Twenty four years ago today, United Artists opened the Buena Park 8, in the lower level of the, then highly popular, Buena Park Mall. Long since closed and gutted, this venue had a brief “hot” run, but quickly fell victim to the fragile dynamics of mall life cycles. By the mid 90’s the Buena Park Mall was a virtual ghost town and area joke. The mall would receive a substantial remodel, circa 2002; the former UA 8 site being taken over by a Burlington Coat Factory (which also closed in short order), and an impressive eighteen screen “flagship” cinema would be constructed, by Krikorian Theatres, where JC Penny’s once stood (roughly fifty yards from the old UA site). However, the remodeled mall, and most would argue the new cinema, have yet to recapture a substantial piece of the area market. These days, the mall is better known for hosting failed businesses and the Krikorian Metroplex 18 for being “that nice theatre in a crappy mall”; the United Artists 8 is little more than a hazy memory for most.
About my only memory of the old UA is the “pass relationship” the venue had with my first management post, the AMC Fullerton 10. Prior to the mega-plex boom of the late 90’s, many competing theatre chains had an unofficial arrangement, where in employees were permitted to watch movies for free at each other’s cinemas. A different time and attitude, there was a general feeling of being in an extended family of sorts; there was even a sense of pride in showing your theatre off to the employees of another. The only exception, in Orange County, was Edwards theatres, which operated as somewhat of a hostile cousin (perhaps grumpy old uncle) to the likes of AMC, Century, United Artists, and SoCal Cinemas. Where in most chains recognized an “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine” agreement, Edwards always went out of their way to make competitors feel unwelcome.
Sadly, this arrangement, not to mention the spirit behind it, was one of the many “mega-plex era” casualties. With an expansion explosion came an increased sense of competition and some stressed relationships between exhibitors. In short order, the extended family was in the midst of a cold war and the pass agreement was unceremoniously ended. Even today, long after the mega-plex boom turned in to a bust, you would likely hear a sarcastic chuckle, followed by the hum of a dial tone, if you were to enquire about passes with a competitor. But, there was a time when such a call would result in a friendly conversation.
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Having once been a theatre manager in San Diego, Orange, and LA Counties, I too remember trading passes between chains and the friendly spirit you speak of. Periodically, one chain or another would put the kibosh on passes with competitors (particularly if the practice was being abused, or if say employees from chain A left their beer cans in the managers office of a theatre in chain B after a late night test screening , or when there was a court battle over booking clearances, etc.), but I usually encouraged it. In 1990 or 1991, the GM of AMC MainPlace (a real showcase in its day) gave my assistant managers and I a complete tour of that theatre’s projection booth, a common practice then. By the way, I hung out at UA Buena Park all the time back in the day.