Edwards Big Newport
300 Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach,
CA
92660
300 Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach,
CA
92660
28 people
favorited this theater
Opened in 1969, with 1,130 seats and a 71-foot screen, this was among the last of the large theaters built in Southern California before the advent of the multi-screen shoeboxes in the early 1970’s. It was the fourth theater built by the growing Edwards chain and for many years it was considered their flagship.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, two smaller screens were added on either side of its building, keeping the original auditorium intact.
Edwards' corporate offices were in the second story of one of the newer theaters and anyone who attended a matinee would probably see James Edwards II, the chain’s founder, greeting patrons. He came to work daily until his death at the age of 90.
In 1996, three stadium auditoriums were added to the building but the Big Newport, with its non-stadium seating, has defied trends and still continues to draw crowds. The Big Newport has a loyal following of fans who camp out or at least show up for the first day of the big movies. (Their unofficial web site is www.bignewport.com).
Edwards Newport Cinemas is now part of Regal Entertainment Group.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
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Recent comments (view all 48 comments)
funny when I managed theatres in the 70’s and 80’s we had trained UNION operators that were not scoring with Debbie in the candy room.
When I was in So Cal, took the time and saw a movie in this awesome theater, Ok Arthur was an OK
movie it was watchable, But the theater is One of a Kind, Big Screen Big Sound, Big Fun !
My only concern is maintenance, Its time for drapery, seat and carpet replacements, the theater is in a
super nice area of Southern California lets make sure this theater stays around for a long time
If presentation is important to you, there really is no better place to see a movie in OC than the 1100-seat Big Newport. It is the county’s version of the Cinerama Dome and Chinese theatre in L.A. Nothing else comes close for my money.
I’ve seen some great shows there over 30-plus years – The Black Stallion, The Empire Strikes Back, The Right Stuff, Last Crusade, Batman (will always remember that as James Edwards Sr. told me to remove my feet from the seat in front of me at a midnight screening) and SW Episode 1 on opening night to name a few.
A smile never fails to form on my face just sitting there waiting for the show to start. It’s like visiting an old friend eveytime I enter the autotorium.
If you have had a bad experience there, I assure you it’s a rarity and urge you to give it another try.
I agree with you, Flix 70. Edwards Big Newport is a portal to movie magic. There’s something really special about that auditorium. There’s no better theater to see a movie on opening night… so many classics over the years… so many great audiences.
Caught War Horse on the big screen the day after Christmas. While it took a while for a couple of the house lights to go out, it was overall a very enjoyable presentation.
“Black Sunday”(77); “Breaking Away”(78); “Empire Strikes Back”(80) “Return Of The Jedi”(83), among others! It really doesn’t get any better than the Big Newport experience. Delighted that they brought the curtain back, also. A new generation now gets to see how movies are PROPERLY presented! Now, if we could just get rid of annoying pre-show commercials/previews(FOR TV???) & adverts! It just KILLS it!
I realize adverts pay for operations, etc, but come on, keep it on tv & out of this beautiful theatrical experience for crying-out-loud! Anyone else hearin' me on this?
Amen, lukesky7
This may be a ridiculous question, but is the 71ft width, height, or diagonal?
Becky: The screen in the main auditorium of the Edwards Big Newport is 71 feet wide, at maximum. The screen has masking which can be used to block light from part of it when the theater shows movies that don’t have the right aspect ratio to fill it completely.
I’ve been a loyal patron of the Big Newport for over 30 years now. For my money, there just isn’t a better place to see an “event” film in OC than in the massive, velvet-draped main auditorium. That said, Regal really needs to stop tinkering with the showtimes for films on the big screen. I checked the paper for Iron Man 3 on Friday and the first showing was at 10 AM. Ok, so the wife and I get up early on Sat morning with the intent of catching the first show and while grabbing some breakfast out I by chance glance at the showtimes again and they’ve changed to 10:30 AM. The 10AM is now on one of the smaller screens. This is the second time in a year, that I know of, where the times for the big screen have changed within 24 hours. Sure, the times stay the same, but the screens sure don’t.
Regal needs to understand that the big screen is a bit of an institution in Orange County and that people actually do make the trek from all over the region to see a movie there. In the old days, you looked at the showtimes for the big screen on Friday and knew your movie would be playing at those times at least until the following Thursday. You didn’t have to check back daily to see if the times had changed.
Even Regal’s staff members weren’t sure what showtime was on the big screen this past Saturday morning. And the marquee hanging over the lobby doors wasn’t helping matters either: it listed the first show on the big screen at 10AM, not the 10:30 posted in Saturday’s paper.
I was hoping to catch Star Trek, Man of Steel and The Lone Ranger on the big screen this summer but I’m thinking the AMC in Tustin is looking like a better choice. At least there I don’t have to keep checking showtimes on a daily basis.