Edwards Cinema Viejo
24821 Chrisanta Drive,
Mission Viejo,
CA
92691
24821 Chrisanta Drive,
Mission Viejo,
CA
92691
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Edwards Cinemas
Functions: Church
Previous Names: Viejo Twin
Nearby Theaters
The Cinema Viejo opened in the new community of Mission Viejo on December 25, 1970, making it the first theatre to be built in the growing south county area. It opened on the same day as Edwards Harbor II in Costa Mesa, making both theatres the fifth and sixth in the Edwards Orange County operation, which began seven years before with the original Cinema in Costa Mesa.
The opening day ad said, “Each theatre is brand new. Each has luxury seats and wide space lounger loges, surround drapes and highly sophisticated projection equipment. Each theatre offers the ultimate in patron comfort and convenience. Each Theatre has a giant scope screen and stereo sound, deep pile carpets and exciting contemporary decor. Each theatre was designed by a world famous architect and each theatre was decorated by the nation’s most outstanding theatre interior decorator”. (the architect and decorator were not named).
It closed on October 1, 1993 and the building has been used as a church for many years.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Though this theater is in the Los Angeles Times theatre listings of February 10th, 1971, as a single screen house, in the same newspaper’s listings of August 24th, 1986, it is a two-screen house called the Viejo Twin.
The building is currently used as a youth ministry and has undergone heavy remodeling (bares little resemblance to it’s theatre days).
Tucked away, down a secluded side street, this once popular and pioneering southern Orange County cinema is basically forgotten as a theatre (few locals even remember the building to have once been a theatre).
Saw some surf movies and Warren Miller ski movies there in the early 90s before it closed but the only regular movie I know I saw there for sure was Home Alone on Thanksgiving when I was in first grade.