Laemmle’s Royal Theatre

This place is as good as it gets. Especially for foreign films and independent films. It’s run very professionally with friendly staff. It’s my new favorite theater since they show more art and independent movies then Sundance 5 does.

Didn’t know that this place has been renovated. And looks like it was renovated 2 years ago. That’s really nice because this place doesn’t look like it can afford to pay for a renovation. Maybe the money came from a huge donation from a rich patron. This place as you know shows only independent films or foreign films. Thus it doesn’t have much customers and therefore wouldn’t be able to afford a renovation.
Anyway, the new look is cozy and clean. And staff are nice. The only downside during our visit was that the restroom was messy but it was not filthy.
Parking Recommendations:
On Butler Avenue —
1) City of Los Angeles parking lot; and
2) Bank of America lot during off hours. And that’s free. Shhhh…
Enjoy the show!

I’ve been here a couple of times… To see Slingshot the documentary, Pride and Prejudice with Marsha Hunt and I think that’s it. Both had Q&A too. Small theatre, but comfy seats. They have great popcorn here. I think they already make it with the salt and I had butter added. Street parking only. I think they only have 4 – 5 theaters here. I’d come here again. Some eateries nearby. I’ve only been here during the week at night and parking was not hard to find and was either free or metered/​cheap.

Saw a movie here with a very poor look to it. It had a lot of pixelation to it. Complained to the manager, he had no clue as to what was wrong. I asked if I could get a pass for next time. He said no way. I said in that case I’ll just go somewhere else. He said sure, ok, go where ever you want. We don’t care. What a great guy! So smart! And the theater was empty! Good way to build a business. What a moron. I’ll just go to any of the many dozens of other theaters on the West Side.

This place is funny, It used to be one of several great old art movie houses in LA. Now it is still an art movie house, but it is neither great nor old. A corporate revamp was done some years ago. Now, where there was one great art movie house (where I saw so many movies), there are now two — a shoebox and a screening room sized theater. Both have really nice reclining seats. You have plenty of leg and arm room and it is comfortable. But you cannot tell from the listing whether your chosen movie is in the shoebox or the screening room. So you must get here early to make sure you can get it and get a seat. I have seen many movies here in the front row when I arrive only 15 – 20 minutes before the allotted time. But this is the only show in town for certain movies. And since I love art films, foreign films and re-​releases of classics, that only play here, I frequent the place. I plan and arrive early. The front of house still has the same indy vibe.

The first time I went to this theatre was in the 90s for Dancing at Lughnasa with Meryl Streep. Last night marked the first time I have been back since then. (I immediately noticed that the lobby looked much smaller.) I haven’t tried the concessions stand but I will say that the popcorn smelled wondrous and buttery. The film I watched, The Second Mother, proved a humorous and charming adventure. This place made me excited to be present. I had wondered where in Los Angeles could I find an arthouse cinema. I am exceedingly grateful to know now.

This is the first Laemmle’s I’ve been to outside of their Claremont location, so of course, my expectations were high. And yes, those expectations were definitely met. It’s small and cozy, has great décor, and the 2 theaters I’ve been in were beautiful and had better seats than even the Arclight or Landmark. I had the absolute pleasure of watching the remastered version of Metropolitan and sticking around for a Q&A session with the director and cast. I’ll be back here very soon.

Great movie venue. They regularly have an interesting guest speaker on opening weekends. Interesting independent films and great popcorn. Staff is always happy to be there. I walk there. Look for others for parking input.

I was scared when they chopped this place into multiple screens a few years back, but they did it right and that’s just the reality of the marketplace. Love heading there even if it’s a bit of drive. Great prices on the best movies. No superhero movies here.

Finally made it out to this theatre last week, and wow, what a great little place! Fantastic selection of movies, great concessions at good prices, and comfortable seats. Highly recommended.
Also, they accept Moviepass! Good job, Laemmle. I’ll be visiting again soon.

Great art house theatre — showing independents often not shown at Sunset Sundance, Landmark, or Arclight. Beautifully remodeled screen 1; even lovelier, intimate screen 2.
Bargain matinees. Fairly priced concessions. Polite employees.
My only qualm is with theatre patrons. I wish the staff would tighten up on their outside food policy. This afternoon someone with a backpack literally unpacked a lunch, soup in a Tupperware’s inside of plastic bags and a bottle and cup. It seemed excessive, like sitting next to Mary Poppins.

I saw Ida here with my parents last year.
The physical layout inside is strange, maybe even fascinatingly so. The people who work here are really friendly, and it always feels nice to support a Laemmle theater.
My parents really enjoyed the drive out here. Something happened when I turned twenty-​seven or twenty-​eight; it’s almost impossible for me to let them down with the random places I take them. Even when I don’t like it, they seem to. I’m not looking ten years of parent-​offspring bliss in the mouth, but I do feel like I’m living on borrowed time sometimes.
And that, my friends and fans, is how to incorporate multiple cliches into a Unilocal review without annoying your friends and fans.

My absolute favorite theatre in LA. Loove the movie selection here. Amazing foreign movies. Not just the ones that Landmark selectively chooses to show. Instead, you can pretty much find any foreign or independent movie you’re looking for. There are cool «meet the director and actors» events after certain screenings. Love Laemmle and what it stands for but this is by far the best location. The remodel has made this place super pretty in addition to having great substance.
Street parking can easily be found. Great leather seats. Yummy popcorn available. Loyalty card provides great savings. I use it all the time for tickets and concession food.
I hesitated before posting this review cause I don’t want this place to become too popular. I love that it’s a little off the traveled path and not frequented by the typical movie going crowd. But because that’s selfish, I decided to write this long overdue review. Anyway, I doubt that the people lining up to see whatever the latest Hollywood hit is will be doing to the same for movies with subtitles (and substance). So I think my secret is safe.

Good seats at fair prices. I went here to see the Deli Man which was about the history of Delis across the United States. It was a great Film and I really enjoyed it. The seats here are very comfortable.

The movie was good, the theatre was ok. What I didn’t like is that I arrived 20 minutes before the movie started, but vast majority of good seats was occupied already because people who were there already were trying to reserve seats for their friends who arrived later. The administration should prevent that — either by selling reserved seating, or by not allowing people to block several seats for their friend who isn’t there yet. I wanted to enjoy the movie, I bought the ticket a week in advance, I arrived early and I could not enjoy it because of an inconvenient seat.

Small but pretty clean.
The sound and video quality was decent.
The 5:30pm show was just 8dollars/​per person. That’s the lowest I’ve paid to see a film in theaters since HS.
I love the choices of films they show here. Why else would you come here?
Parking is a little tough as they don’t have a private lot.

We were just there on Christmas Eve for their annual Fiddler On The Roof Sing Along. It was great!!! I wish they did it more often and for other movies.
If only I could get the rest of my family to join in on the *tradition* of actually singing along at a sing-​along… but anyway… nice little theater :)

I’ve been to the Laemmle’s Beverly Hills location, but this one seems much nicer! The seats here are updated/​new and made of leather with plenty of cushion. But, I do still appreciate the community feel it brings. I love come to Laemmle to see independent and foreign films.
The staff is always friendly and welcoming. The facilities are kept quite clean, and I appreciate all their efforts to maintain the theater’s quality.

I felt adventurous last night, friend and I headed to Santa Monica from Long Beach. Getting on the freeway during rush hour what can we say «We love LA».
Anyways after going through 5 different freeways, we arrived with shot nerves with 20 minutes to spare. Looking for the purple neon marquee-​ok now to find parking! Parking in SM is like parking in LB-​take no prisoners!
Found parking and walked inside to a cute theater with frames on the walls. Walls had a soft Crate and Barrel look about. I understand that this venue has just been recently remodeled-​good going! The side that was showing the movie we had just driven 50 miles had less then 75 seats, and since limited showing-​all seats were taken. Seats were soft and comfy, and they leaned back-​overall great theatre for Indie films.
I gave it 4 stars due to it being stuffy, and not turning the air con sooner.

A few days ago I ended up going to this theater for the first time. This is rather close to where I live so it is a pity that I had never been here before.
This theater appears to have been renovated recently with good results. It has new and comfy seats, friendly staff and good selection of Indie movies.
There were not many people for the Friday night show but I guess that is to be expected from an Indie movie theater.
Overall, I am pleased with my experience and I am glad that I have discovered this place so close to my apartment.

Formerly a single screen theater, the Laemmle Royal was renovated last year into a three screen theater. While I miss the old neighborhood theater, I welcome the expansion. The film selections are really great! I’ve watched many wonderful independent and foreign films here. Their movies aren’t usually available in other nearby theaters so it’s great to have a diverse local pool of amazing indie/​foreign films.
As others have said, Theaters 1 & 2 are very small and may fill up quickly. But getting in/​out of the wall seats are no different than exiting a middle seat from a large theater. Theater 3 is big and often feels empty given indie film crowds. I think the seats are comfortable, and the popcorn is exceptionally tasty. They’ve also had unannounced Q&A sessions with directors/​writers/​cast. Nice unexpected treat!
I really love this theater. The staff is very nice, the films are exceptional (whoever chooses the listings is doing an amazing job!), the moviegoers are considerate, and Churros Calientes is next door for a post-​movie treat. (Note: Outside food/​drink is permitted. So you can bring in a delicious latte from Churros Caliente, but please do not bring in a tuna sandwich! lol. seriously though.)
**Ample street/​meter parking as well as a parking lot on Butler.
**Laemmle Première Card offers discounted prices. Check it out.

I love this theatre! They just recently remodeled it and the place looks amazing!
This theatre has all the modern comforts of a fancy-​pants theater, but it’s more cozy! The seats are super comfortable and cushy. Plenty of goodies to choose from at the concession booth. And you can even bring in coffee from Churros Calientens next door! LOVE IT!
Don’t go here expecting to catch the latest blockbuster, it is a place for independent, foreign, and artistic films. There is plenty of street parking in the surrounding side streets. Just watch out for notorious Santa Monica restrictions.
Support the ARTS!

Came here to watch Blancanieves with my Momsie’s, we had a nice time.
Adult tickets are $ 13, pretty standard right? The place is small and simple, seats look like new plastic big chairs, nothing below average quality or uncomfortable. There is an amazing selection of Indie films to choose from. There is also a lot of information on upcoming shows and movies which I really appreciate.
BTW if u need surround sound with bass in your face and a big ass screen don’t come here. The concession stand had no nachos, but I got this über yummy cheese stuffed pretzel fro $ 3.25. I highly recommend that all theaters sell them.
We came on a Sunday and found street parking rapidly, but I am not clear on where to park during peak hours.