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A Change of Fortune For Edwards Island 7?

June 9th, 2010 by ccrouch
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Edwards Island 7 Cinemas, located in Newport Beach’s Fashion Island shopping center, could be recieving a luxury upgrade soon.
 
This past week, I spoke with an individual who works for the Irvine Company (owners of Fashion Island) and he mentioned that they are currently in the planning stages for a significant remodel/upgrade to the center’s  theatre. In addition to adding stadium seating and digital projection, they are apparently looking to include food/alcohol and “further luxury services”. If everything goes as planned, work would commence in the next phase of the center’s remodeling program (Fashion Island is currently undergoing renovation). My source wasn’t aware if Edwards (REG) would continue as the operator or if the plan involved another chain taking over.
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The Island 7 has always struggled with it’s hidden location (adjacent to the second floor food court, which is buried in the outdoor shopping center) and played second fiddle to the near bye, high profile, Edwards Big Newport. So, this might be exactly what the theatre needs to finally carve out a successful niche for itself. The affluent Newport Beach crowd would also serve as an ideal clientele for such a venue. The only down side to this proposed new cinema would be the potential for overshadowing Corona Del Mar’s Port Theatre; which is currently undergoing a luxury conversion of it’s own.    

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Time Catches Up With The Megaplex Era

June 5th, 2010 by ccrouch
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This past week saw time catch up with a new generation of cinemas, as two forebearers of the megaplex era reached their proverbial end credits. First, AMC announced that they won’t be renewing their lease on the Grand 24, in Dallas, Texas. Then, Los Angeles’ Beverly Center 13 closed it’s doors to make way for retail space.

Widely considered the first true megaplex, the AMC Grand 24 opened in May of 1995 and set off the “more is better” attitude, which defined the late nineties exhibition industry, to a rather notorious extent. During the theatre’s early years, the Grand 24 set a host of attendance milestones (including a 21,000 single day attendance) and stood as one of the country’s most successful cinemas up to the new millennium. However, with the passage of time, the Grand lost ground to ever increasing competition and changing local demographics. No longer able to generate the revenue necessary to validate the Grand’s hefty overhead, AMC opted out of renewing their lease on the property; which, baring another operator stepping in, will close on November 30, 2010.

The Beverly Center 13 (originally featuring 14 screens) opened on July 16, 1982, with what was then the highest screen count in the country. An L.A. hotspot for nearly a decade, the Beverly Center thrived more as an 80′s novelty, than quality movie going destination. None the less, the theatre was a showpiece of the time, hosting countless studio screenings and sold out blockbusters. Eventually falling victim to the decline of mall culture and higher quality competition in the area, the Beverly 13 slipped from it’s premiere perch and experienced a revolving door of operators throughout the site’s final decade. Deemed more valuable for retail space than as a functioning cinema, the unit was leased to a clothing outlet and closed on June 3, 2010.

Some might say the passing of the first megaplex and one of the era’s earliest pioneers is a poetic bit of cyclical history. Each site surely played a significant role in the closure of the multiplex era and drove a somewhat final nail in the era of grand single screens. However, both of these theatres were also home to a new generation of memories and shared experiences. Just as earlier generations lost something through their era’s cinemas fading out, another generation begins to lose a little bit of itself through the closing of the Grand 24 and Beverly Center 13.

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More Fox Fullerton News

May 13th, 2010 by ccrouch
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In conjunction with the Fox Fullerton’s 85th anniversary celebration, the Fox Historic Theatre Foundation has announced that phase one of the property’s renovation will begin this fall. The $6 million project will focus on the complex’s exterior and refurbishment of adjoining commercial spaces. Work on the theatre is being scheduled for a later phase, as the commercial spaces offer the opportunity for a steady income, once tenants are able to occupy the units.

Thus far, most of the theatre renovation has consisted of basic cleanup work and efforts to stabilize the site, so as to avoid further decay. However, there  has been talk that the Fox may be up to code in the near future, allowing for regular live performances to be held in the auditorium.

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Cinema Returns to San Juan Capistrano

May 9th, 2010 by ccrouch
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The long delayed reopening of the former Edwards Franciscan Plaza 5 took place this past Friday (5/7/10). Re-christened the Regency San Juan Capistrano, the theatre has undergone a major renovation, now utilizing a Moroccan theme and featuring an eatery, “Rick’s Cafe” (both a nod to the film “Casablanca”). The theatre has also added stadium seating and cut the original screen count by one; the lost auditorium is likely a concession to the addition of the cafe and an adjoining lounge area. Of particular note, a second floor auditorium has been designated as a “VIP screening room”, offering food and alcohol service.
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By chance, the reopening fell just a couple weeks shy of the ten year anniversary of Edwards closing the theatre on 5/19/00. After a decade absence, San Juan Capistrano once again has a cinema. 

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Fox Fullerton 85th Anniversary Event

May 6th, 2010 by ccrouch
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On May 11, the Fox Fullerton will celebrate it’s 85th anniversary with an evening of festivities and free screening of “Citizen Kane”.  As with the theatre’s previous movie nights, the event will be held in the complex’s rear parking lot, utilizing the auditorium’s exterior wall for a screen. For more information, please visit the following link: Fox Fullerton Movie Night.

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40 Years Ago: The Buena Park Drive-In

April 30th, 2010 by ccrouch
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This past week marked the fortieth anniversary of the Buena Park Drive-In. Opened by Pacific Theatres, on April 24, 1970, the Buena Park was located adjacent to the smaller and older Lincoln Drive-In (formerly known as the Cina-Car Drive-In), but the two drive-ins were operated separately until the mid 80′s. Around 1985, the Lincoln was formally merged with the Buena Park and the site became a three screen, with 1,234 spaces.

As with most ozoners, rising property values and declining attendance eventually resulted in the drive-In’s land being worth more than the business. After closing in the summer of 1993, the site was quickly leveled and sold for redevelopment. Today, the former drive-in is a middle class neighborhood, located down the street from Cypress college, on Lincoln Avenue.

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Orange Drive-In Artifacts

April 27th, 2010 by ccrouch
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OC History Roundup (an excellent Orange County history blog), posted some pictures of the Crystal Cathedral’s Orange Drive-In artifact collection. Among the items on display are a pair of Koropp window speakers and a piece of the snack bar rooftop.   
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For those wondering why the Crystal Cathedral would hold on to drive-in memorabilia; the church’s founder, Dr. Robert Schuller, launched his famous ministry at the Orange Drive-In. From 1955, through roughly 1960, Dr. Schuller’s Garden Grove Community Church held Sunday services at the drive-in (with Dr. Schuller conducting sermons from the snack bar rooftop). The congregation moved from their $500 drive-in rental, to a formal church, in 1961; the new site eventually growing in to the massive Crystal Cathedral complex. The Orange Drive-In wasn’t as fortunate; after closing in 1994, the site was razed for a freeway ramp and apartments in 2003.     

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Anaheim Theatre Mystery

April 15th, 2010 by ccrouch
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Today’s picture is a bit of a mystery theatre. This architectural rendering comes from the 1920 Los Angeles  Times, announcing a “picture playhouse” to be erected in Anaheim. The only other information provided was the builder, Head & Ingram, and the architect, E.J. Borgmeyer.   
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Mystery Anaheim Theatre 
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Edward J. Borgmeyer was a prominent architect in the Los Angeles area during the first half of the twentieth century, who’s theatres included the Forum, Vermont, and Ritz. However, there appears to be no record of him ever having designed a cinema in Orange County, aside from this rendering. The 1920 date also falls during a period which doesn’t match up with any known theatres for Anaheim.
 
Failed project that never broke ground or undocumented theatre? Any feedback would be appreciated. 

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The Plight of The Miramar Theatre

April 14th, 2010 by ccrouch
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Drama, inaction, and politics continue to plague San Clemente’s Miramar Theatre. This past week, the city notified the long dormant venue’s current owner that he was in violation of city codes, due to a host of ongoing maintenance shortcommings. Naturally, this resulted in a round of finger pointing between the city and current owner, Marc Spizzurri; the city even suggesting that they may be forced to step in, which could potentially result in a lien being placed on the property.
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Miramar Theatre Present Day
 
This latest bit of posturing comes after some two decades of demolition threats, ownership turnover, and a few dozen fruitless revitalization concepts. Just four years ago, the site was mired in a fierce debate over a redevelopment plan that would see the theatre razed for a 43,000 square foot residential development; the area’s historical society ultimately staving off demolition, but failing to procure an acceptable alternative to date. As recently as this past year, the Miramar becoming the summer home for a live stage production was introduced, but a lack of interest from the city council quickly drove the idea under. Now, the city and the Miramar’s new owner face off, but neither side appears to have a concrete direction or goal in hand.
 
A far too common predicament; there is a general desire to save and honor a rare piece of history, but no party willing to invest in such an effort. As opposing sides bicker, ideas lose momentum to political indifference/budgetary concerns, and investors balk at cost estimates, the Miramar Theatre continues to decay.

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A Highly Visible Piece of Forgotten Cinema

April 6th, 2010 by ccrouch
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When a cinema closes, there is rarely an official effort made to preserve anything that doesn’t have a resale value. In recent decades, departing operators have even made a habit of damaging facilities and fixtures, to hinder any future use by competition. However, the former Edwards Huntington Cinema stands as a rare example of an operator thinking outside their bottom line (all be it through some prompting by an outside party). 
 
The Huntington Cinema opened as Edwards’ second Orange County location, on Christmas Day, 1964, and managed to last up to the megaplex era. Having served Huntington Beach for thirty four years, the theatre’s bright orange “Huntington” sign became somewhat of a local landmark by the time the venue closed, in April of 1998. While the building was quickly gutted for retail use, nearby Huntington Beach High School thought there might be a second life in store for the well known exterior sign. After approaching the Edwards family, the school’s media department director, John Colby, managed to procure a donation and the sign was installed on campus in the summer of 1998.
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Huntington Sign Present Day
 
While present day students are likely oblivious to the sign’s origins and locals now associate it more with the school than any cinema past, the Huntington sign lives on.   

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