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In addition to opening blockbuster films, December has a long tradition of opening new theatres. Here is a look at Orange County’s December opening history:   . Edwards Huntington 12/25/65 Edwards Harbor 12/25/70 Edwards Cinema Viejo 12/25/70 Jerry Lewis Mini Cinema 12/10/171 AMC Orange Mall 12/16/71 UA Village 12/22/72 Edwards Bristol 12/74 UA A & […]

Today marks the twenty-first anniversary of the AMC Fullerton. Opened on 12/18/87, as an eight-plex, the theatre would go on to add two more auditoriums in the early 90’s and expand in to a twenty screen megaplex in 1997. For a brief period, in the mid 90’s, this theatre was considered one of the busiest (per […]

This month marks the ten year anniversary of Orange County’s largest (by number of screens) movie theatre, AMC’s Block 30. The theatre, which was built at the height of the late 90’s mega-plex craze, exemplified the era’s “more is better” approach; which relied more on screen count and an ability to efficiently herd a huge number of customers […]

This past week, I ran in to a long abandoned bit of multiplex “flair”; the booth viewing window. Back in the mid to late 80’s, many multiplexes were equipped with a small to medium sized window that allowed customers a view of the “inner workings” of the theatre’s projection booth. This feature was almost exclusively tied in with the second floor […]

Yesterday, I posted on AMC Mainplace being the first Orange County theatre to break the $6 ticket barrier. Following a quick bit of research, I ran across some additional “controversial” ground this venue broke in the county.   In August of 1988, Mainplace held the Orange County exclusive engagement for “The Last Temptation of Christ”. The film’s religiously controversial subject […]

This weekend marks the twenty first anniversary of the Mainplace 6 in Santa Ana. The theatre’s September 25, 1987 opening marked a significant leap forward in multiplex design, exemplifying the movement away from generic “shoebox” cinemas, and was part of, then operator, AMC’s second push in to Southern California. On a more novel note, Mainplace 6 also […]

September holds a rather dubious place in the history of Orange County drive-ins, as four of the county’s outdoor cinemas were closed during this month; the previously outlined Mission Drive-In (9/8/85), the La Habra Drive-In (9/10/89), the Orange Drive-In (9/11/94), and the Stadium Drive-In (9/12/96).   Here is a quick look at the drive-ins that have come and gone in Orange […]

Today marks the twenty third anniversary of San Juan Capistrano’s Mission Drive-In closure. At one time, Orange County featured eleven drive-ins, but, by the late nineties, all had fallen victim to the economics of skyrocketing property values and a declining interest in the viewing format. The Mission, which was the eighth drive-in to open in Orange County and the fourth to close, on September 8, 1985, […]

Considering the looming presidential election, I thought a look at the White House cinema might be appropriate.  Film had a rather inappropriate (by today’s standards) debut at the White House, via the screening of D.W. Griffith’s racially controversial “Birth of a Nation”, in 1915. The film, which depicts extreme racial stereotypes and the Klu Klux Klan […]

At 12:29 PM, on February 8, 1980, Mann’s Woodbridge 5 sat ready to open, as the city of Irvine’s first movie theatre. At 12:30 PM, the theatre opened it’s doors, as Edwards’ latest entry in the Orange County market. A cinema changing operators is normally a matter of little note. Be it a merger, buyout, […]