L.A. Live's Regal Cinemas Opening Early to Host Jackson Film
Ed Fuentes
[Flickr]
In July, fans filled this banner outside Staples Center with signatures and messages for the deceased Michael Jackson.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Scheduled to open in mid-November, L.A. Live's Regal Cinemas will be moving its premiere up a few weeks to host October 27 screenings for the Michael Jackson film "This Is It," which features footage from the singer's final rehearsals at Staples Center.
All 14 screens will show the Jackson picture on day one, but the facility will quickly transition into full operation.
While some Downtowners may plan to attend the MJ screenings, most will just be excited to see the cinemas open. AEG said today that parking plans for the facility have been set, and that four hours of parking in the lot across Olympic will be $5 with a theater validation. That duration can be extended with a second validation from one of L.A. Live's restaurants.
The Regal will join select sites worldwide in premiering the Jackson film at midnight, eastern time (9pm here on the west coast). Tickets for those very first screenings will only be sold on-site at L.A. Live, with 3,000 seats available for purchase at midnight on Sunday, September 27 (limit two per person).
The first 500 to buy a pair of tickets will get special lenticular (sort of like a hologram) tickets printed for Jackson's "This Is It" shows, which had been set to take place in London.
AEG expects demand to be high, and is inviting fans to line up starting Thursday, September 24, at 5pm. Fans must stay in line until tickets go on-sale, with line monitors handing out passes for bathroom trips, food breaks, and for those who need to leave line to catch a show at Staples Center or Club Nokia.
Tickets for other showings, starting at midnight on October 28, will be available online. Full details are available on L.A. Live's website.
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live will host the film's red carpet premiere, also to be held on October 27th.
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Naturallawyer on September 21, 2009, at 09:22PM – #1
Can't wait!
MarkB on September 22, 2009, at 09:40AM – #2
They'll validate your car but what are the odds they'll validate your Metro ticket, or give you a break if you walk?
Alex on September 22, 2009, at 09:53AM – #3
It sucks that one will have to be subjected to LA LIVE (more like LA STILLBORN) to see a movie downtown as Laemmle Grande 4-plex is closing in a month.
Where's the story on that?
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on September 22, 2009, at 11:17AM – #4
Alex: I hadn't heard that... Now that you've mentioned it, though, we'll make sure to have a story.
Oscar on September 22, 2009, at 11:23AM – #5
Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That S U C K S!!! Why are they closing?
I guess going to the movies downtown is over, will have to be Arclight all the time....
No way I'm setting foot on the stupid Regal downtown unles is FREE PARKING!!! (F' em!)
Aaron on September 22, 2009, at 12:22PM – #6
Parking at arclight isn't free, Oscar. You could also take the train. You could even take the train to Regal or (god forbid!) walk.
MarkB, how does one validate a Metro ticket?
And I'm sure the Laemmle is closing because it's a crappy theater in an even worse location. My shoe almost came off because it got stuck to the floor. Good riddance.
Amit on September 22, 2009, at 07:42PM – #7
Well said, Aaron
Susana Benavidez on September 23, 2009, at 11:53AM – #8
I usually walk to the Laemmle for a movie so this will be no different- I'll just walk in the opposite direction. It would be nice if the Laemmle downtown actually showed independent films now that Regal will be showing the blockbusters.
Another thing on walking- my daughters who are only 3 and 4 walk with us from South Park to Spitz or Zip Fusion and never complain. Walking is good for you- another perk of living downtown - no car/gas/parking/insurance expense. :)You could never walk like that in Valley- you'd be roasted! :)
Looking forward to the story on Laemmle.
Robert Banuelos on September 23, 2009, at 05:38PM – #9
i hope Laemmle's isnt closing though its a bit of a dive, i think its one of the best place to see a movie. They usually have the lastest movie, tickets are cheap and so is the food and rarely is it ever sold out or packed and parking is cheap or free(if you can find it). Its one of downtown hidden treasures. I am sure Regal will be nice, but like most things at LA live it will be over priced. And i'll take a move at Laemmles anyday over any other place.
#dtla on September 24, 2009, at 02:09PM – #10
Downtown Independent has $5 tix if you walk, ride you bike or take public transportation... it's clean and nice and has fresh popcorn and BEER/WINE. They're screening the exceptional Bill Withers documentary starting this friday www.downtownindependent.com
JM on September 24, 2009, at 02:51PM – #11
I hate to say it, but Laemmle's and Downtown Independent just aren't very good at showing movies. I've been to each theater just once and, though the films were good, the venues just didn't do it for me. They should shift to showing cult movies (and by cult I don't mean indie movies) if they want to survive. In the meantime, I'll be walking to the new Regal and I look forward to them opening, although I'll skip the MJ doc (MJ saturation if you ask me). Car validation is great. Walking and cycling is better, and maybe they'll even give MarkB a pat on the back...
JM on September 24, 2009, at 02:54PM – #12
PS: for the record, the Bill Withers film looks good and more like this would have tempted me earlier. Unfortunately, in the past, movies would pop up on random days, not for long runs, or I'd miss movies because I didn't know they were playing, so there's a communication issue here too.
Tom on October 19, 2009, at 07:30AM – #13
I agree about riding a bike to the movies--but so far I have not found any bike racks at L.A. Live. Any plans for some to go up soon?