The story
Designed in the Spanish Mission style by architect Percy Parke Lewis, the theater was built in 1930 and first opened on August 14, 1931. It was part of a widespread cinema construction program undertaken by Fox West Coast Theatres. The theater is part of Westwood Village, a 1920s Mediterranean-style village development adjoining the University of California Los Angeles, which was planned by Harold and Edwin Janss of the Janss Investment Company.
In the 1940s, the theater's backstage areas were bricked off. The theater was given a Skouras remodel in 1951, adding plaster gold swirls on the stage area side-walls, exit upgrades, new carpet, and lobby upgrades, including California Gold Rush artwork. The theater's capacity was also increased to 1,535.
In 1973, National General Theatres, the former Fox Theatres-West Coast, sold this theater to Mann Theatres. In the late 1970s, new 70mm projection equipment was installed and a larger screen was added.
In 1988, the Fox Theatre was designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as an Historic Cultural Monument (HCM #362). The theater was remodeled c. 1998-1999.
In 2010, Mann Theatres went out of business and Regency Theatres became the operator of this theater. In 2014, Regency added Dolby Atmos to the theater for the movie Transcendence. In 2019, this theater became the first THX Ultimate Cinema™ theater.
In 2019 it was featured in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
An investor group led by Jason Reitman agreed to buy the theater in February 2024. The group consisted of more than two dozen filmmakers,and a collective of over 30 prominent directors known as the Village Directors Circle including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, J. J. Abrams, Chris Columbus and Judd Apatow. The group said it planned to add a restaurant, bar, and gallery to the theater, and also to showcase props, wardrobe, and film collections from their personal collections, most notably Columbus's collection of 16mm film prints.
On July 25, 2024, the Regency Village Theater closed after its lease expired. Following a $25 million revival, the theater is set to reopen in 2027 and will be programmed by American Cinematheque.
From Wikipedia’s article on Fox Westwood Village Theater, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3