South Coast Village Cinemas
1561 W. Sunflower Avenue,
Santa Ana,
CA
92704
1561 W. Sunflower Avenue,
Santa Ana,
CA
92704
6 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Edwards Cinemas, Regal Entertainment Group, Regency Theatres, United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
Previous Names: UA Cinemas 1-2-3
Nearby Theaters
The UA Cinemas 1-2-3 was opened by the UA chain on December 22, 1971. It was renovated in 2007. Last operating by Regency Theatres as the South Coast Village Cinemas, it was closed on January 26, 2025.
Contributed by
jerry fairall
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
Previous to Edwards ownership, this theater was owned by the United Artists Theater Chain for many years.
I’ve been told some of the upstairs support areas still have UA logo carpeting (30+ year old carpet).
Noticed in my weekly email from Regency on forthcoming showtimes that the South Coast Village will be featuring reserved luxury seating with swivel tables staring in April. I can see that working in the large auditorium, not so much in the two little ones. Should be interesting.
With the 40th anniversary of “Grease” over the weekend, I was reminded by an old newspaper ad that this is where I saw the film as a seven-year-old opening weekend back in 1978. According to the ad, the film showed on two of the three screens, probably for the rest of the summer, if not the year.
This opened as the UA Cinemas 12-3 on December 22nd, 1971. Grand opening ad posted.
Hard to believe the South Coast Village Cinemas turned 50 on Dec. 22.
How this little three-screen theater in the heart of the toney, Segerstrom-controlled South Coast Metro area survived five decades while all of its nearby contemporaries (SCP III, the Town Center & Bristol IV) fell under the wrecking ball decades ago is anyone’s guess.
I want to say it & the Big Newport are now the longest-operating theaters in Orange County.
Kudos to UA, Edwards (then Regal) & Regency for keeping things going amid the multiplex craze, DVD/streaming era & a global pandemic.
Long live the Village.
As 2021 closes out, the five oldest operating cinemas in Orange County are:
Big Newport - Newport Beach 2/11/69 South Coast Village - Santa Ana 12/22/71 West Grove Cinemas - Garden Grove 7/11/75 Woodbridge 5 – Irvine 2/8/80 University 6 – Irvine 6/29/84
Arthur Hiller’s 1982 comedy “Author! Author!” starring Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon & Tuesday Weld opened at the Village (then the UA 1-2-3) 40 years ago this weekend (June 18, 1982).
Closed January 26, 2025:
Santa Ana, CA: South Coast Village Movie Theater Closed [Feb 3, 2025]
Wow! First post in quite a while for me, but had to say something about South Coast Village.
It was heartbreaking to see this theater finally shut down in 2025. It had been the favorite theater for my wife and I for over 10 years. After declining under United Artists and Edwards/Regal, it was rescued by Regency Theaters, who not only rehabbed it, but added a Classic Movie Night every Wednesday night. When my wife and I lived in Costa Mesa right after getting married, I took her here to see Casablanca, which she had never seen. It was very special to take my late father, who we were caring for at the time, to this theater to see classic movies he loved like Singing In The Rain and Double Indemnity (which starred Edward G. Robinson, one of my Dad’s favorite actors). My wife and I also saw other movies here on “Date Nights” after having dinner someplace near South Coast Plaza. They also had the best popcorn of any movie theater in Orange County, popped fresh every night.
Yes, it was just a simple 1970s era 3-plex, but I loved that place. It reminded me of movie theaters I went to while growing up in the 70s and 80s. It had nostalgia and ambiance, especially during the Classic Movie Night on Wednesday.
RIP, South Coast Village. You will never be forgotten, dear friend.