Film: The New Beverly Cinema

In the mood for a double feature? For more than thirty years the New Beverly Cinema has been running months- and years-old movies for appreciative crowds. Drawing on LA’s understandably large cinema community, the theater books it’s entire calendar based on requests. Showing fifteen double features a month, there are usually three or four showings of each movie over a two-day engagement. Films range from recent independents to decades-old classics.

The New Beverly generally runs three new double bills every week. It is a fully independent theatre and is not part of a larger chain. All films are presented in 35mm with Dolby stereo when applicable. Like any commercial theatrical venue, the New Beverly rents the prints it plays from the major and independent studios and distributors (Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros., Miramax, Rialto, Kino, etc.). Fewer titles are available than in the heyday of revival theatres, but the prints in circulation have generally been of excellent quality, especially in the last few years. Because the New Beverly is still a “change-over” house that does not utilize film platters, it often exhibits archival or new prints.

The Beverly is the only revival art house that survived the saturation of similar theaters in the 1970s. For years, the Beverly was a – what else? – a gay porno house. This is the L.A. theater for people who truly love movies. While it’s not the cleanest inside (and it could use some new marquee letters outside), the theater books many films on a thematic basis.

From CitySearch:

The New Beverly enjoys such a cult following because of its clever double bills. Ever wanted to see “The Seven Samurai” paired with “The Magnificent Seven”? How about “Eraserhead” and “The Elephant Man?” “The 400 Blows” and “Jules and Jim?” You can get it here.

Ticket prices are $7 for the double feature and the concessions are cheap. $1.50 gets you a bottle water or $1.50 for a frozen Snickers bar. If you want to do dinner and a movie…

The El Coyote restaurant is located about 1/4 mile West of the Beverly. For a good evening, go to the restaurant around 6:00 (before the Beverly program begins at 7:30). A trip to El Coyote is enough to make you change your religion as well as political affiliation! The interior looks as though several countries engaged in civil war – and everybody lost! The combination plates look as though someone held up a dish, and the cook threw the food onto the plate with a shovel! Sharon Tate and friends ate at El Coyote on the evening of their murders, and many customers are “actors” who talk loudly about their craft but work graveyards at Denny’s. An evening at El Coyote and the Beverly will give you cocktail-party conversation for years!

Tonight and tomorrow they are playing, “An Inconvenient Truth” at 7:30, and “Who Killed the Electric Car?” at 9:30.

October 22-23 they are running “The Godfather” parts 1 and 2 back to back. That makes me happy.

New Beverly Cinema
7165 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90036
(323) 938-4038
$7.00/$6.00 Students/$4.00 Seniors & Children