Named in tribute to the
aerospace industry, Designed by P.M. Woolpert, the French Normandy-style theater cost $45,000 to construct and originally seated 678. By the late 1980s, the Aero was one of Los Angeles' last repertory theaters, regularly programming double features. However, by the end of the 1990s, the theater, then owned by Chris Allen, had fallen on hard times.
Robert Redford, who spent time at the Aero growing up, attempted to buy the theater for
Sundance Cinemas in 2001, but the deal was never completed and the theater closed in April 2003. In 2006, the theatre began hosting the
Dusk-to-Dawn Horrorthon, an overnight, six-to-seven
horror film marathon. The event is held every year in October. The Aero underwent renovation again in 2019 and 2021, including improvements to projection, sound, and the general facility. ==In popular culture==