Quentin Tarantino Buys A Movie Theater

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino said in a newly-released podcast interview that he had purchased a famed Los Angeles theater, with the intent to reopen it in time for the holiday movie season. Appearing on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Tarantino complained about theatrical exhibitors, and told Shephard that he had purchased the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, which he calls a “crown jewel” and promsies will be different from the New Beverly, a revival theater that Tarantino has been involved with for a while. The Vista, a historic, single-screen theater in LA, was one of a number of such cinemas that closed as a result of challenges to the industry that happened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, rumors swirled that the Vista would reopen this month. Instead, it seems Tarantino plans on having a grand reopening in time for Christmas.

“When we opened up the New Beverly about two weeks ago, in June, we sold out every single show,” Tarantino said. “And I’ll announce one thing here that people don’t know yet: I bought the Vista. We’re going to probably open it up around Christmastime. And again, only film. But it won’t be a revival house — we’ll show new movies that come out. Where they give us a film print, we’ll show new stuff. It’s not going to be like the New Beverly; the New Beverly has its own vibe. The Vista is like a crown jewel kind of thing. So it will be the best prints, we’ll show older films, but they’ll be like older films where you can hold a fortnight engagement.”

COVID wasn’t the first thing to challenge the Vista; as long ago as 2014, there were rumors that the theater would close.

Tarantino is one of a number of filmmakers who have been very vocal in support of the “theatrical experience,” bemoaning movies that have had direct-to-consumer releases and instead wanting their movies shown on the biggest and highest-quality screens possible.

Last week, Tarantino once again waded into controversy by insulting fans who took issue with his depiction of martial arts legend Bruce Lee in his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…. Lee’s daughter, who had previously taken issue with Tarantino’s comments regarding that scene, made headlines when she commented that she was tired of white men in Hollywood trying to tell her who her father was.