The TCL Chinese Theater has gone down hill
The TCL Chinese Theater (formerly Mann’s, formerly Grauman’s) in Hollywood, does not seem to appreciate what it is. It’s a world-class, historic movie theater with 6 other theaters added (badly designed), but they refer to it as “…the Chinese 6, and the ‘IMAX downstairs.” Sometimes the box office on Hollywood Blvd. is broken. I went to a show just the other day, with ticket in hand, and the man at the door wouldn’t let me in. The manager showed up, complained I was late. NOTE: This showing was not a premiere, spotlight event. It was just a bad movie that is since gone. I said it’s just a movie, and that I paid full price for it…. Finally they let me in. The staff are not nice. In spite of the somewhat recent upgrade to IMAX, the main one, Grauman’s, isn’t being kept up. The sidewalk out front is littered with 100 creepy sidewalk vendors, with a din, sketchy people, mixed with good folks, mulling around…reminds me of BladeRunner, the Skid Row parts near the Bradbury Building downtown. Keep your hand on your wallet. I think management should lobby for a more civilized sidewalk, should respect the Grauman Theater—still has that name on it in front, even though it’s now also called TCL—like the historic premier theater that it is. But they just don’t.