3 days ago
Free Movies All Weekend at a Classic L.A. Theater
Free Movies All Weekend at a Classic L.A. Theater originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
Charmingly shabby and consistently quirky, the Gardena Cinema is one of L.A.'s last independently owned neighborhood theaters. For more than 75 years the hometown cinema has been a portal to dreams tucked between casinos and refineries.
This weekend, the streaming service Pluto TV is taking over the beloved venue and presenting classics of the 1970s and 80s on the big screen for free. This is the only L.A. stop on a national tour that includes other historic venues in Detroit and Chicago.
Sean Baker's Anora swept the Oscars earlier this year and the 54-year-old director is a huge fan of the theater and the force behind the Paramount-owned streamer's 'Free Movie Weekend' campaign there supporting family-run cinemas. Baker personally selected the 800-seat Gardena Cinema as the home base for this year's program. Owner Judy Kim's parents bought the vintage 1946 theater in the 1970s and have cycled through first run, second run, Spanish language, and now a super eclectic slate of revival house and experimental programming ranging from comedy to punk to 3-D. The staff is mostly volunteers who desperately want the place to survive and do whatever they can to maintain the funk and the magic.
Next week, Pluto is at the Century City Mall with a reworking of an old game show trick where contestants are placed in a box with prized flying all around them. The 'Popcorn Challenge' pits movie lovers against flying kernels of corn awarding prizes to those who gather the most. A ticket at the AMC Century City is priced north of $29, which would get you three large popcorns at the Gardena.
Saturday, June 7 at 2:30pm and 5:00pm (1978) Sing-along version
Saturday, June 7 at 7:30pm and 10:00pm (1977)
Sunday, June 8 at 2:30pm, 5:00pm, and 7:30pm (1984)
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
