Fox Theater, Westwood Village

The Fox Theatre, Westwood Village, also known as the Fox Village Theatre, is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Westwood Village, in the heart of Westwood, is near the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It is currently operated by Regency Theaters under the name Regency Village Theatre. The Westwood Village Theatre has been the site for many Hollywood movie premieres in Los Angeles.[2][3] The seating capacity of the cinema is about 1,400.[4]

Fox Village Theatre
Fox Village Theatre with iconic tower
Location961 Broxton Avenue, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34.062684°N 118.447407°W / 34.062684; -118.447407
Built1931
ArchitectPercy Parke Lewis
Architectural style(s)California Churrigueresque
(Spanish Colonial Revival)
Governing bodyPrivate
DesignatedJune 21, 1988[1]
Reference no.362
Fox Theater, Westwood Village is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Fox Theater, Westwood Village
Location of Fox Village Theatre in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
The Emoji Movie premiere, Westwood Village

Architectural features

Designed by architect Percy Parke Lewis,[5] the Fox was originally built in 1930 and first opened on August 14, 1931,[4] in a Spanish Mission style.[5][4] The theatre was part of a widespread cinema construction program undertaken by Fox West Coast Theatres. The theatre is part of the 1929 Westwood Village, a Mediterranean-style village development adjoining the University of California Los Angeles planned by Harold and Edwin Janss of the Janss Investment Company.

A feature of the theater is the 170-foot[6] white Spanish Revival/Moderne[7] tower which looms over the Broxton and Weyburn Avenues intersection. Atop the tower is a blue and white metal Art Deco “Fox” sign, which was renovated in the late 1980s.

Carved winged lions sit halfway up the tower at the base of projecting columns. A blue and white sign with the legend "Fox Westwood Village" is positioned at the bottom of the tower just above the entrance. By night, the elegant white tower literally becomes a beacon with its signs and the shaft of the tower illuminated.

The rectangular cinema building immediately behind the tower features long rows of Churrigueresque stucco decorations. Perched atop the corners of the building stand carved griffins.

History

In the 1940s, the backstage areas were bricked off.[4]

On October 18, 1951, the Village Theatre was given a Skouras era remodel and reopened, increasing the seating capacity to 1,535, with plaster gold swirls on the stage area side-walls, exit upgrades, new seats, new carpet, and lobby upgrades, including California Gold Rush artwork.[4][8]

In 1973, National General Theatres, the former Fox Theatres-West Coast, sold this theater to Ted Mann, then owner of the Chinese Theatre, becoming part of the Mann Theatres chain.[9]

In the late 1970s new 70mm projection equipment was installed and a larger screen added.

In 1988, the Fox Theatre was designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as an Historic Cultural Monument (HCM #362).[1]

Circa 1998-1999, the theater had a remodeling, getting new seating and carpet.[4]

In 2010, Mann Theatres went out of business. Regency Theatres purchased both the Village Theatre and a multiplex cinema at "The Plant" in Van Nuys, California.[10]

In 2014, Regency added the immersive Dolby Atmos sound system to the theater in time for the movie Transcendence.

In 2019, it became the first THX Ultimate Cinema™ theatre.[11]

Movie premieres

Westwood Village hosts around 24 movie premieres per year.[12] Among the major releases debuting here are: [2][3][13][14] Robots, The Fast and the Furious, A Star Is Born, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, James Bond films, JFK, Mission: Impossible, Batman, each Harry Potter film, Independence Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Emoji Movie, The Lego Movie, Shrek, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs franchise, Overlord, Venom, Murder Mystery, Hairspray, Bullet Train,[15] and hundreds of others.

The 1999 music video for Praise You by Fatboy Slim was filmed on the sidewalk in front of the Bruin Theater, across from the Village Theater.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

References
  1. Department of City Planning. "Designated Historic-Cultural Monuments". City of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  2. Thorne, William (October 1, 2015). "Westwood home to long history of Hollywood film debuts since 1931". Daily Bruin. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  3. "Movie Premiere Westwood Village". Getty Images. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  4. "Regency Village Theater - Mann Village Theater". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  5. "Fox Westwood Village Theatre". ArchitectDB. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  6. "Village Theatre reopens tonight in Westwood". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 1951.
  7. Gebhard, David; Winter, Robert (2003). An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles (5 ed.). Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1-58685-308-2.
  8. "Carl G. Moeller: Theatre Architect". historic theatre photos .com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  9. "National General's Chinese". cinelog.org. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  10. Linthicum, Kate (April 1, 2010). "2 historic Westwood theaters saved from possible closure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  11. "THX Launches World's First THX Ultimate Cinema™ at Regency Westwood Village Theatre". THX. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  12. Zhang, Enming (April 29, 2019). "Committee discusses movie premieres' impact on Westwood Village businesses". Daily Bruin. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  13. "Movie premieres in Westwood Village". Westwood Village Improvement Association. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  14. Rizzo, Carita (August 10, 2018). "Mark Wahlberg, Peter Berg Talk Making a "Character-Driven Action Movie" With 'Mile 22'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  15. "'Bullet Train' premiere in Los Angeles". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  16. Fatboy Slim. "Praise You (Official Video)". youtube. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  17. Babcock, Jay (February 18, 2011). ""The Golden Notebooks" by Paul Cullum (Arthur, 2004)". Arthur Magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  18. "The 20 Best Music Videos Ever Shot in Los Angeles". LA Weekly. October 18, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  19. Keon, Conor Mc (August 5, 2011). "10 Funny Music Videos for Unfunny Songs". Vulture. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  20. "I Want My MTV: Praise You by Fatboy Slim". Warped Factor. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  21. "Classic Tracks: Fatboy Slim 'Praise You'". soundonsound.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  22. Music Experience Lab (January 1, 2020). "Sunday Foot-tap Session — Praise You by Fatboy Slim". Medium. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
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