Fox Westwood Village Theater

Fox Westwood Village Theater
Location961 Broxton Avenue, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34°03′46″N 118°26′51″W / 34.062684°N 118.447407°W / 34.062684; -118.447407
Built1931
ArchitectPercy Parke Lewis
Architectural stylesCalifornia Churrigueresque
(Spanish Colonial Revival)
Governing bodyPrivate
DesignatedJune 21, 1988[1]
Reference no.362
Fox Westwood Village Theater is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Fox Westwood Village Theater
Location of Fox Westwood Village Theater in the Los Angeles metropolitan area

The Fox Westwood Village Theatre[a] is a historic theater in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. It is located across the street from the Fox Bruin Theater near the University of California, Los Angeles. The theater has a seating capacity of about 1,400 and has hosted many Hollywood film premieres.[2][3]

History

Designed in the Spanish Mission style by architect Percy Parke Lewis, the theater was built in 1930 and first opened on August 14, 1931.[4][2] It was part of a widespread cinema construction program undertaken by Fox West Coast Theatres. The theater is part of Westwood Village, a 1920s Mediterranean-style village development adjoining the University of California Los Angeles, which was planned by Harold and Edwin Janss of the Janss Investment Company.

In the 1940s, the theater's backstage areas were bricked off.[2] The theater was given a Skouras remodel in 1951, adding plaster gold swirls on the stage area side-walls, exit upgrades, new carpet, and lobby upgrades, including California Gold Rush artwork. The theater's capacity was also increased to 1,535.[2][5]

In 1973, National General Theatres, the former Fox Theatres-West Coast, sold this theater to Mann Theatres.[6][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] The theater was remodeled c. 1998-1999.[2]

In 2010, Mann Theatres went out of business and Regency Theatres became the operator of this theater.[8] In 2014, Regency added Dolby Atmos to the theater for the movie Transcendence. In 2019, this theater became the first THX Ultimate Cinema™ theater.[9]

An investor group led by Jason Reitman agreed to buy the theater in February 2024. The group consisted of more than two dozen filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, J. J. Abrams, Chris Columbus and Judd Apatow. The group said it planned to add a restaurant, bar, and gallery to the theater, and also to showcase props, wardrobe, and film collections from their personal collections, most notably Columbus's collection of 16mm film prints.[10]

On July 25, 2024, the Regency Village Theater closed after its lease expired.[11][12] The theater is set to reopen in 2027 and will be programmed by American Cinematheque.[13]

Architectural features

The theater features a 170-foot[14] white Spanish Revival/Moderne[15] tower which looms over the Broxton and Weyburn Avenues intersection. Atop the tower is a blue and white metal Art 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 of Churrigueresque stucco decorations. Perched atop the corners of the building stand carved griffins.

Movie premieres

Westwood Village hosts about 24 movie premieres per year.[16] Films that debuted at the theater include:[3][17][18][19][20]

Notes

  1. ^ Previous names for the theater include Regency Village Theatre and Fox Theatre, Westwood Village. The theater has also been referred to as Fox Village Theatre, Westwood Village Theatre and Mann Village Theater.

References

  1. ^ a b Department of City Planning. "Designated Historic-Cultural Monuments". City of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Regency Village Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Thorne, William (October 1, 2015). "Westwood home to long history of Hollywood film debuts since 1931". Daily Bruin. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Fox Westwood Village Theatre". ArchitectDB. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  5. ^ "Carl G. Moeller: Theatre Architect". historic theatre photos .com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "National General's Chinese". cinelog.org. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "News Updates: Regency Makes Waves". Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  8. ^ Linthicum, Kate (April 1, 2010). "2 historic Westwood theaters saved from possible closure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  9. ^ "THX Launches World's First THX Ultimate Cinema™ at Regency Westwood Village Theatre". THX. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  10. ^ Saperstein, Pat (February 21, 2024). "Jason Reitman Acquires Fox Village Westwood Theater With Filmmakers Including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, Chloé Zhao". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "Historic Westwood Theaters Close Their Doors". Beverly Hills Courier. July 28, 2024. Retrieved December 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.
  12. ^ James, Meg (July 21, 2024). "Beloved historic movie theaters Westwood Village and Bruin to close this week". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  13. ^ https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-11-18/american-cinematheque-to-operate-program-village-theater-2027-reopening
  14. ^ "Village Theatre reopens tonight in Westwood". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 1951.
  15. ^ Gebhard, David; Winter, Robert (2003). An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles (5 ed.). Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1-58685-308-2.
  16. ^ Zhang, Enming (April 29, 2019). "Committee discusses movie premieres' impact on Westwood Village businesses". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  17. ^ "Movie Premiere Westwood Village". Getty Images. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "Movie premieres in Westwood Village". Westwood Village Improvement Association. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  19. ^ Rizzo, Carita (August 10, 2018). "Mark Wahlberg, Peter Berg Talk Making a "Character-Driven Action Movie" With 'Mile 22'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "'Bullet Train' premiere in Los Angeles". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  21. ^ Higgins, Bill (May 1, 2002). "Along came 'Spider'". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
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