The Villa Theater was closed for 9 years. Me and my wife and family worked for two years to get that great little theater opened. We opened with Gone with the wind. Eric and Andrea were our only employees. Eric helped me build the theater while he was on a mission here in Orange. He was from Alaska.
Getting this theater opened was a miracle. We started at .50 a ticket. worked our way to $2 and $3. We went from closed to 3rd run to 2nd run and then 1st run. We broke a 70 year clearance issue in Holly wood by doing this. Nobody ever played with the Cinedome. Ever! Not even the AMC Mainplace Mall. Which we eventually took over.
The best of times were when we ran the theater ourselves and helped co-found the New Port Beach Film Festival. We worked 7 days a week 365 days a year for about 7 years.
Notice there are no complaints in those first ten years. It was after we grew and hired people to do what we had been doing. The customers Loved the CLEAN little theater at a great price that played 1st run movies, no R rated films and ran like a top.
Try it I dare you. Nobody has run a small independent since. Think about it. They can’t even get the Fox Fullerton opened. 25 years so far, millions of dollars and 100’s of people and still not opened. My wife, Larry our kids and I opened Captain Blood’s in 2 years. Then Cathy and I opened 3 more theaters with little to no help and no money.
Thank You, to all the great people that came all those years. Thanks to all the good employees and their parents. (you know who you are)
This was a labor of love and it was great when it ran right. Advice to anybody that is growing a business and doing well. Too big is bad. Always Train Train Train your employees your self. Don’t let anybody hire for you. You have to fire the rotten apples. I fired 1 person in 12 years. Can you imagine that. Only one. I was way too nice. People will lie and steal. They will break your heart. And the public can be evil.
All in all it was the American Dream in action.
Till the leases we up, work mans comp insurance Quadrupled, The Electric company ripped business owners off to cover their butts. Gray Davis runs the state into the ground and 60 to 70 % of all theaters closed that decade. How do you like $12 tickets now. Where can you rent a theater for a $100 nowadays? Nowhere.
We lasted longer than most over ten years.
It makes me sad that I can’t go see a first run movie in any of the 4 theaters we ran. Think about how hard what we did was.
And for the gay guy that hit on my employees that keeps yapping on this site. Don’t be such a coward. I’m easy to find. We should have a talk face to face!
The Villa Theater was closed for 9 years. Me and my wife and family worked for two years to get that great little theater opened. We opened with Gone with the wind. Eric and Andrea were our only employees. Eric helped me build the theater while he was on a mission here in Orange. He was from Alaska.
Getting this theater opened was a miracle. We started at .50 a ticket. worked our way to $2 and $3. We went from closed to 3rd run to 2nd run and then 1st run. We broke a 70 year clearance issue in Holly wood by doing this. Nobody ever played with the Cinedome. Ever! Not even the AMC Mainplace Mall. Which we eventually took over.
The best of times were when we ran the theater ourselves and helped co-found the New Port Beach Film Festival. We worked 7 days a week 365 days a year for about 7 years.
Notice there are no complaints in those first ten years. It was after we grew and hired people to do what we had been doing. The customers Loved the CLEAN little theater at a great price that played 1st run movies, no R rated films and ran like a top.
Try it I dare you. Nobody has run a small independent since. Think about it. They can’t even get the Fox Fullerton opened. 25 years so far, millions of dollars and 100’s of people and still not opened. My wife, Larry our kids and I opened Captain Blood’s in 2 years. Then Cathy and I opened 3 more theaters with little to no help and no money.
Thank You, to all the great people that came all those years. Thanks to all the good employees and their parents. (you know who you are)
This was a labor of love and it was great when it ran right. Advice to anybody that is growing a business and doing well. Too big is bad. Always Train Train Train your employees your self. Don’t let anybody hire for you. You have to fire the rotten apples. I fired 1 person in 12 years. Can you imagine that. Only one. I was way too nice. People will lie and steal. They will break your heart. And the public can be evil.
All in all it was the American Dream in action.
Till the leases we up, work mans comp insurance Quadrupled, The Electric company ripped business owners off to cover their butts. Gray Davis runs the state into the ground and 60 to 70 % of all theaters closed that decade. How do you like $12 tickets now. Where can you rent a theater for a $100 nowadays? Nowhere.
We lasted longer than most over ten years.
It makes me sad that I can’t go see a first run movie in any of the 4 theaters we ran. Think about how hard what we did was.
And for the gay guy that hit on my employees that keeps yapping on this site. Don’t be such a coward. I’m easy to find. We should have a talk face to face!
Todd (Captain) Blood