As Los Angeles slowly reopens, Arena Cinelounge Sunset in Hollywood is stepping forward to be the first physical theater in the city to open its doors since the start of the coronavirus lockdown. The arthouse theater will reopen on June 19 with special engagements of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Babyteeth.
Arena Cinelounge is set to reopen and will be in full compliance with public health protocols. They will take important safety precautions such as a new air purification system, seat disinfecting between screenings, socially distanced seating and concessions specially packaged for contactless delivery.
In addition, owner Christian Meoli has created distinctive gourmet popcorn in nine flavors, each dedicated to a specific movie including: Natural Corn Killers, APOPalypse Now, Popcorn of the Living Dead and Once Upon a Time in Popcorn.
“As an independent theater owner, I’ve had to be creative about the survival and expansion of my business,” said Arena Cinelounge owner Christian Meoli. “I’ve taken my love and curation of new films, and directed that energy to a true gourmet cinematic experience with an exemplary signature line of gourmet popcorn blends all non-GMO, Vegan, dairy and nut-free. We’re now even selling the popcorn successfully online.”
Arena Cinelounge was founded in 2012 and became a destination for arthouse, genre and indie film. The theater will kick-off its reopening with a 4K restoration of Philip Kaufman’s classic romantic drama The Unbearable Lightness of Being starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche. In addition, the theater will also debut the Shannon Murphy-directed dramedy Babyteeth starring Ben Mendelsohn and Eliza Scanlen. Both special engagements will run June 19-25.