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Topic: UA Westwood 3
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Brad Erickson
Member
Posts: 117
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: May 2006
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posted January 14, 2008 09:05 AM
During the 70's it was called the UA Cinema Center; during the mid-70's to early 80's they booked some mainstream Hollywood product, some art house fare and most of the time it ended up being a move-over house. They had Fri-Sat Midnight shows during the time period which were quite popular; Rocky Horror, Kentucky Fried Movie and Dawn of the Dead were mainstays at Midnight, with 4th screen rotation of other cult films. The midnight shows were a hit; I worked at the Village (1980-1982) and frequented the UA Cinema Center late shows with co-workers. Screens #1 & #2 were big theatres, while #3 & #4 were small theatres. Before it was remodled, it turned into a sad little theatre that did not have large patronage.
In 1983 the UA Cinema Center and the single screened UA Westwood (Currently Mann Festival) were both comepletly remodeled. The UA Cinema Center was now the UA Coronet and reopened with Gorky Park (2 screens) Reuben Reuben (2 screens) (still a 4 plex) and was showcase theatre for Orion Pictures, (and later on Tri-Star also). Films like Platoon, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cotton Club, The Bounty, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Dances with Wolves helped turn the Coronet into a popular theatre in Westwood. By the Early 90's UA remodled again and turned to 2 smaller theatres into one biggger theatre; it then turned into a tri-plex. The 90's saw the bookings change and Day/Date Columbia films and Miramax became the theatres main booking studios until it closed in early 2002/
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Brad Erickson
Member
Posts: 117
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: May 2006
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posted January 14, 2008 03:32 PM
Day/Date, sorry. I mean't to say they were new films and not move-overs. The 2 large auditoriums were facing Westwood Blvd (west); the 2 small screens were isle down the middle faced north, about 200 seats each. The small screens were mostly used for move-overs from the large screens. When it went from being the Coronet to the United Artists in the early 90's The candy counter was moved to cover the entrance of one of the doors, and the screen was turned facing east instead of north. The box office when it was called UA Cinema Center was inside, the Coronet remodel had the box office on Westwood Blvd, they moved the box office to the entrance area where it remained until the theatre closed. The UA Cinema Center was a real dive; the remodel really turned it around and it was a pleasant theatre, and it stayed that way until the very end.
United Artists' other Westwood theatre was the UA Westwood, which was remodeled in 1983 (same time as UA Cinema Center) and reopened as the UA EGYPTIAN WESTWOOD,film that opened was SILKWOOD. Its inside decor was Egyptian theme and really did not fit the theatre. In 1988 Cineplex Odeon took the lease and renamed it the ODEON theatre. In 1993 MANN took the lease and renamed it Mann Festival.
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Brad Erickson
Member
Posts: 117
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: May 2006
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posted January 14, 2008 04:05 PM
Mark,
From the early 70's up until 1987 when the AMC Century 14 opened; Westwood, Century City and West L.A. were one zone, and in most cases the larger theatres were area exclusive. Films that played in most of these theatres did not play around a certain radius for weeks (or months) Everything that played in Santa Monica had already had a Westwood or Century City run and moved to SM once it went 2nd run. I grew up in Santa Monica and had to Bus to WW and CC to see new movies.
This was the theatre situation during that era.
CENTURY CITY: Plitt Century Plaza Twin (GREAT! I MEAN GREAT THEATRES, you would have loved the Plitt) ---------------------------------------------------------------- WESTWOOD: Mann National (Just wonderful. I remember when this theatre was practically new and just was in awe by its beauty and the presentation. It was beyond anything Santa Monica had to offer. The Plitt Century plaza Twins was the same way. Both will never be replicated again.)
Mann Village
Mann Bruin
Mann Westwood (opened Dec 1975 as tri-plex turned into 4-plex, closed in 2002.)
Laemmle Regent (later Mann, now Landmark)
Laemmle Plaza (later Mann)
GCC Avco Center Cinemas (originally 3 theatres, downstairs was large and split into 2 in 1993, now AMC)
UA Westwood (later, UA Egyptian, ODEON Cinema, Now Mann Festival)
UA Cinema Center (later, UA Coronet the finally United Artists Cinemas)
Crest (different owners; Century Cinema, SRO theatres, then Pacific. Changed into the Metro and then returned to Crest when Pacific remodeled it) --------------------------------------------------------------- WEST LOS ANGELES (Pico & Westwood Blvd) Pacific Picwood (Another theatre you would have loved, torn down in 1985)
Westland Twins (Dinky theatres near May Co; torn down to bldg. Westside Pavilion, Indie theatre until Laemmle took over until it closed in (I think) 1981). --------------------------------------------------------------- WEST LOS ANGELES: Laemmle ROYAL (Nothing has changed about this theatre)
Landmark NUART (originally a revival theatre, with double feature changes daily, later turned into what it is currently) [ January 14, 2008, 05:37 PM: Message edited by: Brad Erickson ]
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