Irvine Spectrum 21 & IMAX

65 Fortune Drive,
Irvine, CA 92618

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Showing 1 - 25 of 26 comments

Nothing But Cinema
Nothing But Cinema on March 18, 2024 at 7:34 pm

Please update, there are 21 screens in use, manually checked today using Fandango. Auditorium list: 1, 2!, 3!, 4!, 5!, 6!, 7!, 8!, 9!, 10, 11, 12 (IMAX), 13, 14 (RPX), 15 (4DX), 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 (ScreenX), 21

The “!” indicates 21+ VIP auditoriums

totoroisacinephile
totoroisacinephile on June 18, 2023 at 6:34 pm

Remodeled and rebranded into a Regal Cinemas location sometime in the early 2020s not long after Cineworld acquired Regal and gave their flagship theatres a makeover.

Fotomac
Fotomac on July 30, 2022 at 12:16 am

Scott, I don’t think this Edwards skipped 13, and as far as I can tell there’s still 21 screens, including the IMAX.

Scott Neff
Scott Neff on July 27, 2022 at 7:05 pm

In regard to inflightmagazines comment from 2021… I think all Edwards locations skipped theater 13, which means if they opened as a “21” it was always just 20. I could be wrong.

Fotomac
Fotomac on July 27, 2022 at 4:58 am

Now that I know the ScreenX auditorium is 20, what’s the front-side ratio there? (If a picture of a lonely screening from 2018 is anything to go by, I believe the main screen is 1.85:1.)

Spectrum Entertainment
Spectrum Entertainment on March 22, 2022 at 11:21 am

The cinema’s full name is now: “Regal Irvine Spectrum ScreenX, 4DX, IMAX, RPX & VIP.” Its opening films include Toy Story (on four screens), Nick of Time (on two screens), Casino (on two screens), Money Train (on two screens), The American President (on two screens), GoldenEye (on two screens), Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (on two screens), Leaving Las Vegas, The Crossing Guard, Carrington, and Get Shorty.

Flix70
Flix70 on February 23, 2021 at 3:01 pm

Irvine Spectrum was quite a revelation when it opened 25 years ago last fall. Back then the center was just a handful of shops & restaurants (B&N, Diedrich Coffee, Champs) and the massive 21-screen theater.

It became the go-to destination for catching dinner & a flick with friends, even when I was living in Costa Mesa & Fullerton.

The Hollywood & Palace were the massive stadium-style theaters, while the Chinese & Egyptian were big, but more intimate. You always hoped your movie was playing in one of the four. Luckily they were noted in the newspaper ads.

Can remember seeing 12 Monkeys, Executive Decision, Twister, Mission Impossible, The Rock, Boogie Nights & Magnolia there, to name a few. Even remember catching Meet Joe Black so I could get my first glimpse of the Star Wars Episode 1 trailer.

Caught a few in the early 2000s, but as the center grew it kind of lost its allure. Last thing I saw there was The Hateful Eight in 2015.

Fotomac
Fotomac on October 6, 2020 at 2:37 am

Which auditorium is the ScreenX theatre?

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 10, 2017 at 5:01 pm

Regal carried out a remodeling of this theater beginning in 2015. Reseating has undoubtedly reduced the overall capacity, but I haven’t been able to discover the current number. The plans for the remodeling were by BB Architects, and the firm’s web site features this slide show with eight photos displaying some of the results.

Flix70
Flix70 on December 29, 2015 at 4:03 pm

Can anyone tell me the screens numbers for the Palace, Hollywood, Egyptian and Chinese theaters?

Flix70
Flix70 on December 29, 2015 at 3:59 pm

Caught The Hateful Eight here in 70mm over the weekend, only theater in OC showing the road show version. They had it in a tiny little theater, looked like any other standard presentation. The only reason I knew it was film and not digital was the sound of the projector. Glad I saw it, but 70mm road shows are not made for little multiplex screens. Really felt bad when I stepped out at intermission and saw that the large Hollywood screen across the hall was sitting empty (no doubt in between Star Wars screenings).

greenth1ng
greenth1ng on August 4, 2015 at 8:39 pm

Seating capacities for the new VIP theaters (via Fandango’s reserved seating service):

  • Theater 2 – 73 seats

  • Theater 3 – 58 seats

  • Theaters 4 & 7 – 81 seats

  • Theaters 5 & 6 – 63 seats

  • Theater 8 – 68 seats

  • Theater 9 – 85 seats

rivest266
rivest266 on May 24, 2015 at 5:46 pm

December 22nd, 1995 grand opening ad in photo section

Marklar
Marklar on November 14, 2012 at 1:25 am

I think the first movie I saw here was Jurassic Park: The Lost World but I vividly remember seeing the re-released Star Wars movies here in 1997.

RobertAlex
RobertAlex on May 24, 2012 at 12:53 pm

Regal’s RPX Screen opens here Friday, 5/25 in what was the Egyptian auditorium.

rivest266
rivest266 on November 16, 2009 at 8:42 pm

The 1996 grand opening ad can be seen at the Orange Coast Magazine at View link (Page 11)

CTCrouch
CTCrouch on December 19, 2007 at 3:18 am

The property is sandwiched between the 5 and 405, beside the “Y” merger of the two freeways. Back when it opened, there was a small retail courtyard in front of the theatre and a few office buildings in the immediate area (the most significant being the Western Digital building). The theatre was a gawdy beacon, who’s violet neon glow could be seen for miles in all directions. However, within a decade, the area was developed to near capacity and the theatre was virtually encapsulated.

Recently (12/07), I noticed that a set of retail “blocks” were being constructed on either side of the theatre’s main entrance (seperated from the theatre structure by a matter of a few feet), further smothering the building in developement. While the neon roof top is still visible from a distance, on site, one has to almost be at the front doors to see the theatre.

A once dramatic structure that has lost much of it’s visual impact in the name of progress.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on November 6, 2007 at 7:36 pm

I went to the Irvine Spectrum shortly after construction was completed. At that time it was in the middle of nowhere. Much more development circling the complex as of today.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 6, 2007 at 7:17 pm

Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 was designed by the architectural firm of Perkowitz + Ruth. It was the first entertainment center the firm had designed. Perkowitz + Ruth would go on to design many cinemas for Edwards and other exhibitors.

Coate
Coate on March 22, 2007 at 1:21 am

“300” is currently playing here in IMAX.

http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/300_imax_dmr.htm

scottof83
scottof83 on July 6, 2006 at 10:41 pm

To Mike.

The total capacity of this theater is 5862.

As for the theme aditoriums.
The Palace has 579 seats.
The Chinese has 586 seats.
The Egyptian has 582 seats.
The Hollywood has 583 seats.
And the IMAX has 546 seats.

the others range from 131 to 270 seats.

Bway
Bway on June 19, 2006 at 7:53 am

Did someone ever add the Century 25 to the site?

Chris Utley
Chris Utley on October 31, 2005 at 5:38 pm

The theatre mentioned in the first comment is Century Theatres' “Century 25 Stadium Promenade”, built on the former grounds of the Stadium Drive-In.

Chris Utley
Chris Utley on October 31, 2005 at 3:39 pm

One of the most overrated movie theatres in Southern California…if not the country as a whole…Regal/Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 is only worth visiting if you’re seeing a film in either the IMAX, Chinese, Egyptian, Palace or Hollywood auditoriums. Every other auditorium in the theatre is a shoebox – cramped and stuffy with very small screens and very inferior sound systems.