AMC Classic Woodbridge 5
4626 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine,
CA
92604
4626 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine,
CA
92604
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 80 comments
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.
I remember those movies coming out thar weekend at the Edwards Woodbridge because I was the General Manager of that theater
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s coming-of-age classic “The Outsiders” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (March 25, 1983).
Starring Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio and a bevy of up-and-coming young stars (including Rob Lowe, Diane Lane & Tom Cruise) the film opened at number two on over 800 screens (increasing to over 1,000 by early April) and remained in the top ten through early May, finishing with a domestic take just south of $26 million.
Also opening at the Woodbridge the same week: “The Black Stallion Returns” & “Max Dugan Returns.”
The 1983 romantic adventure “High Road to China” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (March 18, 1983).
Starring Tom Selleck (in his first headlining feature film), Bess Armstrong & Wilford Brimley, the film debuted at number one on over 1,500 screens, knocking “Tootsie” out of the top spot after 13 weeks, and remained in the top ten until mid-April, finishing its domestic run with a take just north of $28 million.
Not a big hit, but an entertaining film with a wonderful score by John Barry.
The 1983 comedy “The Sting II” opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago this weekend (February 18, 1983).
Starring Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis & Teri Garr, the quasi-sequel to the Oscar-winning 1973 original debuted at number three on over 1,200 screens (the largest roll-out of the new year) but didn’t find the success of its predecessor, grossing just $6 million during its initial run before leaving theaters in early March.
It did receive a lone Oscar nomination, however, for Best Adaptation Score (Lalo Schifrin).
The 1982 comedies “The Toy” starring Richard Pryor & Jackie Gleason & “Airplane II: The Sequel” starring Robert Hays & Julie Hagerty both opened at the Woodbridge 40 years ago today (Dec. 10, 1982).
Each film debuted on over 1,000 screens with high hopes for the holiday season but “The Toy” proved a bigger hit with audiences, finishing with a total domestic take of $47 million compared to $25 million for “Airplane II,” a far cry from the success of the 1980 original.
Heard from the Woodridge Village Assocation that the temporary closure is only a plumbing issue and that the Woodbridge should re-open Monday.
It appears the Woodbridge is once again “temporarily closed” as of today. Disconcerting at best since they just re-opened a month ago after a six-week renovation.
According to the AMC website, The Woodbridge is again open for business starting today with first showings kicking off at 6PM.
All five screens now feature AMC Signature Recliners & reserved seating. A quick look of the online layout shows one theater has 80 seats, three have 70 seats & one has 64 seats. Definitely a more intimate, pared-back set-up compared to its 240-seat average back in the day.
It also appears starting tomorrow weekend matinees will resume for all five films starting at 1PM.
With new amenities come higher prices, though: matinees before 4PM are now $11.09, children $8.99. Shows after 4 PM are $15.89, $12.89 for children. However, their website for this theater still carries the banner “Low Ticket Prices Starting at $5.49 (before 4 PM). Better fix that.