AMC Classic Woodbridge 5
4626 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine,
CA
92604
4626 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine,
CA
92604
5 people
favorited this theater
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I’m kinda confused by this weekly ‘tribute’ was this the only theatre complex that screened these movies? They all look to be pretty wide releases, or am I missing something with this exercise?
“Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” & “Romancing the Stone” both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (March 30, 1984).
“The Ice Pirates” starring Robert Urich & “Tank” starring James Garner both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (March 16, 1984).
Ron Howard’s beloved Oscar-nominated 1984 hit romantic comedy “Splash” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (March 9, 1984).
Starring Tom Hanks (in his first leading film role), Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy & John Candy, the “fish out of water” tale debuted at number one on 829 screens (it would peak at 1,186 by week seven) and remained in the top 10 until mid-May, grossing north of $62 million & finishing its run at the 11th highest-grossing film of 1984.
Herbert Ross' beloved 1984 rock-and-roll fable “Footloose” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (February 17, 1984).
Starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer & John Lithgow, the toe-tapping tale of a town that wasn’t allowed to dance debuted at number one on 1,384 screens (the largest rollout of the new year) & held the top spot for the next two weeks. It remained in the top 10 until early May, grossing $80 million & finishing its run as the 7th highest-grossing film of 1984.
The film’s success spawned an Oscar-nominated soundtrack, a 1998 musical and a 2011 remake.
Also opening at the Woodbridge that weekend: “Lassiter” starring Tom Selleck and “Blame it on Rio” starring Michael Caine.
Clint Eastwood’s “Sudden Impact” & John Carpenter’s “Christine” both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (Dec. 9, 1983).
Each debuted on over 1,000 screens but it was Eastwood’s 4th installment of his Dirty Harry franchise that proved more popular with audiences, claiming the top spot for the next three weeks & finishing its run as the 7th highest-grossing film of ‘83 with a domestic take north of $67 million.
I can still remember seeing the “Sudden Impact” trailer repeatedly at the Woodbridge before it opened & the crowd going crazy every time Eastwood uttered “Go ahead, make my day.”
Bob Clark’s beloved 1983 holiday classic “A Christmas Story” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (Nov. 18, 1983).
Starring Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon & Peter Billingsley, the irreverent period comedy based on the writings of humorist Jean Shepherd opened at number three on 886 screens & remained in the top 10 through mid-December. The film was a modest success, grossing just shy of $17 million against a $3 million budget and finished its domestic run as the 36th highest-grossing film of 1983.
It wasn’t until it debuted on cable television a few years later that “A Christmas Story” really developed a following. By 1989 TBS was showing it Thanksgiving night and by 1997 the annual 24-hour Christmas Eve/Day marathon began its foothold as a holiday tradition. Today it is widely considered one of the greatest holiday movies ever made.
Also opening at the Woodbridge the same weekend: the John Hughes-scripted cult period adventure “Nate and Hayes” starring Tommy Lee Jones & Michael O'Keefe.
The 1983 James Bond adventure “Never Say Never Again” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (Oct. 7, 1983).
Directed by Irvin Kershner (“The Empire Strikes Back”) and starring Sean Connery in his triumphant return as 007 after a 12-year absence, the independently produced remake of “Thunderball” debuted at number one on over 1,500 screens and held the top spot for the next three weeks, remaining in the top ten through mid-December. The film would go on to gross just shy of $56 million in North America and finish its run as the 14th highest-grossing film of 1983.
“Never Say Never Again” was the second of two 007 films released in ‘83, the first being the “official” Eon-produced Bond entry “Octopussy” starring Roger Moore back in June of that year.
1983’s “Strange Invaders” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (Sept. 16, 1983).
Starring Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen & Louise Fletcher, the “aliens among us” thriller opened on just 274 screens & was gone from theaters after a few weeks, grossing under $1.5 million. But it gained a cult following over the years & remains a quirky love letter to sci-films of the ‘50s with a memorable score by John Addison.
1983’s “Hercules” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (August 26, 1983).
Produced by Cannon Films, shot in Italy & starring Lou Ferrigno as the titular strongman, the film debuted at number four on just over 1,000 screens & remained in the top 10 for two weeks, ultimately grossing just under $10 million domestically against a $6 million budget.
The film is considered one of Cannon’s more profitable endeavors, spawned a 1985 sequel & features a nice main theme by Pino Donaggio.
It was a terrible unneeded third movie!
1983’s Smokey and the Bandit Part 3" opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (August 12, 1983).
Starring Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed & this time only featuring a cameo by Burt Reynolds, the critically maligned trilogy capper debuted at number 10 on a paltry 498 screens & saw its theater count slashed by 60% in week three.
The film made a short rebound over Labor Day weekend when Universal added another 262 screens, but it wasn’t enough to save an already submerged ship and the film finished its run with a domestic take of just $7 million, a far cry from the success of the previous two films.
I remember being the General Manager of the Woodbridge 5 when Risky Business came out. Did you know the person who wrote the script for the movie had it ending with Tom Cruse being caught but the studio demanded he change the ending to he doesn’t get caught. Probably a great decision on the studios part
1983’s “Risky Business” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (August 5, 1983).
Starring Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay & Joe Pantoliano as Guido the Killer Pimp, the “enterprising” high-school sex comedy debuted at number three on 670 screens but really found its audience at week three where it held the number two spot for the next six weeks, remaining in the top 10 through late October. It went on to gross just north of $63 million in North America & finish its run as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1983.
“Risky Business” is considered Cruise’s breakout film and is most remembered for his now-iconic living-room strut to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll.”
Peter Yates' 1983 fantasy adventure “Krull” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (July 29, 1983).
Described as “Star Wars meets Excalibur,” the film debuted at number four on 1,281 screens but failed to find an initial audience in a crowded mid-summer field, grossing just north of $16 million domestically and finishing its run as the 41st highest-grossing film of 1983.
Over the years “Krull” has developed a cult following, featuring great early performances by Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane and a wonderful score by composer James Horner.
I can still remember riding my bike to see it at the Woodbridge opening day.
1983’s “Jaws 3-D” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (July 22, 1983).
Starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong & Louis Gossett Jr, the third film in Universal’s man-eating shark saga debuted at number one on 1,300 screens but ultimately wasn’t as big a hit as the previous two films, grossing just $42 million in North America & finishing its run as the 17th highest-grossing film of 1983.
1983’s “Twilight Zone: The Movie” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (June 24, 1983).
The Steven Spielberg/John Landis-produced anthology based on the classic Rod Serling television series debuted at number four on over 1,200 screens & remained in the top ten through mid-July, grossing just shy of $30 million in North America & finishing its run as the 22nd highest-grossing film of 1983.
The film was marred by the tragic death of actor Vic Morrow and two young children during the filming of the segment directed by Landis & led to industry-wide changes in procedures and safety standards.
I never saw “Twilight Zone” all the way through at the Woodbridge back in the day but can remember sticking my head in the theater where it was playing for quick 5-minute glimpses while waiting for other movies that summer.
The Woodbridge has resumed operation after briefly closing yesterday due to a plumbing issue. Please change status to “open.”
Looks like the Woodbridge is again “temporarily closed,” the second time since the re-opening last fall. I’ve reached out to the Woodbridge Village Association & will post any updates.
1983’s “Octopussy” & “Trading Places” both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (June 10, 1983).
Each debuted on over 1,300 screens with the latest Roger Moore entry in the Bond franchise just edging out the Eddie Murphy/Dan Aykroyd comedy that first week.
However, while both grossed over $60 million, it was “Trading Places” that proved the bigger hit, netting north of $90 million and finishing as the 4th highest-grossing film of 1983 (“Octopussy” finished 6th).
John Badham’s “other” 1983 techno-thriller “WarGames” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (June 3, 1983).
Starring Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy & Dabney Coleman, the film debuted at number three on 843 screens & remained in the top ten through the end of July. But unlike Badham’s “Blue Thunder,” “WarGames” proved more enduring, maintaining its theater count throughout the entire summer, grossing just north of $74 million in North America & finishing as the 5th highest-grossing film of 1983.
John Badham’s 1983 techno-thriller “Blue Thunder” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (May 13, 1983).
Starring Roy Scheider, Daniel Stern & Malcom McDowell, the film opened at number one on over 1,500 screens & remained in the top ten through late June, finishing its run as the 16th highest-grossing film of ‘83 with a domestic take just north of $42 million.
Badham would have an even bigger hit a few weeks later with “WarGames.”
The 1983 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (April 29, 1983).
Starring Jason Robards, Pam Grier and Jonathan Pryce, the October-set, Disney-produced dark fantasy debuted at number two on over 800 screens but failed to find an audience in a crowded spring field and was bumped out of theaters within a month, grossing under $10 million against a $20 million budget.
Despite its box office failure, the film did win the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and has developed a cult following over the years, featuring one of composer James Horner’s most beloved early scores. I still screen it every October, where it belongs.
I remember when I was the General Manager of the Edwards Harbor twin in Costa Mesa when Flasdance came out. It was one of the rare movies that word of mouth was so good our business the second week was actually more than the first opening week @
Adrian Lyne’s hit 1983 dance drama “Flashdance” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (April 15, 1983).
Starring Jennifer Beals & Michael Nouri, the film opened at number two on over 1,000 screens and remained in the top ten through late July (re-entering it for the month of September) and finished its run as the third highest-grossing film of 1983 with a domestic take just north of $90 million.
Today “Flashdance” is mostly remembered for its top-selling soundtrack, including the Oscar-winning number-one song “Flashdance…What a Feeling” by Irene Cara.
Also opening at the Woodbridge the same weekend: “Lone Wolf McQuade,” starring Chuck Norris & David Carradine.