March 13, 2024). "L.A.'s Oldest Theater Chain Files for Bankruptcy". Los Angeles.
  2. 1 2 "Metropolitan Theatres files Chapter 11 to renegotiate cinema leases". The Real Deal. March 6, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Welsh, Nick (March 5, 2024). "Metropolitan Theatres Declares Bankruptcy". Santa Barbara Independent.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "California SP Broadway Theater and Commercial District". National Park Service. May 9, 1979.
  5. ↑ "Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District". National Park Service. April 4, 1985.
  6. 1 2 "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1925 +)". Water and Power Associates. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. p. 4. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Gabel, William. "Movie Theaters Previously Operated by Metropolitan Theatres". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Early Views of Santa Monica". Water and Power Associates. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  10. ↑ Michelson, Alan. "Bard's 8th Street Theatre, Los Angeles, CA". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Olympic Theatre". downtownla.com. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Early Los Angeles City Views (1925 +)". Water and Power Associates. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
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