The Lot movie theaters, which abruptly closed all four of their California locations nearly a week ago, are slated to reopen Friday, the luxury cinema company announced Thursday.
The specific reason for the sudden closure of the theaters, including two San Diego locations in Liberty Station and La Jolla, has remained a mystery since it was initially disclosed by the company and also first reported by the online news site, Sandiegoville.
“THE LOT IS OPEN,” read the noticed posted Thursday on the movie theaters’ Instagram feed. “For this weekend, we will be modifying ticketing purchasing and other processes due to technical issues that impacted our systems, website and app … We appreciate our customers and partners for their continued support of THE LOT.”
The Lot’s earlier announcement that its cinemas were closing until further notice was fairly cryptic. It stated only that its systems were down and that the company was “working diligently to resolve the issue and will provide an update as soon as possible.” Refunds and exchanges would be offered to those who had already purchased tickets, the announcement said.
No further updates were provided until Thursday’s notice that the theaters were reopening. The timing is important because planned showings of Taylor Swift’s hugely anticipated concert film — the “Eras Tour” — start Friday, and tickets were sold out a month ago, Lot CEO Adolfo Fastlicht said Thursday.
“We had problems with our systems, and we’ve been working on them. Tomorrow we will reopen,” he said. “We may not be fully functional as far as our systems, as we are rebuilding them but part of the reason why we are opening is because we were sold out in anticipation of the Taylor Swift film opening. So by the beginning of next week, we hope to be fully functional as before.”
There had been some speculation on websites like Reddit that there may have been some kind of cyberattack. Fastlicht would not comment on the question of possible computer hacking.
“We have lost business by not being able to operate since Friday but we’re extremely excited to be able to be part of the whole Taylor Swift phenomenon and experience and to offer our patrons the best experience available. We look forward to seeing everyone with the new films that are opening, including the new Martin Scorsese film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” opening next Thursday.”
The luxury movie complexes are billed as an entertainment lifestyle venue, combining movie-watching with gourmet dining and craft cocktails — plus the requisite leather recliners.
Fastlicht said he is hoping that by Friday, the website will have been updated to include weekend showtimes for its films, including “The Exorcist: Believer” and “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.”
Tickets cannot yet be purchased online or via The Lot app, Fastlicht noted. Purchases this weekend will have to be done in person at each theater location. Customers can also call The Lot complexes for more information, he added. “And when you order something (to eat or drink) at the cinema, the order might be handled with pen and paper instead of a computer,” he said.
The box office will open at 10 a.m. and the restaurant and bar at 3 p.m., although the first movie showing won’t be until 4 p.m. on Friday, Fastlicht said.
In addition to the two San Diego locations, The Lot also has theater and dining complexes in Fashion Island in Newport Beach and in San Ramon in Northern California.
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