Westwood’s historic movie theaters, the Regency Village Theatre and Bruin, are closing at the end of this week.
“The last day of operation for Regency’s Bruin & Village Theaters will be Thursday, July 25.Lyndon Golin, president of Regency Theatres, confirmed this in an email sent Sunday.
Regency has managed both theaters for 14 years, but its lease on the sites ends at the end of this month, Golin added.
The beloved landmark Village Theatre is expected to close, if only temporarily, thanks to a prominent effort by director Jason Reitman and others to preserve the once majestic 170-foot white Spanish Revival-Art Deco “wedding cake” tower that has drawn West Side moviegoers since 1931. The group closed on its acquisition of the theater in late February but has not disclosed a timeline for renovations or when the Village might be ready for a grand reopening.
The fate of the nearby Bruin Golf Course, which opened in 1937, remains unclear, having not been purchased along with other, more eye-catching courses.
“The (Bruin’s) owners would like to thank the Golin Family and Regency Theaters for their relationship with us over the past 14 years,” the family said in a statement provided by a representative. The owners said they are “currently evaluating future opportunities for the Bruin’s.”
Long known as the Fox Westwood Village, the theater was designated a Historic Cultural Monument in 1988.
Made famous as the filming location for Quentin Tarantino’s 1960s film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the venue was designed by Percy P. Lewis and was originally part of the Fox theater chain. It became part of the Mann Theaters chain in the 1970s.
The theater went on the market last year. After hearing the news, Reitman gathered a group of filmmakers to buy the place, then sold it before it could be turned into a retail space or other business serving the nearby UCLA community.
According to the new owners, the Village will feature a screen capable of shooting 70mm film, an upgraded sound system and a massive auditorium that can seat more than 1,300 people, ultimately showcasing a mix of new releases and repertory programming.
“We have an exciting vision that includes dining, drinking, movie nights, gallery tours and new and existing film programming, and we look forward to sharing it with you,” Reitman told the Times in February.
Representatives for the Lightman Group did not respond to questions Sunday for additional details.
The Regency Bruin Theatre ticket booth in Westwood Village is closed to the public during the 2020 COVID-19 closure.
(Carolina A. Miranda/Los Angeles Times)
The effort to save the Village Theatre on Broxton Avenue comes as movie theaters in Los Angeles and across the country struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic’s closures and the devastating impact of last year’s Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike.
The film pipeline has been slow to recover, dashing hopes for a return for many movie theater operators.
Some companies, including the ArcLight Cinemas chain with six locations in the Los Angeles area and Landmark Theatres, located at the Westside Pavillion, have not weathered the pandemic.
Still, there have been signs of a rebound, thanks to recent successes of Hollywood blockbusters. Universal Pictures’ “Twister,” which opened this weekend, earned more than $80 million in domestic ticket sales in its debut. Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” has also surged, with an estimated $1.4 billion in worldwide sales since its June release.
Others have shown faith in the independent film scene. Four years ago, Netflix acquired Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre, director Tarantino acquired Los Feliz’s historic Vista Theatre in 2021, and Sony Pictures Entertainment last month acquired control of the Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas chain, including a location in downtown L.A.
Reitman’s group includes a dizzying array of Oscar-winning filmmakers and other talent, including Christopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Christopher McQuarrie, Judd Apatow, Damien Chazelle, Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Hannah Fidel, Alejandro González Iñárritu, James Gunn and Rian Johnson. Other announced members of the ownership group include Gil Kenan, Karyn Kusama, Justin Lin, Phil Lord, David Lowery, Chris Miller, Todd Phillips, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Jay Roach, Seth Rogen, Emma Seligman, Emma Thomas, Denis Villeneuve, Lulu Wang and Chloe Zhao.
According to the Regency website, “Twisters” is playing at the Bruin and “Fly Me to the Moon” is playing at the Village through Thursday. Regency Theatres operates 20 venues, mostly in Southern California.
This is an ongoing story.
Staff writer Josh Rotenberg contributed to this article.
