AMC Woodbridge 5
4626 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine,
CA
92604
4626 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine,
CA
92604
6 people
favorited this theater
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1983’s “Octopussy” & “Trading Places” both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (June 10, 1983).
Each debuted on over 1,300 screens with the latest Roger Moore entry in the Bond franchise just edging out the Eddie Murphy/Dan Aykroyd comedy that first week.
However, while both grossed over $60 million, it was “Trading Places” that proved the bigger hit, netting north of $90 million and finishing as the 4th highest-grossing film of 1983 (“Octopussy” finished 6th).
John Badham’s “other” 1983 techno-thriller “WarGames” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (June 3, 1983).
Starring Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy & Dabney Coleman, the film debuted at number three on 843 screens & remained in the top ten through the end of July. But unlike Badham’s “Blue Thunder,” “WarGames” proved more enduring, maintaining its theater count throughout the entire summer, grossing just north of $74 million in North America & finishing as the 5th highest-grossing film of 1983.
John Badham’s 1983 techno-thriller “Blue Thunder” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (May 13, 1983).
Starring Roy Scheider, Daniel Stern & Malcom McDowell, the film opened at number one on over 1,500 screens & remained in the top ten through late June, finishing its run as the 16th highest-grossing film of ‘83 with a domestic take just north of $42 million.
Badham would have an even bigger hit a few weeks later with “WarGames.”
The 1983 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (April 29, 1983).
Starring Jason Robards, Pam Grier and Jonathan Pryce, the October-set, Disney-produced dark fantasy debuted at number two on over 800 screens but failed to find an audience in a crowded spring field and was bumped out of theaters within a month, grossing under $10 million against a $20 million budget.
Despite its box office failure, the film did win the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and has developed a cult following over the years, featuring one of composer James Horner’s most beloved early scores. I still screen it every October, where it belongs.
I remember when I was the General Manager of the Edwards Harbor twin in Costa Mesa when Flasdance came out. It was one of the rare movies that word of mouth was so good our business the second week was actually more than the first opening week @
Adrian Lyne’s hit 1983 dance drama “Flashdance” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (April 15, 1983).
Starring Jennifer Beals & Michael Nouri, the film opened at number two on over 1,000 screens and remained in the top ten through late July (re-entering it for the month of September) and finished its run as the third highest-grossing film of 1983 with a domestic take just north of $90 million.
Today “Flashdance” is mostly remembered for its top-selling soundtrack, including the Oscar-winning number-one song “Flashdance…What a Feeling” by Irene Cara.
Also opening at the Woodbridge the same weekend: “Lone Wolf McQuade,” starring Chuck Norris & David Carradine.
I remember those movies coming out thar weekend at the Edwards Woodbridge because I was the General Manager of that theater
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s coming-of-age classic “The Outsiders” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (March 25, 1983).
Starring Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio and a bevy of up-and-coming young stars (including Rob Lowe, Diane Lane & Tom Cruise) the film opened at number two on over 800 screens (increasing to over 1,000 by early April) and remained in the top ten through early May, finishing with a domestic take just south of $26 million.
Also opening at the Woodbridge the same week: “The Black Stallion Returns” & “Max Dugan Returns.”
The 1983 romantic adventure “High Road to China” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (March 18, 1983).
Starring Tom Selleck (in his first headlining feature film), Bess Armstrong & Wilford Brimley, the film debuted at number one on over 1,500 screens, knocking “Tootsie” out of the top spot after 13 weeks, and remained in the top ten until mid-April, finishing its domestic run with a take just north of $28 million.
Not a big hit, but an entertaining film with a wonderful score by John Barry.
The 1983 comedy “The Sting II” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (February 18, 1983).
Starring Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis & Teri Garr, the quasi-sequel to the Oscar-winning 1973 original debuted at number three on over 1,200 screens (the largest roll-out of the new year) but didn’t find the success of its predecessor, grossing just $6 million during its initial run before leaving theaters in early March.
It did receive a lone Oscar nomination, however, for Best Adaptation Score (Lalo Schifrin).
The 1982 comedies “The Toy” starring Richard Pryor & Jackie Gleason & “Airplane II: The Sequel” starring Robert Hays & Julie Hagerty both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (Dec. 10, 1982).
Each film debuted on over 1,000 screens with high hopes for the holiday season but “The Toy” proved a bigger hit with audiences, finishing with a total domestic take of $47 million compared to $25 million for “Airplane II,” a far cry from the success of the 1980 original.
Heard from the Woodridge Village Assocation that the temporary closure is only a plumbing issue and that the Woodbridge should re-open Monday.
It appears the Woodbridge is once again “temporarily closed” as of today. Disconcerting at best since they just re-opened a month ago after a six-week renovation.
According to the AMC website, The Woodbridge is again open for business starting today with first showings kicking off at 6PM.
All five screens now feature AMC Signature Recliners & reserved seating. A quick look of the online layout shows one theater has 80 seats, three have 70 seats & one has 64 seats. Definitely a more intimate, pared-back set-up compared to its 240-seat average back in the day.
It also appears starting tomorrow weekend matinees will resume for all five films starting at 1PM.
With new amenities come higher prices, though: matinees before 4PM are now $11.09, children $8.99. Shows after 4 PM are $15.89, $12.89 for children. However, their website for this theater still carries the banner “Low Ticket Prices Starting at $5.49 (before 4 PM). Better fix that.
“House II: The Second Story” opened at the Woodbridge 35 years ago today (August 28, 1987).
Starring Arye Gross, Royal Dano & John Ratzenberger, the stand-alone sequel opened on over 1,000 screens but wasn’t exactly the sleeper hit its predecessor was the year before.
I saw it at the Woodbridge opening weekend and have always found it an amusing 90-minute diversion with a memorable performance by Dano as Gramps.
Just got an email from the Woodbridge Village Association: the Irvine Company is telling them the Woodbridge 5 reopening is currently scheduled for Sept. 9.
As the initial post regarding the Woodbridge’s summer renovation project has been deleted for some reason, I’ll provide an update: the Woodbridge has been closed since late July as AMC is installing reclining seats, updating restrooms and refreshing its concession stand to include a small bar.
According to the Woodbridge Village Assocation, the repairs were scheduled to be completed by August 25. However when I dropped by yesterday (Aug 25), the lobby was still full of workers & materials & the process appeared far from over.
Renovation photos posted.
Regal, Cinemark and AMC here in Asheville NC did that when they were installing the recliners. It was summer and Christmas time.
Who closes for renovations in the middle of summer? I guess when your opening at 4 pm & only using two of five screens it really doesn’t matter.
Disney’s groundbreaking sci-fi cult classic “Tron” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (July 9, 1982).
Starring Jeff Bridges, David Warner & Bruce Boxleitner as the titular hero, the film debuted at number two (again behind “E.T.”) on 1,091 screens and was considered Disney’s event film for the year, complete with storybooks, action figures and its own arcade game.
Unfortunately, like most films that summer that didn’t feature a stranded space alien, it failed to find a foothold, dropping out of the top ten after just three weeks & seeing its theater count slashed in half within a month. It ended its run with a gross of $26 million, against a $17 million budget, finishing the year as the 26th highest-grossing film of 1982.
Like “Blade Runner & "The Thing,” “Tron” developed a cult following on home video where its unique, groundbreaking cinematic contributions (it was basically the first film to use extensive CGI) were studied & extolled by new generations of cinephiles over the years. A successful sequel was eventually made in 2010 (“Tron: Legacy”) with another film in development.
I saw “Tron” as an 11-year-old opening weekend at the Woodbridge, the same theater where that eponymous arcade game would rob me of so many quarters the next two years of my life.
Ridley Scott’s visionary sci-fi cult classic “Blade Runner” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (June 25, 1982).
Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Young & Rutger Hauer, the film opened at number two (behind juggernaut “E.T.”) on 1,295 screens with high hopes of being a major summer release for Warner Brothers & The Ladd Company. Unfortunately, it was not an initial hit, remaining in the top ten for just three weeks before seeing its theater count slashed in half the next week. It finished the year with a gross of $27 million against a $30 million budget.
It wasn’t until Scott released his Director’s Cut in 1992 that the film was embraced by critics & audiences alike, mainly on home video, and anointed a “classic.”
I was just 11 years old and couldn’t convince my mom to let me see the R-rated “Blade Runner” in ‘82, but I do remember it adorning the marquee at the Woodbridge & flipping through the official souvenir magazine at the nearby drugstore that eventually became the Barnes and Noble.
Looks like the Woodbridge has ceased weekend matinees again as the schedule for April 23-24 shows only two screenings of each film per day with none starting before 4PM.
Weekend matinees have returned to the Woodbridge, as a quick check of the schedule for April 2 & 3 show at least a 1-1:35 PM start time for all four films.
Looks like the Woodbridge continues to operate with just two screenings a day per movie, with none starting before 4pm, even on weekends.
Kind of sad neighborhood kids really don’t get to experience Saturday matiness like I did at the Woodridge growing up. Can’t imagine not having a noon or 1pm show to ride my bike to with friends, as it remains a very fond memory of my youth. Glad I grew up when I did.