1st movie theater in Inglewood in nearly 30 years opens just in time for 'Barbenheimer' craze

According to Deadline, "Barbie" has already brought in $20 million at the box office from its opening night.

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Saturday, July 22, 2023
Inglewood's 1st movie theater in 30 years opens for 'Barbenheimer'
Inglewood's 1st movie theater in 30 years opens for 'Barbenheimer'The first movie theater to open in Inglewood in nearly three decades is officially open.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- The first movie theater to open in Inglewood in nearly three decades is officially open.

The Cinepolis Luxury Cinema opened its doors with an event on Friday at its location in the Hollywood Park Shopping Center, just as movie fans prepared for a weekend double feature of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."

"It's so nice to have something close to home because we're actually walking distance," said Diahann Johnson. "We drove because we didn't know the circumstances and it's hot, but we will be walking."

Shopping center officials said they sat down with residents beforehand when they began to design the space to figure out what they would like to see in their city.

"Movie theater was really very high on that list of community wants and to be able to sit here today in 2023 and deliver on that promise is incredibly exciting for us," said Jason Gannon, the managing director for SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park.

The highly anticipated "Barbie" film follows the iconic doll as she enters the real world. It stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.

And "Oppenheimer" is director Christopher Nolan's latest flick. It tells the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the project to develop the world's first atomic bomb.

The term "Barbenheimer" comes from fans planning to see both movies on the same day.

According to Deadline, "Barbie" has already brought in $20 million at the box office from its opening night, and "Oppenheimer" $9 million.

As for the new movie theater in Inglewood, the Cinepolis will be a luxury theater with IMAX presentations. Moviegoers can be served dine-in options and alcohol drinks.

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