Entertainment
In the wake of the March bankruptcy filing of iPic Theaters, Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired two iPic luxury theater locations in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village and New York and will rebrand them as The Cinemas.
The locations will no longer operate with in-theater dining, but instead will focus on premium concessions featuring “elevated food and beverage offerings,” the company said, emphasizing that the transition away from in-theater dining is “designed to enhance the cinematic experience by reducing service-related noise, light and other distractions.”
The theaters, as well as the Tuck Room restaurant and cocktail lounge, will remain open and operational throughout the rebranding process, according to Blue Fox.
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“Expanding into theatrical exhibition represents a major evolution for our company and further strengthens our position as a fully integrated entertainment group,” said Blue Fox Entertainment Group founder James Huntsman. “These locations are among the most recognized premium cinema destinations in the country, and we look forward to building on their strong reputation while creating elevated moviegoing experiences for audiences.”
The iPic theaters in Pasadena and other locations were not part of the Blue Fox acquisition.
In addition to continuing to program major studio releases, independent films and classic movie nights, The Cinemas will develop event-focused programming including advance screenings, filmmaker Q&As, repertory titles, special engagements and community-driven events.
The iPic Fulton Market in New York’s Seaport District has eight screens while the Westwood Village location, which was once the Avco Center Cinemas, has six screens.
Founded in 2015, Blue Fox is an independent film distributor, financing and sales company, which has released films including “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” and “The Wolf and the Lion.” It said the expansion would create a “vertically integrated platform capable of supporting filmmakers from development and production through worldwide distribution and theatrical exhibition.”
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Pat Saperstein