Cinerama Theater

Cinerama Theater An online monument to the great Cinerama theater on University Avenue, in San Diego. The Cinerama Theater was opened on November 20, 1962.

It was designed by Richard George Wheeler and was one of the best examples of the Modern style in movie theater construction. Originally built and run by Gordon and Lockwood to play 3-strip Cinerama films like THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM and HOW THE WEST WAS WON, it was eventually bought by Pacific Theaters in early 1966 and become one of its great first run house in Southern California. After serving the community for over 25 years, the Cinerama was closed and demolished.

05/25/2019

Footage from the release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, 39 years ago at the Cinerama.

From footage shot by the City of San Diego in 1973. As far as I know, this is the only surviving image of the Cinerama m...
01/29/2019

From footage shot by the City of San Diego in 1973. As far as I know, this is the only surviving image of the Cinerama marquee.

The opening ad for David Lean's DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. It opened on March 31, 1966 and ran for 46 weeks until February 14, 1967...
10/06/2017

The opening ad for David Lean's DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. It opened on March 31, 1966 and ran for 46 weeks until February 14, 1967 when it was replaced with HAWAII- whose opening was delayed several weeks because people kept showing up for ZHIVAGO.

This was just the first run of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO at the Cinerama, it would return many times and play at engagement after engagement at most of the other theatres in San Diego.

Zabriske Point ad from the San Diego Union March 27, 1970.
05/25/2017

Zabriske Point ad from the San Diego Union March 27, 1970.

Ad for the first run of Milos Forman's masterpiece, AMADEUS, from December 1984. The Cinerama would host a number of eng...
06/02/2015

Ad for the first run of Milos Forman's masterpiece, AMADEUS, from December 1984. The Cinerama would host a number of engagements of AMADEUS- usually when some other picture would fail to bring audiences to the theater it would finish off the last few weeks of a run. And do it in 70mm!

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in 70mm at the Cinerama. 21 May 1980.
05/22/2015

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in 70mm at the Cinerama. 21 May 1980.

November 20, 1962
05/19/2015

November 20, 1962

05/19/2015
01/14/2012

Abrams, HaroldAin, GregoryAlexander, Robert E.Antelline, Jon P.Batter-Kay AssociatesBeckett, WeltonBenedict, Hiram HudsonBonini, VincentBrownell, J. HerbertBuff, Straub and HensmanCampbell, DonaldCody, William F.Crane, LochDavis, Ronald K...

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5889 University Avenue
San Diego, CA
92115

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