Located on Santa Cruz Avenue in bustling downtown Los Gatos lies the Art-Deco-styled Los Gatos Theater. Remarkably, it has been around since 1915.
The theater, owned by Cinelux, is showing “Misson: Impossible: The Final Reckoning” and “Lilo and Stitch.”
At its inception in the 1910s and 1920s, the theater attracted crowds entranced by the novelty of early motion pictures. When it was first opened, it featured a Wurlitzer organ that accompanied the silent films of the era.
But in its long history, the building has sustained damage at times over the years. For instance, in September 1929, a fire did significant damage and led to a full remodel. Soon after, though, it had to be fully reconstructed again after a bomb exploded inside in 1933. Luckily, nobody was injured — not even the theater manager asleep in his upstairs apartment. Strangely, no suspect was ever caught, and the motive for the attack remains unknown.
In the 1940s and 1950s, bright Art-Deco-style aesthetics like the designs around the billboard were added, with the vertical sign tacked on. In 2011, its owners, the Goetz family, donated the theater to the city, which renovated it for reopening in 2014. Now, it is operated by Cinelux.
On the outside, a neon-lighted marquee shows off the Los Gatos Theater title and letter boards list the current films being played. Upcoming films are posted around the old-style ticketing booth, which is no longer in use.
On the inside, customers go to a main desk where they can purchase tickets and buttery popcorn, among other concessions. Key features of the interior include an old-style cooler with different sodas, a vintage film reel tacked to a wall near the front desk and boards featuring current films surrounding the viewing rooms.
The interior feels unusually homey. While many other modern theaters run by AMC or Cinemark are often auditorium-sized and formal, the Los Gatos Theater offers a prime touch to the movie-watching experience. The theater offers two rooms: one with 265 seats and a smaller screening room with 38 seats. Both are fitted with comfy black reclining chairs.
Like other theaters run by Cinelux, the Los Gatos venue offers cheap tickets on Tuesdays, when they sell for $6 the entire day. Cinelux is locally owned and has theaters in Almaden, Scotts Valley, Campbell, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Capitola and Watsonville.
With offerings that aren’t always the hottest ticket in town, Cinelux theaters tend to attract a smaller audience. During my visit to the theater on a reduced-ticket-Tuesday, only about 10 others were present in the room to watch “The Minecraft Movie.” Nationally, there has been a similar significant decrease in moviegoing, down 46% from 21 years ago, likely attributed to the decline in foot traffic over COVID-19 and the growth in streaming.
While it may not be the popular attraction it once was, this theater from another era is still the perfect place to spend a relaxed summer afternoon with friends and family, watching high-quality entertainment for a low cost.
Overall: 5/5 Falcons
