TheRegency Village Theatre(formerly theFox Theatre, Westwood Villageor theFox Village Theatre) is a historic, landmark cinema inWestwood, Los Angeles, Californiain the heart of the Mediterranean-themed shopping and cinema precinct, opposite theFox Bruin Theater,near the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The Regency Theaters chain lease ended in July 2024. The Westwood Village Theatre has been the site for manyHollywoodmovie premieres in Los Angeles.[2][3]The seating capacity of the cinema is about 1,400.[4]
| Regency Village Theatre | |
|---|---|
 Regency Village Theatre with iconic tower | |
| Location | 961 Broxton Avenue,Westwood, Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°03′46″N118°26′51″W/ 34.062684°N 118.447407°W |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Percy Parke Lewis |
| Architectural style(s) | California Churrigueresque (Spanish Colonial Revival) |
| Governing body | Private |
| Designated | June 21, 1988[1] |
| Reference no. | 362 |
  Location of Regency Village Theatre in the Los Angeles metropolitan area | |
History
editDesigned by architectPercy Parke Lewis,[5]the Fox was originally built in 1930 and first opened on August 14, 1931,[4]in a Spanish Mission style.[5][4]The theatre was part of a widespread cinema construction program undertaken byFox West Coast Theatres.The theatre is part of the 1929 Westwood Village, aMediterranean-style village development adjoining theUniversity of California Los Angelesplanned by Harold and Edwin Janss of theJanss Investment Company.
In the 1940s, the backstage areas were bricked off.[4]
On October 18, 1951, the Village Theatre was given aSkourasera remodel and reopened, increasing the seating capacity to 1,535, with plaster gold swirls on the stage area side-walls, exit upgrades, new seats, new carpet, and lobby upgrades, includingCalifornia Gold Rushartwork.[4][6]
In 1973,National General Theatres,the former Fox Theatres-West Coast, sold this theater toTed Mann,then owner of theChinese Theatre,becoming part of theMann Theatreschain.[7]
In the late 1970s, new 70mm projection equipment was installed and a larger screen was added.
In 1988, the Fox Theatre was designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as an Historic Cultural Monument (HCM #362).[1]
Circa 1998-1999, the theater had a remodeling, getting new seating and carpet.[4]
In 2010,Mann Theatreswent out of business.Regency Theatresbecame the operator of both the Village Theatre and a multiplex cinema at "The Plant" inVan Nuys.[8]
In 2014, Regency added the immersiveDolby Atmossound system to the theater in time for the movieTranscendence.
In 2019, it became the firstTHXUltimate Cinema™ theatre.[9]An investor group led byJason Reitmanagreed to buy the theater in February 2024. The group consisted of more than two dozen filmmakers; besides Reitman, the group also includesJ. J. Abrams,Judd Apatow,Damien Chazelle,Chris Columbus,Ryan Coogler,Bradley Cooper,Todd Phillips,Alfonso Cuarón,Guillermo del Toro,Alejandro González Iñárritu,Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,Hannah Fidell,James Gunn,Sian Heder,Rian Johnson,Gil Kenan,Karyn Kusama,Justin Lin,Phil Lord and Christopher Miller,David Lowery,Christopher McQuarrie,Christopher Nolan,Emma Thomas,Alexander Payne,Gina Prince-Bythewood,Jay Roach,Seth Rogen,Emma Seligman,Brad Silberling,Steven Spielberg,Denis Villeneuve,Lulu WangandChloé Zhao.The group will showcase props, wardrobe and film collections, notably Columbus' collection of 16mm film prints, from their personal collections. There are plans to add a restaurant, bar and gallery to it.[10]
On July 25, 2024 theFox Theater, Westwood VillageandFox Bruin Theaterclosed their doors, when leases expired.[11][12]
Architectural features
editA feature of the theater is the 170-foot[13]whiteSpanish Revival/Moderne[14]tower which looms over the Broxton and Weyburn Avenues intersection. Atop the tower is a blue and white metalArt Deco“Fox” sign, which was renovated in the late 1980s.
Carved winged lions sit halfway up the tower at the base of projecting columns. A blue and white sign with the legend "Fox Westwood Village" is positioned at the bottom of the tower just above the entrance. By night, the elegant white tower literally becomes a beacon with its signs and the shaft of the tower illuminated.
The rectangular cinema building immediately behind the tower features long rows ofChurrigueresquestuccodecorations. Perched atop the corners of the building stand carvedgriffins.
Movie premieres
editWestwood Village hosts around 24 movie premieres per year.[15]The list of features which have debuted at the theater includes:[2][3][16][17][18]Robots,The Fast and the Furious,A Star Is Born,Spider-Man: No Way Home,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,Spider-Man,Spider-Man 2,James Bond films,JFK,Mission: Impossible,Batman,everyHarry Potterfilm,Independence Day,Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,The Emoji Movie,The Lego Movie,Shrek,Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,theCloudy with a Chance of Meatballsfranchise,Overlord,Venom,Murder Mystery,Hairspray,Bullet Train,and hundreds of others.
References
edit- ^abDepartment of City Planning."Designated Historic-Cultural Monuments".City of Los Angeles. Archived fromthe originalon June 9, 2010.RetrievedJune 15,2010.
- ^abThorne, William (October 1, 2015)."Westwood home to long history of Hollywood film debuts since 1931".Daily Bruin.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
- ^ab"Movie Premiere Westwood Village".Getty Images.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
- ^abcdef"Regency Village Theater - Mann Village Theater".Cinema Treasures.RetrievedNovember 9,2011.
- ^ab"Fox Westwood Village Theatre".ArchitectDB.RetrievedSeptember 3,2008.
- ^"Carl G. Moeller: Theatre Architect".historic theatre photos.com.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
- ^"National General's Chinese".cinelog.org.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
- ^Linthicum, Kate (April 1, 2010)."2 historic Westwood theaters saved from possible closure".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 23,2020.
- ^"THX Launches World's First THX Ultimate Cinema™ at Regency Westwood Village Theatre".THX.RetrievedMarch 29,2023.
- ^Saperstein, Pat (February 21, 2024)."Jason Reitman Acquires Fox Village Westwood Theater With Filmmakers Including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, Chloé Zhao".Variety.RetrievedFebruary 22,2024.
- ^"Historic Westwood Theaters Close Their Doors".Beverly Hills Courier.July 28, 2024.RetrievedDecember 11,2024.
July 25 marked the end of a movie-going era in Westwood, when the curtains fell on the village's two 1930s-era movie houses. The Regency Village Theatre (formerly the Fox Theater, Westwood Village) and the Fox Bruin Theater closed their doors at the end of the business night, when their leases expired.
- ^James, Meg (July 21, 2024)."Beloved historic movie theaters Westwood Village and Bruin to close this week".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJuly 22,2024.
- ^"Village Theatre reopens tonight in Westwood".Los Angeles Times.October 18, 1951.
- ^Gebhard, David;Winter, Robert(2003).An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles(5 ed.).Gibbs Smith.ISBN978-1-58685-308-2.
- ^Zhang, Enming (April 29, 2019)."Committee discusses movie premieres' impact on Westwood Village businesses".Daily Bruin.RetrievedMarch 29,2023.
- ^"Movie premieres in Westwood Village".Westwood Village Improvement Association.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
- ^Rizzo, Carita (August 10, 2018)."Mark Wahlberg, Peter Berg Talk Making a" Character-Driven Action Movie "With 'Mile 22'".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
- ^"'Bullet Train' premiere in Los Angeles ".New York Daily News.RetrievedMarch 28,2023.
External links
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