This past week, I ran in to a long abandoned bit of multiplex “flair”; the booth viewing window. Back in the mid to late 80’s, many multiplexes were equipped with a small to medium sized window that allowed customers a view of the “inner workings” of the theatre’s projection booth. This feature was almost exclusively tied in with the second floor balcony/restroom design, that was commonplace during the era. More often than not, the view was somewhat limited and confined to a single projector, but it offered customers a peek at an area that was otherwise off limits and somewhat mysterious to your average movie-goer.
These windows quietly disappeared by the time mega-plexes arrived on the scene; excluded from new builds and existing installations often walled over. In Orange County, I believe the only intact examples are at Edwards’ University 6 and Tustin Marketplace 6 (pictured above). In a time when many chains are looking towards retro styling and amenities, one wonders if someone might bring back this long forgotten public relations feature.
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