Los Angeles Theatres: Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live: history and exterior views

1000 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015 | map |

The News: In 2025 the 806 seat "Premiere Theatre" was remodeled and rebranded as an Imax venue with both digital and 15 perf film capability, now seating 459. The other houses have been rebuilt for recliners except for the 4DX venue, #6.

More Regal L.A. Live pages: the Imax theatre | main lobby & auditoria 2-14 |

Opened: October 27, 2009 with "This Is It," the Michael Jackson film, running on all screens. This 14 screen theatre at Olympic and Georgia St. is part of the L.A. Live complex controlled by Phillip Anschutz' AEG. He owned the Regal circuit at the time this was built but sold it in 2017 to the British firm Cineworld Group. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Phone: 213-763-6070, 213-763-6071 Website: www.regmovies.com/theatres/regal-la-live-1484

Architects: Gensler and Associates was the lead architect for the L.A. Live complex and also did the Regal's exterior. The interior was done by Blair Ballard Architects. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research.

The big house: The 806 seat "Premiere Theatre" has been remodeled and rebranded as an Imax venue. The 1.90 ratio screen is about 80' wide. It was 70' wide before the renovation. It reopened December 19, 2025 with "Avatar: Fire and Ash" in 3D. For the opening it was digital only, with a CoLa single laser system. It got a 15 perf Imax 70mm projector installed in 2026.

The film system debuted with the March 13 screenings of "Project Hail Mary." See Michael Coate's In70mm article about the film's 70mm and 15 perf engagements. Ernest Nelms took the "Hail Mary" print to the Regal and has shared a fine 90 second video clip on Facebook offering a sweep around the theatre, including views inside the booth. The full width of the screen isn't used for 1.43 ratio film presentations. There is no masking. "The Odyssey" played the theatre on 70mm Imax film beginning July 16. See Michael's In70mm article "'The Odyssey': The 70mm Presentations."

Other film equipment: As of 2025 there was still a film projector installed in theatre #8.

Seating: The original capacity was 3,772 in the 14 auditoria. The largest, #1, sat 806. The other capacities were: #2 - 286, #3 - 230, #4 - 248, # 5 - 287, #6 - 4DX - 100, #7 - 219, #8 - 286, #9 - 230, #10 - 248, #11 - 286, #12 - 167, #13 - 175, #14 - 97. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Greenthing for getting some of these numbers off Fandango in 2015. He notes that #1, #5, #6, #7, #10 and #12 were equipped to show 3D. #5 was later turned into an ICE/Immersive house with a capacity of 186.

Seating upgrades: In 2025 they started a rebuild of the big house, #1, into an Imax-branded venue and the capacity also dropped in the other theatres when they began re-terracing them to install recliners. In September 2025 theatres 2, 3, 4 plus the big house were closed. By December 2025 all screens were in use except the big house. It reopened December 19 with the main floor finished but work continuing in the balcony. All the auditoria now have recliners except #6, the 4DX house. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for gathering the 2026 numbers:

Total capacity is now 1,768. #1 - Imax- 459 [280 main floor, recliners, 179 balcony, regular seats], #2 - 121, #3 - 105, #4 - 106, #5 - ICE - 122, #6 - 4DX - 104, #7 - 99, #8 - 122, #9 - 106, #10 - 106, #11 - 121, #12 - 81, #13 - 75, #14 - 41. See a seating chart for the Imax house. The balcony is in gray.

History: The L.A. Times covered the new theatre with this October 24, 2009 article by Richard Verrier:

Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for sharing this print version of the story. Also see it on the Times website: "A Hollywood opening for downtown cinema."

Opening day. This was the L.A. Live portion of the October 27 Regal directory ad in the Times.

A November 6, 2009 ad in the Times. Thanks to Scott Weinfeld for locating it.

The Times had a March 2014 article on Regal's plans to install a 4D auditorium in partnership with CJ Group, a Korean company. In 2015 the complex got a liquor license.

In August 2022 Cineworld announced that they would most likely be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its Regal subsidiary in the U.S. and possibly taking similar action for the parent company in the U.K. There were stories from Variety, the Wall Street Journal and the Hollywood Reporter about the chain's problems.

They filed in September. The L.A. Times had a September 7 story by Ryan Faughnder headed "Regal Cinemas parent company seeks bankruptcy protection..." The goal of the restructuring is to reduce the Cineworld debt load ( $5 billion excluding lease obligations) and renegotiate theatre leases with landlords. Ryan gave a rundown of the Regal history:

"It’s not the first time Regal has found itself in trouble with creditors. Regal Cinemas was founded in 1989 in Knoxville, Tenn., and rode a wave of megaplex and multiplex construction in the 1990s. As the industry faced a glut of giant theaters after years of overdevelopment, Regal declared bankruptcy in 2001 amid a wave of consolidation in the exhibition business.

"Regal completed its Chapter 11 reorganization and emerged from bankruptcy in 2002 under the ownership of an investor group led by billionaire Philip Anschutz, a developer of L.A. Live with a state-of-the-art Regal multiplex. In 2017, Regal agreed to be sold to Cineworld. The deal valued Regal at $3.6 billion. Cineworld is not the first theater operator to seek bankruptcy protection since the pandemic, but it is the largest to do so."

As of mid-2025 Regal was operating 5,565 U.S. screens in over 400 theatres in forty-one states plus the District of Columbia and Guam.

In May 2025 it was announced that the big house would be rebuilt as an Imax venue that would be both film and digital capable. It had a 70' screen -- they're saying it will be 80' after renovations. The Sherman Oaks Galleria is another of the Regal houses to get the upgrade, but not for film. Currently there are only 30 locations worldwide that show Imax 70mm film. In "Regal Adds Four Imax Theaters in U.S....," a May 19, 2025 article in The Hollywood Reporter by Etan Vlessing, they noted:

"The second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S. has expanded its partnership with the wide-screen exhibitor for new laser projection screen locations in Los Angeles, Houston and Washington, D.C. Expanding its longstanding partnership with Imax signals Regal is back spending on upgrades to its domestic circuit after parent Regal Cineworld emerged from its financial restructuring process.

"That includes turbocharging the theatrical movie experience with premium experiences like Imax and other investments. 'At Regal, we are committed to providing the latest and most innovative technologies in our theatres with the overall goal of delivering the best moviegoing experience for our guests,' Eduardo Acuna, CEO of the Regal Cineworld Group, said in a statement."

Thanks to Joel Pell for spotting the story for a post on the Cinema Tour Facebook page. He also located the Stock Titan article "Regal and Imax Expand Partnership...," in which it's asserted that the L.A. Live location, in addition to having dual laser digital machines, will also be Imax 70mm film capable, a point also noted in the THR story. From Stock Titan:

"New Agreement Includes Bringing Imax 70mm Film to Iconic L.A. Live Entertainment Complex. Regal Cinemas and Imax today announced an expansion of their longstanding partnership with an agreement for four new Imax® with Laser locations in the United States’ biggest metropolitan areas. Included in the agreement, Regal will open a new Imax theatre at the iconic L.A. Live entertainment complex in Downtown Los Angeles, with an Imax 70mm film projector and 80-foot screen that will be among the largest in the city.

"The agreement will also bring new Imax locations to three of Imax’s highest grossing metropolitan areas in the country, including Regal Greenway Grand Palace in Downtown Houston; Regal Virginia Gateway in the Gainesville suburb of Washington, DC; and Regal Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles. Three of the four new Imax locations are set to open this year, with the remaining location opening in 2026."

See a 45 second December 2025 time-lapse video clip on Facebook from Regal showing the installation of the new screen in the Imax theatre. The screen came in a 47' long crate from Strong Technical Services with the dimensions shown as 13.47 meters (44.19') x 26.58 meters (87.20')

Status: Open and running first-run films with occasional special events and revivals.

More exterior views:

A 2009 pre-opening view. Thanks to Eric Richardson for sharing the photo on Flickr.

The 110 drive-by shot. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Looking west on Olympic. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

A 2020 photo by Jay L. Glendening for the L.A. Times that appeared with "Coming....Someday. What's Next For the Movies?," an April 30, 2020 Times special report. Much of the content in the 11 articles was about what has to happen to get production started but Ryan Faughnder's article "How will movie theaters make customers feel safe after coronavirus?" was more about the theatre end of the business.

The boxoffice during a rebuild. The stripped-out wall was soon removed. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2025

The new Imax screen for theatre #1 arrives in late 2025. What had been called the "Premiere Theatre" was rebuilt with recliners and reopened on December 19. This image and the one below are from a 45 second time-lapse video clip Regal shared on Facebook.

Getting the screen in the door.

More Information: See the Cinema Tour page for 12 photos by Chris Utley. Cinema Treasures also has a page on the Regal.

The Regal L.A. Live pages: back to top - history and exterior views | the Imax theatre | main lobby & auditoria 2-14 |

Los Angeles Theatres

Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live: history and exterior views

No comments:

Post a Comment