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Dozen Hollywood Directors The Westwood (CA) Village Theatre
Dozen Hollywood Directors The Westwood (CA) Village Theatre
It looks like Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Theatre now has some competition. A dozen well known directors including Steven Spielberg, Bradly Cooper, and Christopher Nolan have acquired The Westwood Village Theatre. They plan to run first run along with repertory films.
In an effort to keep the movie theater industry alive – beyond creating many films we know and love – some of Hollywood’s most celebrated filmmakers are the proud new owners of an historic movie theater in Los Angeles.
Led by “Juno” and “Ghostbusters” director Jason Reitman, a coalition of 35 filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, Bradley Cooper, Chloé Zhao and Christopher Nolan have acquired the Village Theater, a 93-year-old landmark located in Los Angeles’ Westwood neighborhood.
The coalition’s mission, according to a news release sent to CNN on Wednesday, is to “preserve the architectural gem and create a cultural landmark dedicated to the beloved experience of movie going.”
Spielberg said in a statement on Wednesday that he has vivid memories of seeing movies at the Village Theater. “I am excited to be part of this group that is intent on restoring Westwood to its glory years as a film-going cultural institution,” he added.
Judd Apatow, Damien Chazelle, Ryan Coogler, Alfonso Cuarón, Todd Phillips, Emma Thomas, Denis Villeneuve, Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn and Alexander Payne, among others, are also part of Reitman’s coalition of theater investors.
Reitman has a personal connection to the Village Theater, recalling in a statement that he was inspired to jump on this opportunity having held a number of his movies’ premieres at the theater, including “Juno,” “Up In the Air” and the recent “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”
When the Village Theater went on the market, Reitman said, “I immediately made an offer and hoped my fellow directors would join me on this adventure. We take this stewardship very seriously and hope to offer a true community for anyone who loves the movies.”
Under its new starry ownership, the Village Theater will showcase both first-run and previously released classics that will be shown on the theater’s standard and large-scale screens. Inside, the filmmakers will also showcase props, wardrobe and film prints from their personal collections.
The Village Theater has been a Los Angeles staple since the 1930s and continues to host some of Hollywood’s buzziest movie premieres.
The Village is America’s greatest still-extant classic cinema, and I will die on that hill. Back in the day when I was doing a lot of work in LA I kept a place on Hilgard Ave. so that I could walk to all the great Westwood theatres, and the Village and its sister the Bruin were my favorites (as was the National, the loss of which still rankles). So I am happy that is being saved, but there are actually 36 different directors now invested in this plan to keep it up and running. That’s a lot of egos fighting over one screen. I hope to Christ that they hire an experienced operator to do the actual management. What would be the smarter move, I think, is to go non-profit and hand the operation to the American Cinematheque, the AMPAS or the Los Angeles Conservancy, and to seek landmark status for the building if it isn’t already.
Now I hope some other money Hollywood movie people with cash can buy the old long closed Warner/Pacific Hollywood Cinerama Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Showcase the large curved screen roadshow experience for the local and worldwide tourists that visit Hollywood. The Pacific Theatres /Decurion Christopher Forman family need the money. They just sit on the huge Warner Hollywood Theatre in Hollywood for way to many closed up years, they miss the tourist business.
The Fox Village is a nice movie theatre but hard to park. Flat big wide screen with 70mm projection great Dolby sound. Let's see If the new owners bring back some showmanship to the former Fox West Coast Village Theatre in Westwood. It will be a big tax write off for them If they remodel.
Show the live in person star new sneak previews that the Fox Village is famous for and old 35mm/70mm classics on the large screen.
I wonder if the Fox neon tower sign even still works?
Some fun pictures tagged on google maps. Probably cheaper investment than the Westwood Village, but small town cinemas are just as worthy of saving. ;-)
Every time I see stories like this I ask why they don’t care as much about theaters outside of Los Angeles. Nebraska (and Sacramento for that matter) deserves good theaters also.
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