When dentist Dr. Ayman Adeeb purchased Lighthouse Cinema in Pacific Grove last July for $2.5 million, he had big plans, which buoyed the hopes of local movie-goers, anxious to support the local business.
In the early months, Adeeb did make many changes including renovating the bathrooms—a major guest complaint since the previous owners struggled financially and couldn't make upgrades—renovating the concessions area, adding a new heating system, new seats and painting the outside of the theater, changing it from beige to a dark navy blue. He also added a full menu and local beer and wine.
And although Adeeb added lots of new events including a salsa night, karaoke and more recently murder mystery nights, first-run movies had disappeared from the marquee, much to the dismay of film enthusiasts.
It turns out the projectors themselves were in need of a major upgrade, making the showing of films difficult. According to Adeeb, he recently invested $400,000 to purchase three new projectors.
After the first projector was installed, the theater welcomed the film Hail Mary to the lineup the weekend of April 10. A second projector is coming the week of April 20 and the third will be installed by the end of the month. The theater is advertising that The Devil Wears Prada 2 will be screening in the theater on April 30.
The plan is to show three first-run films, one classic film and a documentary, Adeeb says. (Currently the theater is showing the 1964 classic Zorba the Greek.) He says he will show documentaries on Thursday nights, followed by a discussion.
The fourth theater serves as an event space, with bingo on Thursday nights, karaoke on Friday nights and Salsa dancing on Saturdays.
On Sunday, April 12, Adeeb announced all movies were free for the day. He says that on Sunday, April 19 he will begin a weekly "Karma Day," where movie-goers are invited to pay whatever they can. Twenty percent of the revenue that day will go toward local nonprofits, Adeeb says.
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