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A Precursor Vacant Once More

ccrouch — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:19:15 +0000

As several county multiplexes currently undergo transformations in to luxury boutique cinemas, Orange County’s original boutique venue has fallen vacant once more. Earlier this year, the onetime Brookhurst Loge was vacated by long time resident, The James Albert Beauty School.

Opened in 1970, the Brookhurst Loge offered an experience which was quite similar to the present day onslaught of specialty cinemas. Enforcing an “adults only” admission policy and showing movies in a setting which was billed as “comfortable and intimate”, the theatre was targeted at a more mature and affluent audience. This luxury screening room approach met with some degree of success, but, by the mid 80’s, the concept was abandoned and the Loge became little more than a holdover screen for the neighboring Brookhurst Theatre. The Brookhurst Loge was closed in 1996 and soon taken over by the fore mentioned cosmetology school.

Now shuttered again and likely awaiting further retail use, one can’t help but wonder if the current crop of boutique cinemas will meet a similar fate.

Rancho Santa Margarita 6 Conversion A Go

ccrouch — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:36:47 +0000

The former Edwards Rancho Santa Margarita 6 has officially been green lighted for conversion in to a luxury boutique cinema. Earlier this month, the Rancho Santa Margarita planning commission signed off on remodeling plans by new operator, Cinepolis. Much like the outfit’s current effort in Laguna Niguel, the theatre will be gutted and transformed in to a high end “fork and screen” venue; featuring in seat dining, a lounge, bar, and screening room auditoriums (reducing the total seating capacity from 1,472 to 509). If all goes to plan, the remodeled theatre will open in the summer of 2012.

Depicted above is an architectural rendering of the front lobby (courtesy of SMS Architects) and a photo I took of the same area a couple of years ago.

Fade Out: Mann Theatres

ccrouch — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:20:38 +0000

While the end was seemingly inevitable, we start the new year off with the sad news that Mann Theatres has officially gone dark. The once mighty Mann chain came to an end on December 27, 2011, as the Westlake Village 8 closed it’s doors; making way for conversion to a Cinepolis luxury boutique cinema.

Island 7 Relaunch Set

ccrouch — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:23:32 +0000

The former Edwards Island 7 is set to reopen on 12/16/11, as the Island Cinema. According to the Irvine Company, the remodeled theatre will now offer a premium experience; including reserved seating, leather chairs, 21+ auditoriums, enhanced menu items, and alcohol service. In a unique move, they are also promoting a theatre concierge, which will assist in dinner reservations at Fashion Island restaurants, in addition to in house services. The theatre will continue to be operated by REG, but no mention has been made if Edwards branding will be utilized for the revamped cinema.

And Then There Was One

ccrouch — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 11:06:23 +0000

The sad ending to the once powerful Mann chain looks to have reached its final act. This past week, Regency Theatres took over the Janss Marketplace 9, leaving Mann with one operating theatre.

With a lineage that stretches back to the Fox theatre chain of the late 1920’s, Mann’s decline, over the past two decades, has been stunning, to say the least. Having formerly operated industry cornerstones, like Grauman’s Chinese and the fabled Westwood cinemas; expanded to some 510 screens, at the chain’s peak; Mann now faces the inevitable curtain call with only the Westlake Village 8 on its cast list.

Another Conversion on the Horizon

ccrouch — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:38:09 +0000

Word has leaked out that Edwards Rancho Santa Margarita 6 will be heading for a luxury remodel/upgrade, under the operation of Cinepolis, in the near future. Unlike the makeover about to be undertaken at Laguna Niguel’s Ocean Ranch 7, the Rancho Santa Margarita site doesn’t have any concrete plans in place yet. However, the changeover has been termed as “inevitable”, once Cinepolis finalizes the paperwork and Edwards’ lease expires (at an undisclosed date).

While most will welcome this conversion to luxury boutique cinemas, the change will also mark the loss of two pristine examples of early 90′s era Edwards multiplexes. In a somewhat bizarre bit of cyclical history, fully intact, pre stadium, multiplexes are becoming increasingly rare; succumbing to the same sort of progress their single screen predecessors suffered through decades earlier.

Theatre Organ Event

ccrouch — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:08:15 +0000

Interested in a chance to sit behind the console of a Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ? This Saturday (8/13), the Orange County Theatre Organ Society will be holding an open console event at Fullerton’s Plummer Auditorium. Whether you are a theatre organ fan on just curious about these increasingly rare instruments, this is a great opportunity to see Orange County’s only active theatre pipe organ up close; installed in 1930, this is also one of the few theatre organs that remains at it’s original location.

The event runs from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and is open to everyone. Plummer Auditorium is located at 301 North Chapman, in Fullerton, Ca. For more information, please visit the OCTOS site.

A New Era For The Yost Theatre

ccrouch — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:54:25 +0000

This Friday, August 5, the Yost Theatre celebrates it’s grand reopening. The ninety-nine year old Yost has sat semi dormant for the past two decades; serving as a church and sporadic host of live events during that period. Now, fresh off a pricey remodel and upgrade, Orange County’s oldest standing theatre will once again open it’s doors for full time entertainment purposes. Thus far, plans don’t seem to include any cinematic offerings, as the venue has been earmarked for live concerts and club use in this latest incarnation.

The Yost’s rebirth has also come with a bit of controversy, as local activists and politicians have pointed to the venue as a flagship of downtown Santa Ana’s alleged gentrification. A hotspot for Latino culture and commerce, for some fifty years, the downtown area has been undergoing a transformation over the past decade; transitioning in to what critics have labeled an affluent “hispster” scene. As longtime Hispanic businesses begin to disappear, in favor of trendy outlets and art lofts, some have come to question the motives behind these changes. Still, there are others who feel this is a welcome change from the “armpit of Orange County” reputation the area had suffered through and welcome downtown’s possible return to glory.

In any case, the Yost reopening it’s doors to the public is certainly welcome news. For more information on the theatre’s namesake, please take a look at our earlier post on Ed Yost. For more information on the downtown Santa Ana theatre scene refer to our post here.

Laguna Niguel to See Luxury Cinema Soon

ccrouch — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:10:51 +0000

Edwards Ocean Ranch 7, in Laguna Niguel, will be converted in to a high end boutique cinema this fall. The Latin American chain, Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, has announced that they will be taking over the lease and conducting a five to six month remodel; with plans to reopen the site in April of 2012.

Once completed, the theatre will feature leather recliner seats, in theatre dining/alcohol service, and digital projection. Representatives of Cinepolis have stated that the theatre’s exterior will remain relatively unchanged, but the interior will receive a “cleaner and sleeker” look. Ticket prices will be bumped up in to the $13.50 to $18.00 range, with food prices “comparable to the average restaurant menu”.

Founded in 1947, Cinepolis is currently the largest theatre operator in Latin America. Laguna Niguel will mark the company’s third venture in to the United States, with two locations already underway in the San Diego area.

Fox Fullerton’s Return to the Past

ccrouch — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:03:14 +0000

Today, the Fox Fullerton will begin removing the 50′s era marquee and box office that most have come to identify the theatre with. While many will surely morn the loss, of what has come to be a downtown Fullerton landmark, the work is part of an ongoing effort to restore the theatre to a more accurate representation of the original structure.

Below is a picture of the (then known as the Chapman Theatre/Alician Court) original look and a more recent view of the theatre.

For more information on the renovation, please visit the Fox’s site.