CineFile, Los Angeles’ last video store, leans on a giant physical media library and rare films that streaming still cannot match.
CineFile, Los Angeles’ last video store, is still pulling in Hollywood directors, actors and movie hunters who want something streaming cannot always deliver. Tucked along Santa Monica Boulevard in Sawtelle, the shop has turned its wall of DVDs and VHS tapes into a working archive and a stubborn answer to the fractured streaming era.
The store has drawn attention for years, but its appeal has only grown as more viewers grow tired of hopping between services to find a single movie. Owner Sebastian Mathews said the business has benefited from what he called decision fatigue, with customers getting frustrated when a title they want is missing from one platform and buried somewhere else on another. CineFile’s shelves hold more than 60,000 pieces of physical media, ranging from silent films to vintage porn, and the store lists more than 500 titles under its “XXX” label.
That mix of rarity and nostalgia has helped make CineFile a magnet for well-known names. Michael Jackson once visited wearing a Hulk mask to hide his identity, according to director Brett Ratner, who said Jackson spent hours looking for movies with him and joked that he would buy the store if he could not find any of Ratner’s films. More recently, Timothée Chalamet stopped in to rent Stanley Kubrick movies, while Quentin Tarantino, Ryan Gosling, Mel Brooks and Robert Pattinson have also been spotted there. Mathews said Pattinson came by to study the work of Claire Denis while deciding whether to appear in her 2018 film “High Life.”
CineFile opened in 1999 and managed to outlast the collapse that wiped out many rental shops across the country, including Blockbuster and countless independents in the nation’s entertainment capital. The store took a major hit in 2013, when Netflix and other streaming services began dominating the market. Mathews, who was then running a nearby record store, bought CineFile to keep it alive. He said the local competition and the rise of streaming created a business climate that was hard for any video store to survive.
“CineFile, Los Angeles’ last video store, leans on a giant physical media library and rare films that streaming still cannot match.”
The subscription model helped the shop stay afloat. Customers can pay $20 a month to rent two movies at a time without late fees, or add another two rentals for an extra $10 a month. Regular customers can rent individual titles for $5.50 each and must return most within a week or face late fees. Mathews said the shop had steady demand until COVID-19 disrupted the rental business and cut customer traffic, even as loyal patrons began checking out more films.
As the pandemic faded, the streaming market became even more crowded. Services such as Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max and Discovery+ split up the catalog, forcing viewers to keep track of more subscriptions if they wanted access to a wider range of movies. Mathews said that instead of making viewing easier, the market often makes it harder for people to find what they actually want. He said recommendations and search results can distract viewers and leave them disappointed when a title is unavailable.
That challenge has given CineFile a new edge. One customer, Marvin Lemus, said he came in looking for “Monsoon Wedding,” the 2001 film directed by Mira Nair, because he could not find it on streaming. Another customer, Aidan Goldenson, said he visits to build his physical media collection and enjoys being surrounded by movies in person. Tara, the store’s manager, said most visitors are either regulars or tourists, and that tourists often assume everything on the shelves is for sale instead of rent.
Mathews said the store has dealt with local natural disasters, the political climate and homelessness, but it has also benefited from new arrivals to the city and students drawn to the shop’s screenings and community feel. The store hosts showings of retro films such as “Jaws 3-D” and “Weekend at Bernie’s,” and Mathews hopes that nostalgia and social gatherings will keep people coming back. For Americans used to scrolling through endless apps, CineFile shows that physical media still has a place when the right movie is hard to find and the experience itself matters.
Frequently asked questions
Why is CineFile drawing attention now?
It is still operating as Los Angeles’ last video store while Streaming services keep splitting up movie catalogs.
What kind of inventory does CineFile have?
The store says it holds more than 60,000 pieces of Physical Media, from silent films to vintage porn, plus more than 500 titles under its XXX label.
How do customers rent movies there?
Customers can pay $20 a month for two movies at a time with no late fees, or add two more rentals for another $10 a month.
Why do some customers still go in person?
Some want films that are not on Streaming, while others come for the atmosphere, physical collection and store screenings.
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