cinelog.org

Yet another anniversary, with Anaheim Hills’ Cinemapolis celebrating twenty years of operation. These days, the theatre is independently owned and known as “Cinema City”, but, back in May of 1989, “Cinemapolis” opened as So Cal Cinemas’ cutting edge flagship venue.

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The first theatre built in the burgeoning Anaheim Hills area, Cinemapolis was an early flag bearer for the rebirth of cinema “showmanship”. Opened at the tail end of the multiplex era, which was defined by generic, “function over experience” cinemas, So Cal’s Cinemapolis offered movie goers something a bit different. Featuring large auditoriums, thematic decor (styled after classic movie palaces So Cal’s Sanborn family had previously operated), high end sound/projection, and unique marketing, the theatre was a daring step forward, during an otherwise bland era of exhibition. The venue’s efforts were such that the cinema industry’s trade group, NATO, recognized Cinemapolis with a string of showmanship awards. Equally notable, the theatre was well known for regularly upgrading with the latest industry technologies and repeatedly winning marketing awards for various film promotions, throughout the 90’s.

 

By the new millennium, Cinemapolis had slipped from being a county frontrunner and was somewhat lost, amidst the onslaught of megaplexes. Changing ownership, the theatre began to fall in to disrepair, under the operation of Galaxy Theatres, and seemed heading towards an unavoidable decline in to obscurity. Fortunately, in 2005, a new operator stepped in, remodeled the venue (including the addition of stadium seating), and re instituted the theatre’s legacy of excellence. In addition to cosmetic and operational upgrades, the re christened “Cinema City” became the first county theatre to feature all digital projection and first to experiment with an exclusively automated box office. While no longer one of the county’s premiere cinema destinations, Cinema City managed to reestablish itself as one of the more unique movie going choices in Orange County.