Quentin Tarantino Purchases Historic Vista Theater
Quentin Tarantino has bought the Vista Theater, a beloved indie theater to east side LA natives, of the Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Echo Park communities.
Quentin Tarantino can count himself as the proud of owner of not one, but two indie LA theaters. Quentin was a guest on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s popular podcast Armchair Expert, where he revealed this latest purchase and his plans for the theater. Quentin Tarantino also said that the single-screen movie theater will likely reopen later this year, possibly December. The historic Vista on Sunset has been shuttered due to the pandemic.
“I bought the Vista on Sunset,” Tarantino proudly announced. “We’ll probably open it up around Christmas time. And again: only film. It won’t be a revival house. We’ll show new movies that come out where they give us a film print. 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. We’ll show older films, but it will be like you can hold a four-night engagement.”
The Landmark New Beverly was bought by Quentin Tarantino in 2007. That theater exclusively shows 35mm and 16mm films, most from Tarantino’s personal collection. The New Beverly reopened in mid-June, and has sold out every single night since welcoming back guests.
The Vista Theatre opened on Oct. 9, 1923, showing both film and vaudeville acts. It seats 400 patrons.
While most fans listening to the podcast, especially Angelenos were holding their breath for word on Tarantino saving the classic Cinerama Dome, on Sunset, nothing was mentioned. Quention Tarantino did however, voice his strong opinions on chain movie theaters. Of the experience he said the following.
“Some of these exhibitors that are going — I never like to see any movie theater closing — but some of these exhibitors who are going, they fucking deserve to go,” Tarantino said on the podcast. “They have taken all the specialness out of movies anyway. Some of these chains were they’re showing commercials all through it; they don’t turn the lights down, everything is stadium seating, plastic shit.”
He continued, “They have been writing their own epitaph for a long time, but they assumed the business would take you along. It’s been crazy throughout my career to see how the film experience is lessened for the viewer like every five years. However, I do think boutique cinemas actually will thrive in this time. And I am not talking about the La-Z-Boy, order nachos and margaritas … I actually like the Alamo Drafthouse a lot. But I have a living room, I want to go to the theater.”
