Bruin Theater Reopens in October Under Pereira
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- Rui Pereira, a Canadian operator who also runs Toronto's Kingsway Theater, is taking over the lease of the 670-seat Bruin Theater with a planned October reopening in Westwood Village
- Pereira plans to add 35mm and 70mm projection and program first-run movies, classic films, and special events, saying he wants to "keep the essence of the theater" while upgrading it
- The Bruin Theater, built in 1937 and shuttered since 2024 when Regency Theatres' lease ended at both the Village and the Bruin, was famously featured in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" during Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate theater scene
- Westwood's broader theater revival also includes Sony Pictures taking over the Cinerama Dome with Alamo Drafthouse running former ArcLight locations, and Jason Reitman's consortium running the Village across the street as "Director's Village" before a fall renovation
- Ben Steinberg, who helped draw attention to the Cinerama Dome reopening, is assisting Pereira with marketing; the Bruin's marquee will initially display ads for "Practical Magic 2" and UCLA promotions
- Westwood's surviving cinema ecosystem still includes the Landmark Westwood (opened 1946), Blue Fox Entertainment's recently taken-over iPic Theater on Wilshire, AMC's Century City 15, and specialty houses the Nuart and Royal on Santa Monica Boulevard
Why it matters: Westside moviegoers gain a fourth major revived venue in the biggest Westwood theater reshuffle in decades, joining Sony/Alamo Drafthouse at the Cinerama Dome and Reitman's Director's Village across the street. Pereira's 35mm and 70mm capability sets the 670-seat Bruin apart from AMC Century City 15 where most Westsiders had migrated.
