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Today marks yet another cinematic anniversary in Orange County; the closing of the Village Theatre, in Orange, and the demise of “Captain Blood’s Family Theatres”.

 

For those unfamiliar with the Orange County theatre scene, yes, there really was a small Orange County cinema chain that went by the “Captain Blood’s Family Theatres” moniker (later shortened to the more PR friendly “Captain’s Family Theatres”). The name was based on owner Todd Blood and his being an alleged descendant of the pirate. The chain was notable for being one of the more “colorful” and notorious operations in the county.

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Back in 1995, after years of being an aspiring theatre mogul/film maker, Blood and a partner remodeled Orange’s long dormant Villa Theatre (re christened the Village Theatre), in to an eclectic, “movie fan” inspired cinema. Oddly subdivided in to a three plex and decorated with a hodgepodge of movie memorabilia, Christmas lights, and hand painted murals (including a Star Wars collage and glow-in-the-dark pirate ship), the theatre exemplified Blood’s film enthusiast over businessman approach.

 

After five years of fluctuating business and tepid customer reviews, Blood caught a break, via the millennium theatre industry implosion. Stepping in to pick up the leases of recently abandoned cinemas, his burgeoning chain acquired the Brea Plaza 5, Woodbridge 5, and Mainplace 6 theatres. In short order, the want-to-be became Orange County’s largest independent theatre chain. Unfortunately, this move also marked the chain’s slide in to local infamy.   

 

Continuing the chain’s signature decorating style and “controversial” approach to operations, Blood’s theatres quickly became known for being decrepit, customer service nightmares (all be it in a bizarre funhouse sort of fashion). Well publicized plans for extravagant renovations, film festivals, and the development of a hub for local filmmakers, failed to materialize in any significant fashion. Even the vision of creating a place for movie lovers gave way to sites that were more unsupervised  hangouts for teenage staffers than truly functional cinemas (visiting the Brea Plaza, one was likely to find the staff utilizing the lobby video projector for gaming purposes, rather than showing coming attractions). To compound matters, the chain had also far exceeded it’s financial means, resulting in frequent issues with creditors and a further decline. Never one to acknowledge such shortcomings, Blood became well known for his verbal sparing with angry customers, local critics, and disgruntled employees.

 

Hardly surprising, Captain’s Family Theatres began to fold in 2005, as landlords and city officials stepped in to stop the grand intentions gone horribly wrong. While not going out quietly, the Captain was evicted from each of his venues; the last being his first theatre, with the Village, on 8/27/06.

While you’ll find a great deal of negative feedback on this former chain and it still has somewhat of an infamous reputation in Orange County cinema circles, I prefer to remember “Captain Blood’s Family Theatres” as a colorful chapter in Orange County theatre history. Perhaps, a cautionary tale of one’s fantasies clouding better judgement.