Laemmle drops Sunset 5, but Sundance will take over

The Sunset 5 theaters at Sunset and Crescent Heights were once the cat's meow, but as newer theaters got bigger and better theirs got smaller and rattier — and with time the whole shopping complex became tattered. Still, Laemmle hung in and the Sunset 5, which opened in '92, was a reliable place to see independent films. Well, Laemmle is out at the end of the month, citing its inability to agree on a new lease with the landlord. Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas will take over on Dec. 1, close the screens for renovation, and reopen in the spring with its first L.A. area theaters. “It’s the end of the era,” said Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics. “All of our movies eventually went through the Sunset. Laemmle was our guy." Laemmle plans to open seven new screens soon in North Hollywood.