One of Los Angeles' most beloved movie theaters, the historic Village Theater in Westwood, is now under new management, and its owners include some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
On Wednesday, a coalition of directors led by Jason Reitman announced they had closed a deal to take over the 93-year-old movie palace that has been a favorite site for movie premieres since it opened in 1931, with a movie theater Spanish white 170 feet. Revival/Art Deco style tower that has long served as a beacon for movie lovers seeking old-school Hollywood glamour.
Originally part of the Fox Theaters chain, the Village, which was designated a historic-cultural landmark in 1988, has been owned and operated by the Regency Theaters group since 2010. When the theater, it used a location in Quentin Tarantino's “Once,” set in the 1960s, Once… in Hollywood”—came out last year, Reitman rushed to round up other filmmakers to buy it.
A Los Angeles native and son of the late comedy director Ivan Reitman, the director, whose films include “Up in the Air” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” had grown up watching movies in the Village. Reitman celebrated the premiere of his 2007 smash hit, “Juno,” at the theater.
The effort to save the Village Theatre, which comes at a time when movie theaters in Los Angeles and across the country continue to face financial difficulties, brought together a diverse array of Oscar-winning filmmakers whose work spans a variety of genres. . The theater's new owners include directors such as Christopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Christopher McQuarrie, Judd Apatow, Damien Chazelle, Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Hannah Fidell, Alejandro González Iñárritu, James Gunn. , Sian Heder, Rian Johnson, Gil Kenan, Karyn Kusama, Justin Lin, Phil Lord, David Lowery, Chris Miller, Todd Phillips, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reitman, Jay Roach, Seth Rogen, Emma Seligman, Emma Thomas, Denis Villeneuve, Lulu Wang and Chloé Zhao.
The theater, which features a large auditorium seating more than 1,300 people, with a 70mm capacity screen and an upgraded sound system, will showcase a mix of first-run films and repertory programming selected by the theater owners.
Patrons outside the Village Theater at a “Barbie” screening last year.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Several of the filmmakers, including Justin Lin, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, Brad Silberling and Alexander Payne, are alumni of UCLA, which is just a block from the theater.
Inside the house, the directors plan to display artifacts from their personal collections, including props, costume items and film prints. Eventually, there are plans to add a restaurant, bar and gallery, but the theater will remain open at all times.
Reitman spoke to The Times by phone Wednesday about the inspiration behind the deal, the state of movie attendance and what the future holds for Village Westwood.
Long before you were a director, you grew up going to the Village Theatre. What are your first memories of be there?
Reitman: I really remember standing in line on that corner while my father took me to the movies. That was my introduction to the movie-going experience: arriving early, standing in line around the corner, and feeling part of a community of people who loved movies, who couldn't wait to see a movie on opening night, and who They knew that the Before and After movie conversation was almost as important as watching the movie itself.
Many filmmakers clearly have a special place in their hearts for this theater, given the number of people who came together to be a part of it. When did the conversation about taking over the Village start?
What's amazing to me is how quickly this all came together.
I heard the theater was for sale last summer and remembered what happened to the National Theater a few blocks away. [which closed in 2007 and was demolished]. I also heard that one of the bidders was interested in turning it into a live musical theater venue and another bidder was interested in turning the interior into a retail space.
I immediately made an offer and started contacting directors I knew. And the response was quick and positive. I think the first directors I spoke to were Rian Johnson and Guillermo del Toro, who immediately said they were in. And the more directors I asked, the more positive feedback I received and the more I kept hearing the same thing, which was that, unknowingly, we had a common vision of collectively owning a movie theater that could serve as a community center for everyone who loves movies, a place where you can have a coffee or a bite to eat before or a drink after and love movies in every way.
Obviously, this has been a difficult time for many movie theaters, especially in Los Angeles, and some, like the ArcLight and Landmark have not survived. At the same time, we're also seeing new signs of life in the local film scene with theaters like the egyptian, Vidiots and Quentin Tarantino's Vista Theater and the announcement of a new film festival. How do you see your purchase of the Village in the context of all this?
You know, we've spent the last few years inside and we're all relearning why we want to go out, why we want to watch sports, why we want to go out and dance. Live streaming has made it easy to watch things at home. But in doing so we have lost something really important, which is the regular experience of going to the movies and watching them together.
There's a reason why Christmas is the most movie-loving day of the year. It's that day when you're with your family and you need to find an activity that you can do together no matter what. Movies really bring us together and I think this is a great time to shine a light on how fun it is to go to the movies and how important movies are for building community.
That community building is particularly difficult in a city like Los Angeles, but the Village It has been an integral part of downtown Westwood for a long time.
You know, there's something in the name: Westwood is a village and this theater is called the Village. I think that's what we all long for. No matter how technologically advanced we are, no matter how much we long for the city center, there is a part of us that always longs for a village. This is a town for movies.
With so many filmmakers involved and such a diverse group, how do you envision the theater's repertory programming evolving?
I think the programming will be a reflection of the directors and I'm very proud of the fact that there is a very intergenerational group that represents all film genres. This is a movie theater owned by Christopher Nolan and Emma Seligman, Steven Spielberg and Lulu Wang.
We want this to be a showcase of first-run movies on one of the largest screens in the country with the best image and the best sound. And at the same time, a place where you can see independent cinema, international cinema, rep-house cinema, programmed by one of your favorite directors.
So what will happen in the coming months? Obviously the theater will remain open, but it seems there are quite ambitious plans to remake it with a restaurant and bar.
[Dryly] Well, as you know, renovations in Los Angeles are easy. The construction is very simple.
The theater will remain open for the foreseeable future as we finish putting plans together, but things are already in the works. We have an exciting vision that includes dining, drinking, movies, gallery viewing, and programming of new and old movies, and we can't wait to share it with everyone.
Do those plans involve acquiring another property adjacent to or nearby the theater?
[Laughs] Do you know how difficult it was to get a group of 30 people together to buy this building? Right now, I honestly feel like I'm living in a dream. It was literally a matter of months that I was standing in front of this theater, wondering if I could help save it. And just a week ago, I was in the lobby with my heroes, directors who were among the reasons I became a director, and we stood together like a group of giddy kids, in disbelief that we now own this theater. And that emotion carries me every day right now.
Will the repertoire programming begin soon? Any hint of what we can expect.?
It's a great question and we can't wait to share more. I think we're going to have to find a balance.
Here's what I would say: I love what's happening in Los Angeles right now and would love to see it eventually happen across the country. And with the Village, we believe there is an opportunity to not only have a great community home for film in Los Angeles, but also to create the type of theater that we hope will one day exist across the country.
