Angelika cinema to mark 10th year Wednesday with 10-cent popcorn and party

by Pam Kragen

The Angelika Film Center, one of San Diego County’s last art-house cinemas, will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Wednesday with a celebration that includes 10-cent bags of popcorn, discounted wine and prize raffles.

Angelika is thriving at a time when movie theaters are closing all over the country. In January, San Diego’s Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas shut down. It followed the closures in past years of the La Jolla Village Cinemas, The Ken, The Park, The Cove and a handful of other independent single-screen and art-house spots.

The 12-screen Angelika theater opened Oct. 15, 2015, at 11620 Carmel Mountain Road in the community of Carmel Mountain Ranch. Although the cinema hosts mainstream film releases like current offerings “Tron: Ares” and “One Battle After Another,” as well as the upcoming “Wicked” sequel, it also offers a wide range of classics and foreign films.

On Mondays, an auditorium is set aside for black-and-white or musical films. And because of the area’s large South Asian community, there are regular screenings of films in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Teluga and Malayalam.

Angelika Film Center in Carmel Mountain Ranch on its opening day, Oct. 15, 2015. It turns 10 on Wednesday. (Zack Benson)

Terri Moore, vice president for Reading International, which operates eight Angelika cinemas nationwide, said in a statement: “It’s been a privilege to bring premium independent film and specialty films and to become a part of San Diego’s vibrant film community for the last 10 years. We want to thank everyone who has supported the Angelika and look forward to serving this great city for many more years.”

On Wednesday at Angelika Carmel Mountain, 10-cent bags of popcorn and two-for-$10 wine specials will be offered all day. From 5 to 6:30 p.m. there will be a birthday celebration on the patio, with a cake-cutting, raffle giveaway and chance to win movie collectibles.

The celebration coincides with the theater’s “Hitchcocktober,” series, where films by famed suspense master Alfred Hitchcock are being shown every Wednesday through Oct. 29. Tickets are on sale for Hitchcock’s “Marnie,” with screenings at 4, 6 and 7 p.m. Wednesday at angelikafilmcenter.com/sandiego.