Regal Edwards Big Newport

Sad news indeed for the flagship of OC cinema. So many great memories: Saturday matinee of The Empire Strikes Back in 70mm, opening night showings of Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, Batman, Total Recall, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park & The Phantom Menace, to name a few.

According to the OC Register, the Edwards family still owns the property & “decided” not to extend its agreement with Regal past June 2027, paving the way for the redevelopment.

However, one source claims demolition could commence by the end of this year.

https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2026-03-06/big-newport-condos

Plan to transform Big Newport movie theater into high-rise condos approved

The Regal Edwards Big Newport movie theater — with its iconic Art Deco marquee, stadium seating and wide screens — is set to be replaced by high-rise housing as it nears the end of its theatrical run.

The Newport Beach Planning Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a plan to demolish the storied movie house and build a pair of residential towers with 150 condominiums between them in its place.

Commissioners hope the project will spur a reimagining of the Newport Center, a business, shopping and entertainment district anchored by Fashion Island that future residents can also call home.

“We are excited about being part of the 21st Century Newport Center,” Gino Canori, president and chief executive of Related California, told commissioners. “We are committed to investing fully to build the highest quality residential project possible.”

Will be demolished to make room for condos.

Are there any photos of this place when it was a 3 plex?

Theater name is Regal Edwards Big Newport. Capacity is 1,143.

Auditorium capacities: 459 (1/RPX), 184 (2), 126 (3), 132 (4), 121 (5), 121 (6)

According to an old article I found, this used to be the location of Edwards Cinemas’ headquarters before their merger into the Regal Entertainment Group in 2002…

Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1998 adaptation of Robert Rodat’s “Saving Private Ryan” opened at the Big Newport 25 years ago this weekend (July 24, 1998).

Starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore & Matt Damon, the WWII drama debuted at number one on 2,453 screens at held the top spot for the next three weeks, remaining in the top 10 through early October. It would go to gross $216 million in North America & finish its domestic run as the highest-grossing film of 1998.

The film earned 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won five, including Best Director for Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1993 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” opened at the Big Newport 30 years ago today (June 11, 1993).

Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern & Jeff Goldblum, the “dinosaurs run amok” adventure debuted at number one on over 2,400 screens grossing a then-record $50 million its opening weekend. It would surpass $100 million in a then-record nine days & remain on at least 1,000 screens until late September, eventually netting $357 million in North America (then second all-time behind Spielberg’s “E.T.”) during its initial 70-week run & finishing as the highest-grossing film of 1993.

The film would win Oscars for Best Sound, Sound Effects Editing & Visual Effects & pave the way for modern motion-picture computer-generated imagery (CGI) into the 21st century, with one historian commenting the film “heralded a revolution in movies as profound as the coming of sound in 1927.”

I saw “Jurassic Park” at the Big Newport that first Friday night on the big screen with a full crowd & consider it one of my most memorable experiences there, right next to “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Batman” & “Star Wars Episode 1.”

A chronology of Orange County’s 70mm presentation history has recently been published. Edwards Newport is, of course, mentioned numerous times.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning 1992 adaptation of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” opened at the Big Newport 30 years ago today (November 13, 1992).

Starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder & Anthony Hopkins, the gothic thriller debuted at number on over 2,400 screens with nearly $31 million its opening weekend (a then November record), grossing just shy of $83 million in North America & finishing its domestic run as the 15th highest-grossing film of 1992.

My then-girlfriend & I caught the film on the big screen that first Saturday night (after attending a co-worker’s wedding) and remember being greeted with a line down to the street, a regular occurrence for event films opening weekend.

1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” opened at the Big Newport in 70mm 40 years ago this weekend (June 4, 1982).

Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy & Ricardo Montalban as the titular villain, the film opened at number one with $14 million (the largest opening weekend in history at that time) on over 1600 screens, grossing $79 million and finishing its run as the 6th highest-grossing film of 1982.

The film is still widely considered the greatest Trek film ever made.

John Huston’s 1982 big-screen adaptation of “Annie” opened at the Big Newport 40 years ago this weekend (May 21, 1982).

Starring Albert Finney, Carol Burnett and newcomer and Aileen Quinn as the titular heroine, the film rolled out slowly on just 14 screens opening weekend, but it had the highest per-screen average ($36,474) of any other release, beating out “Conan the Barbarian” & “The Road Warrior.”

It would go on to gross $57 million against a $35 million budget, finishing its run as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1982.

I saw it opening weekend at the Big Newport as a kid & thought it played pretty well on the 71-foot screen.

The Big Newport’s rather austere new auditorium interiors can be seen in this slide show on the web site of the firm that designed the remodeling project, BB Architects.