The Bruin Theater, also known as the Regency Bruin Theater or Fox Bruin Theater, is a 670-seat

movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is a large, elaborately decorated movie theater built from the 1910s to the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 1925 and 1930. Wi ...

located in the Westwood neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, near

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA).

History

On December 31, 1937, the Fox Bruin Theatre was opened by

Fox West Coast Theatres Fox Theatres was a large chain of movie theaters in the United States dating from the 1920s either built by Fox Film studio owner William Fox, or subsequently merged in 1929 by Fox with the West Coast Theatres chain, to form the Fox West C ...

with 876 seats. From 1973 until 2010, it was operated by the Mann Theatres chain. From April 2010 until 2024, it was operated by Regency Theaters. The Bruin is located in the heart of the Mediterranean-themed Westwood Village shopping and cinema precinct, opposite the prominent white tower of the Fox Village Theater. The structure was designed by movie theater architect, S. Charles Lee, with a

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

marquee, and opened in 1937. It is named after the UCLA mascot

Joe Bruin Joe Bruin, an anthropomorphic male brown bear, is the official mascot of the University of California, Los Angeles’ athletic teams along with Josephine "Josie" Bruin, a female brown bear, who is his regular partner at UCLA sporting events and ...

. The theater was often used for private events, such as film and television show premieres. It was designated a

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cul ...

(HCM #361) in 1988. On July 25, 2024, the Bruin Theater and the nearby

Regency Village Theater The Regency Village Theatre (formerly the Fox Theatre, Westwood Village or the Fox Village Theatre, commonly called the Westwood Village Theatre) is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California in the heart of the Mediterra ...

closed their doors when their leases expired.

In popular culture

The theater featured in the music video of ''

Praise You "Praise You" is a song by the English big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was released as the third single from his second studio album, ''You've Come a Long Way, Baby'' (1998), on 4 January 1999. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and I ...

'' by

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician and DJ who helped popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. His music makes extensive use of Sampling (music), samples from eclectic ...

and was animated in ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'' as well, as the Tivoli Cinema. It was prominently featured in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's film ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica, and distributed by Sony Pict ...

'', in which actress Sharon Tate (portrayed by

Margot Robbie Margot Elise Robbie ( ; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Her work includes both blockbuster and independent films, and her accolades include nominations for three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and six BAFT ...

in the movie) is shown watching the film '' The Wrecking Crew''.

Regency Theatres

In 1996, Regency Theatres was founded by Lyndon Golin and Andrew Golin, brothers, with a theater in

Camarillo, California Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan and ...

. In 2010, Mann Theatres went out of business, and Regency Theatres purchased the

Fox Theater, Westwood Village The Regency Village Theatre (formerly the Fox Theatre, Westwood Village or the Fox Village Theatre, commonly called the Westwood Village Theatre) is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California in the heart of the Mediterra ...

and a multiplex cinema at "The Plant" in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

. Regency Theatres operates some former

Fox Theatres Fox Theatres was a large chain of movie theaters in the United States dating from the 1920s either built by Fox Film studio owner William Fox, or subsequently merged in 1929 by Fox with the West Coast Theatres chain, to form the Fox West C ...

and Mann Theatres.

References

Cinemas and movie theaters in Los Angeles Movie palaces Westwood, Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Art Deco architecture in California Art Deco cinemas and movie theaters Event venues established in 1937 Theatres completed in 1937 1937 establishments in California Streamline Moderne architecture in California {{LosAngeles-struct-stub