Editor:
Neighbors in Laguna are upset and disappointed that the Laguna Cinema has closed-down. I am as well, but I also know that these closures are happening across the world as big multi-plexes in malls pull customers away from neighborhood theatres. This profit-motivated change is tragically sad. Where will I take my grandchildren on a Saturday to see the latest Pixar film? Will I have to fight a half-hour or more of traffic to get to Newport or Aliso Viejo? Has the theatre gone, just like Bill Thomas’ camera store, the nurseries, and other local services? Probably.
I’ll miss those times Barbara and I strolled downtown on a Sunday night and impulsively bought a ticket to sneak in to watch the second half of a new blockbuster. Of course, the seats were uncomfortable, the projection and sound was C+ at best, and the ambiance – well, what ambiance? But, the staff was welcoming and friendly – a down-home local Laguna experience. We’ll all miss that.
Of course, the Laguna cinema has been losing money for decades. Edwards couldn’t profit so they bailed-out back in 2001. The owner, a wonderful Lagunatic, has tried her best. Regency helped out, but the times were changing against them, so they had to throw in the towel, as well.
If only there were a way to keep the cinema alive in Laguna. In future years, it may take even longer to drive to the mall cinemas around us. Is a 45-minute drive worth the film experience? Will the family, neighborhood, locally-run cinema we all have loved die away completely? I hope not. I love Laguna as it’s been, and I hate that we’re losing our local services, our trees, and our focus on being an artist’s community.
Greg MacGillivray Laguna Beach
The author is filmmaker of IMAX theatre educational documentaries.
