Designed by Philadelphia architectural firm
Hoffman-Henon Co. and commissioned by
Warner Bros. Pictures, the Warner Theatre opened in June 1929 on the boardwalk near what is now
ACX1 Studios (then the Million Dollar Pier). It was built on the site of the former Great Northern Opera House. Opening as the Warner's Embassy Theatre, its first showing was the 1929 film
On with the Show! plus a live stage show. The venue was built in a Spanish Moorish-Atmospheric style in the auditorium and a Venetian-style lobby. It hosted the
Miss America pageant and
Bess Myerson was crowned there in 1945. In the 1950s, the venue was renamed Warren Theatre and later became a live venue for performing artists. The bulk of the theater was demolished in the early 1960s due to lack of revenue. During this period it was owned by
George A. Hamid Jr. of the Hamid Circus who converted it to a bowling alley, Boardwalk Bowl, which opened in 1963.
Frankie Avalon and
Annette Funicello appeared at the alley to plug their film
Beach Party in the summer of 1963. == 2020s renovation as The Hook ==