Who You Gonna Call? To Save a Theater, Jason ReitmanI've learned the iconic Fox in Westwood will soon be owned by the Oscar-nominated 'Juno' helmer
“I remember going in the mid-seventies and the Village always loomed largest of any theater in my life,” author Bret Easton Ellis tells me. He evangelizes the Fox Village Theater in Westwood Village in his most recent novel, The Shards. “I love the old school ambiance and the restrooms that haven’t been touched since the 1930s and the bare-boned concession stands, and I’m very grateful they refurbished the seats. The first film I saw there was Paper Moon with my parents and sister; it was a matinee and it was packed. I actually don’t remember a time in the seventies and eighties when it wasn’t near sold out or at least damn crowded. On a Friday or Saturday — [Westwood] was the red-hot center of youth culture in Southern California. Every teen was out in Westwood.” In recent years, Westwood Village’s theaters and business have faded but now, The Ankler has learned, the Fox, at least, is about to have its second wind. Academy nominated director Jason Reitman, 46, who grew up on L.A.’s Westside, is leading an ownership group that is weeks away from assuming control of the 1,400-seat theater that has been the setting for countless industry premieres dating back to the 1930s and which stands alongside only the TCL Chinese Theater and Grauman’s Egyptian as the most iconic cinema venues in Los Angeles. It was during the Sundance Film Festival that we first heard about Reitman’s plans, which were then confirmed by a local real estate broker. The commercial real estate tracking website CoStar reports that the theater is currently in escrow after being on the market for a year, and last week, I stopped by the Fox Theater and a manager confirmed that Reitman was in fact poised to become the new owner. The manager did suggest that a group of individuals who work in the entertainment industry were also in on the deal but he wasn’t able to share or confirm any additional names. WME, which represents Reitman, declined to comment. What Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, Labor Day) and his team have in store for this corner lot theater in the heart of Westwood Village is the question. According to a broker’s sales sheet that I reviewed, the historic theater at 945 Broxton Avenue consists of 24,099 square feet, 17,000 of which is taken up by the theater, which was awarded landmark status back in 1988. The remaining 6,944 square feet is made up of retail along Weyburn that is currently leased by three companies including a Starbucks. While certainly tricky given the Fox’s landmark status and the limited amount of retail space, there could be an opportunity to develop the non-landmarked portion of the lot. One source says that a development plan that includes adding additional screens was in the works, or at least being discussed, although that scenario would likely require acquiring at least one or several adjacent properties. According to the broker’s sales sheet, the property is currently owned by a trust and the sale is being handled by Newmark. A commercial broker told me that at one point the property was listed for around $12 million but was in need of a significant retrofit that this broker said was around $6 million.
Having spent most of his childhood growing up in L.A., the son of director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Meatballs, Twins, Stripes) and mother Geneviève Robert, who was an actress, Reitman falls into the category of a Gen X-er who can remember when Westwood Village was one the preeminent moviegoing destinations in the country. It’s hard to believe but not too long ago, Westwood was a primary venue for youth culture in the city. The Village, of course, is still home to a handful of excellent theaters — the Fox still and the adjacent Regency Bruin being the most prominent. But over the past two decades its once burgeoning theater scene has suffered through closure after closure and Westwood has been largely ignored as other neighborhoods around the city revitalized. A gang-related shooting that took place back in 1988 that killed a teenage bystander sent shockwaves through the community and the youth scene there never fully recovered. Some argue that the opening of the Beverly Center in 1982, which included a 14-screen multiplex — then the largest number of movie screens in any U.S. shopping mall — was when the axis started to shift away from Westwood. Other multiplexes like the 15-screen AMC complex inside the Westfield Century City mall, expanded in 2017 to include all sorts of high-end retail and restaurants, added yet another user-friendly alternative for moviegoers. Woeful parking options and overly aggressive homeowner’s associations blocking all but the most conservative development projects also didn’t help. Here’s a quick recap of some of the theaters that came and went:
As its theater scene atrophied, Westwood Village struggled to refashion its identity beyond offering up cheap eats (with a few exceptions) and big box retailers to UCLA students and faculty. “Westwood is really quiet these days and it always seems somewhat deserted. I haven’t been to the Village Theater in the last 10 years or so where there were more than I would say 40-50 people in the theater,” says Ellis. When asked about the prospect of new ownership led by a widely respected writer/director, he says: “It seems very ambitious and selfishly I’d be happy if it was left alone because I really enjoy going to a noir-like theater out of the 1930s. But it depends on what they do with it. Are they going to show first run movies that are in absolutely pristine condition or do they want to do something else with it? It’s a landmark in L.A. for me and I’m worried and concerned, but then again maybe it’ll be in the right hands.” Follow us: X | Facebook | Instagram | Threads Got a tip or story pitch? Email tips@theankler.com. To advertise to our 64,000 subscribers, email info@theankler.com. ICYMI
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