The 7:30 p.m. showing of "The Odyssey" at the Village Theater on Broxton Avenue started on July 21. People began lining up around 5:40. By the time the doors opened for the evening showing, the general admission line ran about 100 feet down the block, past Falafel Inc.
That line answered a question the village west of Holmby Hills had been asking since July 2024, when both the Village and the Bruin went dark after their leases expired. The question was whether a single-screen theater could still fill Broxton Avenue. It can. Now the open questions are paperwork, permits and money, and each building is at a different stage.
What three weeks of 70mm measured
The Village, now called the Directors Village, is owned by a group of filmmakers who bought it in February 2024. Christopher Nolan is one of them. Steven Spielberg, Jason Reitman and Guillermo del Toro are among the others. The nonprofit American Cinematheque operated the summer screenings with them, and "The Odyssey" ran from July 16 to Aug. 6 at 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. every day.
The house holds 1,341 seats. The evening shows sold out from July 16 through 19. Joaquin Dominguez, the Cinematheque's assistant general manager of operations, said in the Daily Bruin that the two daytime showings usually drew 600 to 900 people a day combined. Those are weekday daytime crowds for a three-hour film, at a theater that had been closed for two years.
Format was part of the draw. Nolan shot the film entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, and the Village projected it on film. The Los Angeles Times counts only eight theaters in California that can show IMAX 70mm. Two restored Norelco DP70 projectors were set up temporarily in June. They opened with a July 11–12 weekend of "Dunkirk," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Interstellar" and "2001," and after "The Odyssey" they ran "Close Encounters," "Aliens" and "Project Hail Mary" on Aug. 7, 8 and 9. Then the projectors came out.
The effect on the street shows up in the surrounding businesses. Michael Russell, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said foot traffic rose at Diddy Riese and Starbucks around showtimes. Bill Counter, the theater historian behind the Los Angeles Theatres site, has said Westwood saw more foot traffic back when both theaters were open:
"It was festive, with hundreds of people, if not thousands, coming out after a show and wandering around, patronizing local businesses. It'll be good to have that back again."
Two buildings, two different waits
The summer ended with both buildings facing obstacles that have nothing to do with demand. Their obstacles differ, so their timelines differ too.
The Directors Village, 961 Broxton Avenue. After the 70mm run, the theater stayed busy with special events. "The Fast and the Furious" had a 25th anniversary re-premiere on Aug. 17. "Coyote vs. Acme" premiered Aug. 26, "Practical Magic 2" on Aug. 31, and "Digger" on Sept. 28 with Tom Cruise in attendance. The Cinematheque also ran repertory nights, including "Scent of a Woman" on Sept. 24 for $22. The last event on its schedule was yesterday's Oct. 3 screening of Michael Mann's "Miami Vice: Director's Final Cut," with a Q&A.
Then comes the renovation. On June 3, the Los Angeles Times reported plans for a 2027 reopening. Counter's most recent status update is less hopeful. As of September 2026, no renovation permits had been issued. The owners are still raising the $25 million to pay for the work and plan to start in October, with Gensler now the architect. His assessment is to expect no reopening before 2028. The work itself is substantial. Counter has pointed to the theater's FOX tower as a seismic issue that the lower Bruin doesn't have.
The Bruin, 948 Broxton Avenue. For more than 80 years the Bruin and the Village had the same owners. When the Bruin reopens, it will be operating on its own for the first time. Toronto exhibitor Rui Pereira signed a lease in mid-July. He plans to show films in 35mm and 70mm and keep the original seats instead of putting in recliners. The draft programming plan has new releases on weekends and classics on weekdays, though no official schedule had been set.
The Bruin dates to 1937. Counter has said much of its electrical system has already been updated, its fire alarm is monitored, and the immediate goal is a theater that is "clean, functional, and welcoming." The hard part is the city. Without a Certificate of Occupancy from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and the Fire Department, the Bruin can't hold even a private screening. That is why private events planned for September were called off.
"Our issues are not technical. The question is if we can get through the city bureaucracy fast enough."
In July, Deadline reported a mid-October target. The opening team has changed since summer. IndieWire reported in late August that Ben Steinberg and Edwin Gomez had left the project. In early September, Pereira told the outlet he is the only person authorized to speak for the Bruin.
The two waits are different in kind. The Bruin needs city sign-off on a building its team considers essentially ready. The Village needs renovation permits and $25 million it is still raising. One could reopen within weeks once the city signs off. The other is at least a year away.
How the dates moved
- July 2024. Both theaters close when their leases expire.
- June 3, 2026. The Los Angeles Times reports the Village aiming for a 2027 reopening.
- July 16 to Aug. 6, 2026. "The Odyssey" plays three times a day in 70mm at the Village.
- Mid-July 2026. Pereira signs the lease on the Bruin, with October as the target.
- Aug. 20, 2026. The Bruin's team says its September private events are off until it has a Certificate of Occupancy.
- September 2026. Still no Village renovation permits, and the reopening estimate moves to 2028.
- Oct. 3, 2026. The last scheduled special event at the Village.
What holds Broxton Avenue together in the meantime
The rest of the village kept changing this summer. Raising Cane's opened at the corner of Broxton and Weyburn on July 13 and stays open until 2 a.m. every night. Two long-running retailers on Westwood Boulevard closed. Urban Outfitters left 1028 and 1038 Westwood Boulevard after more than 22 years, and UC Investments, which acquired the property, had not announced plans for the space as of Aug. 21. Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers closed at 1055 Westwood Boulevard after nearly 80 years, with its owners retiring.
The September newsletter from the improvement association lists a group of businesses as coming soon on the blocks closest to the theaters: Sana'a Café at 939 Broxton, Chill Since '93 at 923 Broxton, Boichik Bagels at 911 Westwood Boulevard, Ghost Sando at 901, The Melt at 913 and Better Buzz Coffee at 951. None of them has a confirmed opening date. Boichik had none as of Sept. 3. Most of these are quick, walk-in spots, the kind that do well when a 1,341-seat house lets out.
Until one of the marquees lights up, Broxton Plaza is hosting the crowds:
- Oktoberfest, Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 to 6 p.m. The village's second annual edition at 1036 Broxton Avenue. Admission is free, with music, food, vendors and games.
- Pup-O-Ween, Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 3 p.m. Dogs in costume trick-or-treating at the village's vendors.
- Westwood Village Farmers' Market, every Thursday, noon to 5 p.m.
If you're driving in from the 405 at night this month, Metro is closing the southbound ramps to eastbound Wilshire Boulevard from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Oct. 23 and sending traffic to Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards. Metro's own notice gives conflicting weekend dates, so check it before heading out late.
The Bruin's opening night will be the next real test for the street, and it depends on the city, not on the box office. Once the Bruin announces a first booking, it will be the first time since 2024 that a Broxton Avenue marquee has a regular schedule instead of a one-night event.
If you follow how places like the Bruin and the Village shape the value of the streets around them, Josh Flagg is glad to talk through what Westwood's theater revival means for the Holmby Hills homes just to the east.
