Regency Village Theatre

Actually,i think AVATAR will be going to the AVCO. Being a Fox movie and,looking at theGCC/AMC to MANN ratio of Fox movies,AVCO is a safer bet. but that’s just me and,lord knows,i’m no expert. :)

I don’t think that is the case. They seem to be filling the 2 screens with mostly Warner product. The Blind Side opens Friday at Bruin, I guess Ninja Assasin opens Nov 25 at Village, Invicus will probably be at Bruin 12/11 and Sherlock Holmes 12/25 at Village. Warner has been the biggest supplier for Mann over the past 3 decades and does co-operate the theatres.

If Mann still operated the National and Festival I’m sure 2012 would have been booked at the Village or perhaps the National. With only 2 screens they really cannot book much else these days.

PLANET 51 had its premiere there Nov. 14th. but it’s opening at the AVCO on the 20th.

Well I can tell you that in the fifties and sixties they were definitely upstairs. I’m sure all of that was changed to accomadate the handicapped… Btw. I also went to the first “Smellorama” at the Village Theatre! I remember someone frying eggs on screen and the aroma of eggs was piped into the seating area. Also saw 3D movies there. One was 13 Ghosts. But the best ever was the double feature,“House on Haunted Hill” and “The Tingler” Every time the Tingler would appear our seats would vibrate! They put little vibration boxes under every seat.

Made out with Mary Jo Trainer at the village theatre while watching the Man who shot Libert Valance. Think it was 1963. Everyone hung out in front of the Village theatre on Friday nights. Nect door was the Deli. Across the street was Mario’s. Other side of the street of course was the Bruin theatre where I saw Bambi. I think I was about six years old. Next door was Hamburger Hamlet. Magic shop down the street, so was Desmonds Department store, See’s Candy and Fedway. Westwood. Across from the Fox Village theatre was the wonderful outdoor Orang Julius stand. My friends and I paid fifty cents to watch a double feature , with cartoon and newsreel. Seventy five cents if you were over twelve. If we had no money we wouls go into the alley behing the theatre. Climb up the fire escape which led to the women’s bathroom. Once inside the bathroom, walked into the upstairs lobby, then down the steps in the the main lobby. Then we would open the fire exit doors and let in all of our friends. Living and hangin out around Westwood village in the early sixties was like living in a perfect dream. No crowds, sleepy laid back and so friendly. On Dunday’s I would ride my skateboard all over the village. Sometimes I would be the only person on the street for blocks….Then of course there was Sorrento Beach. That’s a whole other story! Gary Abelov St. Louis , Mo

If you’re going at night, the Bronxton city lots (right across from the Regent) are actually pretty fair. While it’s pricey if you go over the free 2 hours before 6 p.m., after that, it’s a $3 flat fee. Yes, this is a buck more than the Hollywood & Highland or ArcLight complexes, but you can also stay for more than four hours. Not to mention, the Village is $1.25 cheaper than the Chinese and and $.50-$3 cheaper than the Dome, so it’s really a moot point when you consider the total.

The challenges come when A) it’s daytime and you wanna stay over 2 hours or B) the city lots are full (which happens quite often during peak times). As others have said, these SHOULD NOT be hard to solve, even though they criminally haven’t been corrected.

AMC would not take the Village and Bruin. Honestly, I really do not see any major chain snapping the theatres up. It would be a major investment because they would not run them as single screen theatres. They would have to add screens to make it worth their while. Another problem I see is no chain would want both. They would only want one of the screens to add these the additional screens. They would look at the other as dead weight. The owners may have no choice but to lease them separately. Eventually one of these houses remain and the other may be lost because of lack of interest.

There is so much red tape in building a new theatre complex in Westwood, which is why there has not been any movement by any theatre chain.

There is no shuttle bus anymore (unless I am mistaken). Much of that parking is now for federal employees and visitor parking for the post office and the federal building.

In point of fact, there is no parking shortage in Westwood. The problem is the cost of parking. While the city has a lot that offers two hours of free parking before 6pm, that does not cover movie time or dinner afterwards. Some have suggested that Mann would have done better if they validated parking. Perhaps it was economically unfeasible, but it would have helped A LOT.

Landmark books mostly Disney fare at the Regent, sneaking in the occasional arthouse film if the Disney has nothing to provide. Crest does to some arthouse but seems to get mostly scraps (although lately they had The Hurt Locker and now Julie and Julia which is doing well. Both theatres seem to have had a reduced number of showtimes often only doing a 9-10 show on weekends and having the first matinee in the 1:30 – 2:30 range.

Just to chime in on the parking issue…
Last September, me and the GF went to see ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at the El Cap. On a Saturday morning.
Parking was a cinch. $2 for 3 or 4 hours? Awesome.
So I gotta ask… how can parking on Hollywood be easier than it is in Westwood?
If you have an answer- you’re half home to knowing why Westwood is the commercial dead-zone it has been.
And if you have a solution- you’re just another corpse in the swath of NIMBY incompetence that has made Westwood what it is today.

I agree. It is sad seeing them go. I grew up with these theatres. We’ve already lost the National, Picwood, Plitt Century Plaza and the original Avco theatre. All of which were extraordinary theatres, the likes of which we will never see again. The Village and Bruin (along with the Chinese, El Capitan and Cinerama Dome) are the only major theatres we have left. Part of the experience of seeing a film has always been where I went to see it.
Heck, I used to go to the Pantages as a child to see movies. The last film I saw there was The Outlaw Josey Wales.

As long as Parking is awful, Westwood will have difficulties thriving again. I believe I read that any new Theatre additions have to provide “X” amount of parking spaces, and that may be an obsticle also.

I really get the impression that L.A. County has no interest in Westwood these days. Downtown L.A. is really blossoming, Hollywood and the Fairfax are have turned around for the better. I’m thinking that Westwood will remain dormant for a long while, unless someone takes a chance. I’d really be interested if there are any talks with the owners of the Bruin and Village with anyone.