Regal Edwards Big Newport
300 Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach,
CA
92660
300 Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach,
CA
92660
34 people
favorited this theater
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Theater name is Regal Edwards Big Newport. Capacity is 1,143.
Auditorium capacities: 459 (1/RPX), 184 (2), 126 (3), 132 (4), 121 (5), 121 (6)
Replaced the grand opening ad.
According to an old article I found, this used to be the location of Edwards Cinemas’ headquarters before their merger into the Regal Entertainment Group in 2002…
Andrew Davis' Oscar-winning 1993 adaptation of “The Fugitive” opened at the Big Newport 30 years ago today (August 6, 1993).
Starring Harrison Ford, Sela Ward & Tommy Lee Jones, the highly anticipated action-thriller debuted at number one on 2,340 screens & held the top spot for the next five weeks, grossing just south of $184 million in North America & finishing its run as the third highest-grossing film of 1993.
The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and won for Best Supporting Actor (Jones). It remains a textbook for smart action filmmaking to this day.
Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1998 adaptation of Robert Rodat’s “Saving Private Ryan” opened at the Big Newport 25 years ago this weekend (July 24, 1998).
Starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore & Matt Damon, the WWII drama debuted at number one on 2,453 screens at held the top spot for the next three weeks, remaining in the top 10 through early October. It would go to gross $216 million in North America & finish its domestic run as the highest-grossing film of 1998.
The film earned 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won five, including Best Director for Spielberg.
2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” opened at the Big Newport 20 years ago today (July 9, 2003).
Starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley & Geoffrey Rush, the big-screen adaptation of the beloved Disneyland attraction debuted at number one on over 3,200 screen & remained in the top 10 through late September, grossing $305 million in North America & finishing its run as the third highest-grossing film of 2003.
Depp received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow & would go on to star in four sequels over the next 14 years.
Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1993 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” opened at the Big Newport 30 years ago today (June 11, 1993).
Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern & Jeff Goldblum, the “dinosaurs run amok” adventure debuted at number one on over 2,400 screens grossing a then-record $50 million its opening weekend. It would surpass $100 million in a then-record nine days & remain on at least 1,000 screens until late September, eventually netting $357 million in North America (then second all-time behind Spielberg’s “E.T.”) during its initial 70-week run & finishing as the highest-grossing film of 1993.
The film would win Oscars for Best Sound, Sound Effects Editing & Visual Effects & pave the way for modern motion-picture computer-generated imagery (CGI) into the 21st century, with one historian commenting the film “heralded a revolution in movies as profound as the coming of sound in 1927.”
I saw “Jurassic Park” at the Big Newport that first Friday night on the big screen with a full crowd & consider it one of my most memorable experiences there, right next to “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Batman” & “Star Wars Episode 1.”
Renny Harlin’s 1993 action-thriller “Cliffhanger” opened at the Big Newport in 70mm 30 years today (May 28, 1993).
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Rooker & John Lithgow, the “Die Hard on a Mountain” adventure debuted at number one on over 2,300 screens & remained in the top 10 through early July, grossing just north of $84 million in North America & finishing its run as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1993.
A chronology of Orange County’s 70mm presentation history has recently been published. Edwards Newport is, of course, mentioned numerous times.
Rob Reiner’s Oscar-nominated 1992 adaptation of Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” opened at the Big Newport 30 years ago today (Dec. 11, 1992).
Starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore & Jack Nicholson, the military courtroom drama debuted at number one on nearly 2,000 screens and held the top or number-two spot for the next six weeks, grossing over $140 million in North America & finishing its run as the 5th highest-grossing film of 1992.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning 1992 adaptation of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” opened at the Big Newport 30 years ago today (November 13, 1992).
Starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder & Anthony Hopkins, the gothic thriller debuted at number on over 2,400 screens with nearly $31 million its opening weekend (a then November record), grossing just shy of $83 million in North America & finishing its domestic run as the 15th highest-grossing film of 1992.
My then-girlfriend & I caught the film on the big screen that first Saturday night (after attending a co-worker’s wedding) and remember being greeted with a line down to the street, a regular occurrence for event films opening weekend.
Actually Rocky III’s $16 million opening weekend the week before was the largest in history at that time. My bad.
1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” opened at the Big Newport in 70mm 40 years ago this weekend (June 4, 1982).
Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy & Ricardo Montalban as the titular villain, the film opened at number one with $14 million (the largest opening weekend in history at that time) on over 1600 screens, grossing $79 million and finishing its run as the 6th highest-grossing film of 1982.
The film is still widely considered the greatest Trek film ever made.
Love that this is being kept intact and draws a crowd. Would love to see pics when the curtain is open. Do they still have masking?
John Huston’s 1982 big-screen adaptation of “Annie” opened at the Big Newport 40 years ago this weekend (May 21, 1982).
Starring Albert Finney, Carol Burnett and newcomer and Aileen Quinn as the titular heroine, the film rolled out slowly on just 14 screens opening weekend, but it had the highest per-screen average ($36,474) of any other release, beating out “Conan the Barbarian” & “The Road Warrior.”
It would go on to gross $57 million against a $35 million budget, finishing its run as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1982.
I saw it opening weekend at the Big Newport as a kid & thought it played pretty well on the 71-foot screen.
John Boorman’s 1981 sword & sorcery epic “Excalibur” opened at the Big Newport 40 years ago this weekend (April 10, 1981).
The Big Newport’s rather austere new auditorium interiors can be seen in this slide show on the web site of the firm that designed the remodeling project, BB Architects.
Big Newport was among just eleven theaters in the United States that installed the then-new Dolby Digital sound system for their engagement of “Batman Returns” which opened twenty-five years ago today. And here’s the link to a retrospective article that commemorates the occasion.
1969, July 5th, 1996 and 2007 grand opening ads in photo section.
Caught “The Legend of Tarzan” over the weekend on the RPX screen. While the movie left a lot to be desired, the presentation was great, especially the Auro 11.1 sound by Barco, the first time I can recall hearing it used on the RPX screen.
Caught “The Walk” in 3D on the RPX screen last week. Presentation was great, once they got some issues fixed.
The image did not fill the screen and was both blurry and shaky to start. I had to go out twice to ask the lone concession worker to have someone fix it. Luckily the issues were resolved and the rest of the film played without incident.
Regal needs to follow the Cinerama Dome’s lead and have an attendant in the auditorium at the beginning of the presentation to make sure the picture quality is perfect. Especially when you’re paying $16.50 – $19.00 a ticket.
Looks like the new RPX screen will host its first 3D engagement this weekend with “Everest.” 3D matinee prices are only $1 more ($16.50) with evening shows $19.00.
Hey Flix and Richie, whatever petty reservations I might have about the curtains and the new color of the walls, I am really thrilled that the Big N is packed again on the weekends. last night I looked at Fandango for the evening show and MI 5 was almost sold out. There were like 20 seats left open! So what they did is working, as I never thought i would see a sold out show at this place again.
It is technically a fantastic cinema with one of the best looking pictures i have seen on one of the biggest screens in Southern Calif. If is was not 70 miles each way, I would be there a lot more.
For me, the newly renovated Big Screen did not disappoint. Although I do miss the curtain and can do without the Regal pre show, I really appreciate the extra space and comfort of this modern configuration. It’s the next logical step and feels right for this landmark of cinema. The screen looks amazing and was wide as I remembered it for today’s showing of Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. Great sound. Good crowd. Long live Edwards Big Newport. The old man would be proud.
I agree with you about the charm being gone, RobertAlex, but I’d still take it over any other theater in Orange County. Everything here is stadium-style and completely devoid of personality. No more Cinedome; no more South Coast Plaza III. The Chinese and Cinerama Dome are still the best movie palaces in So CA, but since I rarely make it up to L.A., I’ll take what I can get down here.