Metropolitan Theatres is Los Angeles's oldest movie theater chain. 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.
History Metropolitan Theatres was founded by Joseph Corwin in 1923. 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.
In the 1950s, Metropolitan Theatres expanded into Santa Barbara. 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.
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.
List of theatres Notable theaters that have been either owned or operated by Metropolitan Theatres include:
Greater Los Angeles Broadway Theater District
Los Angeles Orpheum State Tower Palace Arcade Roxie Rialto Globe United Artists Cameo Broadway
Other
El Miro, Santa Monica El Portal, North Hollywood Frida Cinema, Santa Ana Olympic, downtown Los Angeles Warrens, downtown Los Angeles The Westlake, Westlake WGA, Beverly Hills
Elsewhere in California Arlington, Santa Barbara Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara Orpheum, San Francisco
References