UCLA students are eyeing a long-quiet neighborhood landmark for a serious glow-up. After sitting largely dark since 2024, the Westwood Village movie palace is now on track for a 2027 reboot, and the promise of premieres, Q&As and repertory screenings just a short walk from campus has Bruins cautiously optimistic that the old social energy of Westwood might finally return.
Filmmakers and a nonprofit are steering the comeback
Leading the charge is director Jason Reitman, backed by a star-studded Village Directors Circle made up of roughly 35 filmmakers who bought the building in 2024 and kicked off a roughly $25 million restoration, according to The Los Angeles Times. Organizers say a 12-month renovation is expected to begin this fall, with an eye on a full reopening in 2027. Daily operations and programming at the revived Village will be handled by the American Cinematheque, which already runs the Aero and Egyptian theatres, the nonprofit said in a statement.
Students hope for an easy spot to see films
On campus, the reaction is part excitement, part relief. UCLA students told campus reporters that the theater’s closure made moviegoing noticeably less convenient and pushed them to travel farther for screenings. “It’s been rough because I’ll have to walk really far or take the bus,” one undergraduate told the Daily Bruin. Classmates said they are hoping the Village’s return will juice foot traffic for eateries and shops clustered around Broxton and Weyburn avenues, turning a night at the movies back into a full neighborhood hangout.
A historic movie palace with big scale
The Village first opened in 1931, designed by architect Percy Parke Lewis, and is listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. Local film scholar Jonathan Kuntz told The Times that the single-screen house seats roughly 1,400 people, which makes it one of the Westside’s largest single-screen venues. Its tower and marquee have long anchored the Westwood streetscape and served as a go-to backdrop for red-carpet premieres.
What’s planned and what’s already happened
The new team has not waited for the full renovation to flip on the projector. The Village has already hosted the Los Angeles premiere of Billie Eilish and James Cameron’s concert film in May, according to The Wrap. Plans for the larger overhaul call for a restaurant, bar, gallery and a multipurpose lobby geared toward premieres and filmmaker events, and the refreshed venue is expected to handle first-run films alongside American Cinematheque’s festivals, as reported by The Real Deal. Behind the scenes, the partners are quietly fundraising toward a $25 million capital campaign before construction begins.
Timeline and permitting will ultimately dictate the exact schedule, but organizers say they expect work to wrap in time for a 2027 relaunch, according to a statement from the American Cinematheque. For UCLA students, nearby merchants and movie lovers across the city, the reopening would be more than a nostalgia trip. It would restore an accessible, program-rich theater to the edge of campus, with the next milestone updates likely tied to fundraising totals, permit filings and a long-awaited construction start later this year.
