Landmark's Ken Cinema to close its doors March 22

Has it really been 6 years since I stepped in and helped to save the Ken Cinema from the wrecking ball? On Sunday, March 22, Landmark Theatres will officially pull the plug on the Ken citing, "the changing theatrical landscape and challenges to independent exhibition (as) the major contributing factors." To be fair, lackluster bookings and a refusal to spruce up the joint were contributing factors in the venue's decline. This time, alas, there may be no reprieve.

I have reached out to Reading Cinemas and the Digital Gym to see if we can't find a worthy heritor to the single-screen showplace, one that's capable of keeping the doors open and operating in the black for decades to come. Join me in a moment of prayer: Blessed are You, O Mr. Hitchcock, Ruler of the cinematic universe who has sanctified us with this humble neighborhood popcorn temple. May the name Ethan van Thillo be written in heaven as well as on the lease. And leave the booking to Moisés Esparza. Together, they turned a cozy space like the Digital Gym into destination cinema. Imagine what they could do to transform the Ken!

I'll have much more to say next week. Keep everything crossed!