UA Warner Center
6050 Canoga Avenue,
Woodland Hills,
CA
91367
6050 Canoga Avenue,
Woodland Hills,
CA
91367
5 people
favorited this theater
This theater was in the heart of Warner Center, located behind a Mexican restaurant and next to an old Wickes Furniture store on Canoga Avenue in Woodland Hills. It was opened December 15, 1978, and it seemed to age practically overnight when the huge AMC Promenade opened up its 16-screen venue two blocks away during the spring of 1996…thus ushering in the megaplex construction boom of the late-1990’s.
Although boasting a half-dozen screens of its own, this multiplex had trouble competing; not even the opening of a Fry’s Electronics store in the old Wickes building next door could help to increase their business. After leaning towards foreign and art-house fare during the last couple years of showing films, it ceased operations permanently in 1999.
Within a year or two, it had been torn down and a huge public storage building was erected in its place.
Contributed by
Lavar Burkhart
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Recent comments (view all 19 comments)
Here is a February 1983 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/y9a727h
I opened this place in Dec 1978. Just turned 16 years old in November. This was my first “real” job.
Great memories, or I wouldn’t be on this website.
Kurt Messerschmidt
I doubt AlanSanborn is still watching this page, but if anyone else mistakenly believes that the United Artists Westwood Theatre is (shamefully) missing from the Cinema Treasures database, it can be found listed under its later name, the Mann Festival Theatre.
For some reason it is this theatre that is most vivid in my youth, growing up in the 80s! It certainly wasn’t your vintage, classic looking movie house. It looked very much like a mall theatre, except on large room and a bunch of theatres—mostly small except for the 2 main ones on either far side of the concession counter. I would spend all day there many times, especially during the summer. Saw Every Which Way But Loose in the small theatre to the right of the concession stand. Saw Superman there in the big theatre to the right. The Shining was playing there but my friend and I were too scared to stay in the theatre. How we managed to theatre hop all day is beyond me, there really wasn’t any way to be discreet about it with their lobby set up. Saw Bladerunner and loved it as a 12 year old. Cont: in following comment…
(cont) Saw Moment By Moment of course—I mean it was Travolta’s new film!! Saw Little Darlings, The Pirate Movie! Random but remember Hercules with Lou Ferigno playing there. Caveman w Ringo Starr, Rocky III, The Rocky Horror they would host on Sat midnight. About Last Night, St. Elmo’s Fire. Remember 2010 w Roy Scheider. Platoon! Tom Hanks and Gleason in Nothing In Common. I truly miss this movie theatre which was ground zero for much of my youth growing up in the valley and the movies which shaped my life.
I managed this place for about six months, after Neil Stoleberg went to work for General Cinmea, It was a busy theatre and all of the Film Companies EXC. children wanted to work there. So in order for UA to play the game and get film they made the Manager hire these lazy useless people that couldn’t even sweep the floor.
Ajtarantex when did you work there?
This opened on December 15th, 1978. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section.
This theater (and the Topanga) was my go to local theater in the late 70’s early 80’s while I was in high school. In the fall of 1980 I won a Rocky Horror costume contest which gave me a free pass to this place for 1 year! Rocky was always playing the large yellow theater to the back right of the lobby. I ended up coming here at least twice a week that year. I would skip out of high school at lunch, and spend many afternoons just watching movie after movie.
The staff was so cool, they all knew I had the pass, and they let me go to whatever film I wanted even though it was for one film day. I remember that the “big” house had blue seats, was in the back left of the lobby had awesome sound and a decent screen. They showed 70 mm films and once I made my dad take me to see Alien here. We splurged and spent the extra .50 cents for the LOGE seats. From what I recall, the loge seats were the last 6 or show rows and the seats were somewhat nicer and might have rocked.
After my free pass expired, sadly I do not think I ever came back to this little place. I get sad when I drive by it on Canoga Ave and see the storage facility in its place.
I worked at the UA Warner Center in 1991-1992. It was at that time that I was training and managing a few of the projection staffs for UA.
Marc Derdon (sp) was the manager. He was a good guy. Lots of great staff there. It was a great place to work at the time.
I remember the folks at El Toritos giving us free food for movie passes. Although frowned upon by corporate, such trades were common place.
It’s a storage facility now! Much of what was in that area is long gone.