Landmark Theatre Corp

IT'S the center of the filmmaking universe, a high-income slice of town both swollen with industry executives yet far from overflowing with state-of-the-art theaters. Bringing a new multiplex to West Los Angeles should have taken no longer than it takes to crank out another "Saw" sequel, not more than a decade. But sometimes exhibition moves at the same glacial pace as Westside traffic.

SOME guys daydream about playing center field for the Dodgers. Others wish they had as much luck with women as Antonio Villaraigosa. But when I'm in my car, trapped in the Westside's endless rush hour traffic, all I can fantasize about is how good life would be if there were more great movie theaters on my side of town.

The jazz-age Rialto Theater in South Pasadena, one of the few remaining single-screen cinemas in Southern California, will roll its last film Aug. 19. The operator, Landmark Theatres, has run out of patience with the money-losing movie palace built in the 1920s. But plans are in the works for a major real estate project surrounding the theater on Fair Oaks Avenue, and the theater may come back to life as part of the new development.

The Westside Pavilion, a West Los Angeles mall that has struggled to attract shoppers after previous remakes, is being made over again -- this time by adding the nation's biggest art-house theater complex. Owner Macerich Co. said it hoped that a $30-million renovation, converting former shops and a garden into theaters and restaurants, would revive the mall's western addition at Pico and Westwood boulevards. The addition has performed poorly much of the time since it opened to fanfare in 1991.

Sony Electronics Inc. and Landmark Theatre Corp. announced a deal to equip all of the art house chain's 59 theaters with high-definition digital projectors. Landmark, which operates art house cinemas in 22 markets, is a subsidiary of 2929 Entertainment, owned by Dallas billionaire Mark Cuban and partner Todd Wagner. Terms weren't announced.

Advertising in movie theaters: As a sore point among filmgoers, it's up there with high-priced concessions and formulaic fare. Yet Landmark Theatres, a leading art-house circuit, is braving the critics by signing a deal with a carmaker for a series of projects it bills as "sponsored entertainment." Landmark has contracted with the Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury division to sponsor a series of projects and events related to independent film over a two-year period.

The Landmark Theatre at the Westside Pavilion needs cosmetic surgery -- the seats are old, the floor is sloped and the bathrooms are tiny. If all goes according to plan, however, it will soon get more than a makeover -- there will be 14 screens, stadium seating, restaurants, a bar and 2,000 additional parking spaces. And at 50,000 square feet, it will become the nation's largest multiplex solely dedicated to specialized film.

Landmark Theaters Inc., the nation's largest independent movie theater chain, cut a deal Thursday to install a digital movie projection system based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows software in its 53 theaters nationwide. The win is a modest one for Microsoft, which has yet to persuade mainstream theater chains to adopt its technology. Part of the problem is that its Windows Media 9 software does not offer the film resolution needed to project crystal-clear images on large screens.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and a business partner are buying Landmark Theatres' 55 art-house theaters nationwide, sources close to the sale said Tuesday. Cuban and partner Todd Wagner will own equal shares of the Landmark Theatres chain, which has been for sale since 2001, according to one of the sources, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. The sources also said Wagner would become Landmark's chief executive, but declined to disclose a sale price.

Following the completion of its purchase of Los Angeles-based Landmark Theatres, Dallas-based Silver Cinemas Inc. has named Bert Manzari president of Landmark. Manzari, a 24-year theater executive, was previously senior vice president and head film buyer for the Landmark art house chain. Former Landmark President Steve Gilula recently left the company. Landmark will continue to be based in Los Angeles. It operates 50 theaters in 10 states.