Topline:
Everything from award contenders to goofy comedies, a smattering of romance, plenty of anti-heroes, even an animated musical documentary constructed entirely of LEGOs — all curated by NPR critics.
Keep reading... for the 25 picks from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to Wicked.
School’s back in session, election season’s heating up, the leaves need raking, and you just want to get out of the house and escape, right?
We’ve got you covered. Everything from award contenders to goofy comedies, a smattering of romance, plenty of anti-heroes, even an animated musical documentary constructed entirely of LEGOs — all curated by NPR critics.
We’ll see you at the movies.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, in theaters Sept. 6
Look, who knows if this is gonna work? Plenty of directors have returned to their early films to see what, if any, gold remains to be mined. Sometimes they hit the motherlode (Mad Max: Fury Road), other times the result is a cinematic cave-in (The Matrix Resurrections). Director Tim Burton's recent films have all displayed his trademark darkness, but it's been years since we glimpsed the transgressive, anarchic humor he made his bones on. I'm pulling for him. It's showtime. — Glen Weldon
His Three Daughters, in theaters Sept. 6, on Netflix Sept. 20
The cast sells this one: Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne are each often the best thing about the projects they're in. And here they are together, playing sisters who gather when their father is dying. It might not seem obvious to cast such different performers as family, but there is something about three singular women in the same film that makes a kind of sense. — Linda Holmes
Meanwhile on Earth, in theaters Sept. 13
In this moody, surreal French sci-fi film, a young woman grieves her beloved brother, who disappeared on a space mission three years prior. One night, she receives a message: a mysterious presence says it can return him to Earth... if she does it a small favor. It's the latest from director Jeremy Clapin, whose unforgettable I Lost my Body, about a severed hand's quest to be reunited with its original owner, was nominated for an Oscar in 2020. Nous allons! — Glen Weldon
My Old Ass, in theaters Sept. 13
While hallucinating on mushrooms in her last summer before college, Elliott (Maisy Stella) is visited by her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), blithely offering unsolicited advice: “I know mom can be annoying but be nice to her; hang out with your brothers; and avoid anyone named Chad.” That’s a cue for Percy Hynes White’s endearingly dorky Chad to make his appearance in Megan Park's coming-of-age charmer. — Bob Mondello
All Shall Be Well, in theaters Sept. 20
A darling of the festival circuit, this Hong Kong drama follows Angie and Pat, a lesbian couple in their 60s who've been together for decades. When Pat suddenly dies, her family treats Angie with compassion — at first. Soon, questions over Pat's estate cause a rift that endangers Angie's ability to stay in the apartment they shared. Films tackling the intersection of queerness and aging aren't exactly thick on the ground; early reviews say this one manages to be both sad and life-affirming. — Glen Weldon
A Different Man, in theaters Sept. 20
This brutal psychological drama stars Sebastian Stan as an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis, a genetic mutation. To widen his casting opportunities, he undergoes facial reconstructive surgery – but when he encounters a fellow performer with the same medical condition (Adam Pearson), he’s forced to reckon with the choice he made. This may be one of the strangest and most challenging things you’ll watch all year, and it’s worth it. — Aisha Harris
The Substance, in theaters Sept. 20
The body horror, the body horror! Coralie Fargeat’s latest film kind of sounds like a mad twist on Severance: Demi Moore is an aerobics star who’s fired from her show for turning 50. She’s offered the chance to inject a substance that will transform her into a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley). She must “switch” between her younger and older self every seven days, but – surprise, surprise! – things don’t go exactly as planned. — Aisha Harris
WOLFS, in theaters Sept. 20, on Apple TV+ Sept. 27
George Clooney and Brad Pitt have been making capers together since Ocean's Eleven in 2001. Now, they join up for an action comedy about two sketchy but efficient fixers. The only hangup is that they both work alone, but now they're forced to work together. It's a well-worn setup, and the result will depend on whether they can recapture the affectionate repartee one more time. — Linda Holmes
Megalopolis, in theaters Sept. 27
Look, reportedly this whole production is deeply fraught –
you can Google
the
many reasons yourself
. But the mere existence of a brand-new Francis Ford Coppola film in 2024 still has people talking. It’s a decades-long passion project with a stacked cast that includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Talia Shire, and Laurence Fishburne. And its CGI-heavy, time-traveling story looks truly out-there: Coppola reimagines the fall of Rome through the lens of a modern-day New York. — Aisha Harris
The Wild Robot, in theaters Sept. 27
Filmmaker Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) has been telling interviewers that the computer-generated visuals in this tale of a shipwrecked robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) who befriends an island’s critters and adopts an orphaned gosling, were inspired by the watercolor backgrounds in Bambi, and by the lush hand-drawn forests of Hayao Miyazaki. The idea was to place the high-tech protagonist of this ecological fable in an emotionally resonant wilderness. — Bob Mondello
Joker: Folie a Deux, in theaters Oct. 4
The original Joker was supposed to be a standalone film, but when it made a billion dollars, and Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix started dreaming about his deranged Arthur Fleck telling jokes and singing onstage, what’s a poor movie studio to do? Phoenix and director Todd Phillips conjured a story involving Fleck’s music therapist, Harley Quinn; Lady Gaga signed on to play her, and here we are. — Bob Mondello
The Platform 2, on Netflix Oct. 4
The Platform, Spanish director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s 2019 feature debut, was a nasty piece of work — an grisly anti-capitalist screed in sci-fi/horror clothing. In a tower prison, the residents of the top floors enjoy sumptuous meals served on a vast slab. But as that platform descends at designated intervals down through the tower, the lower residents fight over leftovers. No, it's not subtle, as metaphors go, but I'm eager to see where a sequel takes us. — Glen Weldon
Piece by Piece, in theaters Oct. 11
“Y’know what’d be cool?” asks Pharrell Williams, channeling his “It might seem crazy what I’m ‘bout to say” opening lyric to “Happy” – “is if we told my story with LEGO pieces.” As he is LEGO-ized while saying this in Morgan Neville’s computer-animated documentary and is joined on several new songs by LEGO-ized Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, it’s hard to disagree.
— Bob Mondello
Saturday Night, in theaters Oct. 11
Jason Reitman jumps back 49 years to revel in the nervous energy of Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Jane Curtin on the eve of the very first broadcast of a little late-night comedy show they’d come up with. Interviews with the surviving principals inform the dramedy’s portrait of the hours leading up to those fateful words “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” on Oct. 11, 1975. — Bob Mondello
Anora, in theaters Oct. 18
The first American film to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 13 years, Sean Baker’s comic drama follows New York sex worker Anora (Mikey Madison) as she impulsively elopes with Russian tourist Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), who’s eager to avoid deportation. The magic in their fairytale romance is challenged somewhat when Vanya’s parents swan in to try to get the marriage annulled. — Bob Mondello
Rumours, in theaters Oct. 18
Guy Maddin makes movies (Careful, The Saddest Music in the World, My Winnipeg) that are rich and strange – not necessarily in a crowd-pleasing way, but invariably in a me-pleasing way. He's teaming with brothers Evan and Galen Johnson to write and direct this one, and the plot promises a big swing: World leaders attending the G7 conference get lost in the woods. I was all-in for this movie even BEFORE I found it stars Cate Blanchett and a giant brain. And now that I know that? All-innest! — Glen Weldon
Woman of the Hour, on Netflix Oct. 18
Anna Kendrick's directorial debut (in which she also stars) is based on the story of a serial killer who went on The Dating Game. It's a bizarre and unsettling story to say the least, and it got solid reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Kendrick is a more interesting actress than she's sometimes given credit for, and she may be the same as a director. — Linda Holmes
The Nickel Boys, in theaters Oct. 25
Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer winner about a Jim Crow-era reform school (based on Florida’s notorious Dozier School) chronicled the experiences of two Black teenagers — Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson) — as they try to survive the horrors and abuse of the school. RaMell Ross’ film will be the opening attraction at the New York Film Festival. — Bob Mondello
A Real Pain, in theaters Nov. 1
Kieran Culkin is fresh off a stunning performance in HBO's Succession, where he could be surprisingly sympathetic for a guy who was basically a sleazeball. Here, he joins Jesse Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed, to play cousins who join up for a trip in Poland. These are both actors who are just about always worth your time, and who doesn't love a road trip movie? — Linda Holmes
Here, in theaters Nov. 1
Director Robert Zemeckis never met a technological innovation he didn’t want to play with, from motion capture in Polar Express to digital animation in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This time, he’s employing generative AI to face-swap and de-age his Forrest Gump stars, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, as they play characters from 18 to 80 in a story that chronicles events on a single plot of land. — Bob Mondello
Emilia Pérez, in theaters Nov. 1, on Netflix Nov. 13
The word out of Cannes earlier this year, where it won the Jury Prize, was that Jacques Audiard’s musical comedy crime film is both exciting and polarizing. At the very least, the logline is compelling: Zoe Saldaña is a lawyer who’s roped into helping a ruthless cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) fake her own death so she can undergo gender affirming surgery. Mentally prepare yourself now for The Discourse to come.
— Aisha Harris
Heretic, in theaters Nov. 15
Two young women, Mormon missionaries, greet a kindly older man who invites them inside his remote home for a sober discussion of the tenets of their faith. But this is an A24 horror film, so things don't stay sober for long. The older man in question is played by a slyly sinister Hugh Grant, and his home is an elaborate maze made to test their faiths. I'm getting Barbarian vibes from the trailer — and it's not like that cardigan Grant's wearing makes things any LESS creepy. Brrrr. — Glen Weldon
Blitz, in theaters Nov. 1, on Apple TV+ Nov. 22
Steve McQueen – that name alone should be enough to warrant attention. The Shame and 12 Years a Slave filmmaker wrote and directed this historical drama, which has been described as an “epic journey” set during World War II. And it stars the always captivating Saoirse Ronan as a woman whose young son goes missing in the English countryside. Sign me up.
— Aisha Harris
Gladiator II, in theaters Nov. 22
Two decades after the events depicted in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Lucius, the little boy (grandson of an emperor) who cheered on Russell Crowe in the Colosseum, has grown up to be Paul Mescal and finds himself in much the same position. Enslaved, he’ll fight not tigers, but a rhinoceros, under the tutelage of power-broker Denzel Washington as he opposes a pair of cruel and capricious young emperors. — Bob Mondello
Wicked, in theaters Nov. 22
Two witches — Galinda (Ariana Grande), bubbly and “popular,” Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), green and fragile — take on a duplicitous wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in this adaptation of the first act of the smash Broadway musical based on Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” It’ll be a long and winding yellow brick road (the second act arrives for Thanksgiving 2025). — Bob Mondello
Copyright 2024 NPR
Topline:
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was scrapping U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities — a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices.
What the president is saying: The Trump administration has insisted that its tariffs had helped fill government coffers and weren't a major factor in higher prices at grocery stores around the country.
What others are saying: Democrats were quick to paint Friday's move as an acknowledgement that Trump's policies were hurting American pocketbooks.
Read on ... for more on what this latest move means for U.S. consumers.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was scrapping U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities — a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices.
Trump has built his second term around imposing steep levies on goods imported into the U.S. in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the U.S. economy. His abrupt retreat from his signature tariff policy on so many staples key to the American diet is significant, and it comes after voters in off-year elections this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and other key races around the country.
"We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods like coffee," Trump said aboard Air Force One as he flew to Florida hours after the tariff announcement was made.
Pressed on his tariffs helping to increase consumer prices, Trump acknowledged, "I say they may, in some cases," have that effect.
"But to a large extent, they've been borne by other countries," the president added.
Meanwhile, inflation — despite Trump's pronouncements that it has vanished since he took office in January — remains elevated, further increasing pressure on U.S. consumers.
The Trump administration has insisted that its tariffs had helped fill government coffers and weren't a major factor in higher prices at grocery stores around the country. But Democrats were quick to paint Friday's move as an acknowledgement that Trump's policies were hurting American pocketbooks.
"President Trump is finally admitting what we always knew: His tariffs are raising prices for the American people," Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer said in a statement. "After getting drubbed in recent elections because of voters' fury that Trump has broken his promises to fix inflation, the White House is trying to cast this tariff retreat as a 'pivot to affordability.'"
Trump slapped tariffs on most countries around the globe in April. He and his administration still say tariffs don't increase consumer prices, despite economic evidence to the contrary.
Record-high beef prices have been a particular concern, and Trump had said he intended to take action to try to lower them. Trump's tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, had been a factor.
Trump signed an executive order that also removes tariffs on tea, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and certain fertilizers. Some of the products covered aren't produced in the United States, meaning that tariffs meant to spur domestic production had little effect. But reducing the tariffs still likely will mean lower prices for U.S. consumers.
The Food Industry Association, which represents retailers, producers and a variety of related industry firms and services, applauded Trump's move to provide "swift tariff relief," noting that import U.S. taxes "are an important factor" in a "complex mix" of supply chain issues.
"President Trump's proclamation to reduce tariffs on a substantial volume of food imports is a critical step ensuring continued adequate supply at prices consumers can afford," the association said in a statement.
In explaining the tariff reductions, the White House said Friday that some of the original levies Trump relished imposing on nearly every country on earth months ago were actually no longer necessary given the trade agreements he'd since hammered out with key U.S. trading partners.
Indeed, Friday's announcement follows the Trump administration having reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina meant to increase the ability of U.S. firms to sell industrial and agricultural products in these countries, while also potentially easing tariffs on agricultural products produced there.
During an interview that aired earlier in the week with Laura Ingraham of Fox News Channel, Trump hinted that lower tariffs might be coming.
"Coffee, we're going to lower some tariffs," the president said then. "We're going to have some coffee come in."
Despite pulling back on so many tariffs, Trump used his comments aboard Air Force One on Friday night to repeat his past assertions that his administration would use revenue the federal government has collected from import levies to fund $2,000 checks for many Americans.
The president suggested such checks could be issued in 2026 but was vague on timing, saying only, "Sometime during the year." Trump, however, also said federal tariff revenue might be used to pay down national debt — raising questions about how much federal funding would be needed to do both.
Trump rejected suggestions that attempting direct payments to Americans could exacerbate inflation concerns — even as he suggested that similar checks offered during the coronavirus pandemic, and by previous administrations to stimulate the economy, had that very effect.
"This is money earned as opposed to money that was made up," Trump said. "Everybody but the rich will get this. That's not made up. That's real money. That comes from other countries."
The first three Bob Ross paintings auctioned to support public broadcasting sold in Los Angeles on Tuesday for a record-shattering $662,000. The rest will go up for auction in various cities throughout 2026. Ross painted many of them live on his PBS show.
About the sale: Bonhams says the works attracted hundreds of registrations, more than twice the usual number for that type of sale. Each sold for more than its estimated worth, led by Winter's Peace, which fetched $318,000 to set a new Ross auction record.
Why now: In October, the nonprofit syndicator American Public Television (APT) announced it would auction off 30 of Ross' paintings to raise money for public broadcasters hit by federal funding cuts. It pledged to direct 100% of its net sales proceeds to APT and PBS stations nationwide.
The first of 30 Bob Ross paintings — many of them created live on the PBS series that made him a household name — have been auctioned off to support public television.
Ross, with his distinctive afro, soothing voice and sunny outlook, empowered millions of viewers to make and appreciate art through his show The Joy of Painting. More than 400 half-hour episodes aired on PBS (and eventually the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from 1983 to 1994, the year before Ross died of cancer at age 52.
Ross' impact lives on: His show still airs on PBS and streams on platforms like Hulu and Twitch . It has surged in popularity in recent years, particularly as viewers searched for comfort during COVID-19 lockdowns. Certified instructors continue teaching his wet-on-wet oil painting technique to the masses , and the Smithsonian acquired several of his works for its permanent collection in 2019. But his artwork rarely goes up for sale — until recently.
In October, the nonprofit syndicator American Public Television (APT) announced it would auction off 30 of Ross' paintings to raise money for public broadcasters hit by federal funding cuts. It pledged to direct 100% of its net sales proceeds to APT and PBS stations nationwide.
Auction house Bonhams is calling it the "largest single offering of Bob Ross original works ever brought to market."
Ross has become synonymous with public broadcasting and some activists have even invoked him in their calls for restoring federal funding to it.
"It's a medium that Bob just cherished," said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross, Inc., in a phone call with NPR. "With the cuts, it's just a natural inclination to support public television."
The first three paintings sold in Los Angeles on Tuesday for a record-shattering $662,000. Bonhams says the works attracted hundreds of registrations, more than twice the usual number for that type of sale. Each sold for more than its estimated worth, led by "Winter's Peace," which fetched $318,000 to set a new Ross auction record.
"As anticipated, these paintings inspired spirited bidding, achieved impressive results and broke global auction records, continuing the momentum we've seen building in [Ross'] market," said Robin Starr, the general manager of Bonhams Skinner, the auction house's Massachusetts branch. "These successes provide a solid foundation as we look ahead to 2026 and prepare to present the next group of Bob Ross works."
The next trio of paintings will be auctioned in Massachusetts in late January. The rest will be sold throughout 2026 at Bonham's salerooms in Los Angeles, New York and Boston.
At President Donald Trump's direction, Congress voted in July to claw back $1.1 billion in previously allocated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), leaving the country's roughly 330 PBS and 244 NPR stations in a precarious position.
CPB began shutting down at the end of September, PBS has already cut 15% of its jobs, and several local TV and radio stations have also announced layoffs and closures.
"I think he would be very disappointed" about the CPB cuts, Kowalski said of Ross. "I think he would have decided to do exactly what we're doing right now ... I think this would have probably been his idea."
Kowalski, whose parents founded Bob Ross Inc. together with the painter in 1985, said Ross favored positive activism over destructive or empty rhetoric.
"That just was his nature," she said. "He was like that in real life. So I think this would have been exactly the thing that he would have chosen. I suddenly got really emotional thinking about that."
The Ross auction aims to help stations pay their licensing fees to the national TV channel Create , which in turn allows them to air popular public television programs including The Best of the Joy of Painting (based on Ross' show), America's Test Kitchen, Rick Steve's Europe and Julia Child's French Chef Classics.
Bonhams says the auction proceeds will help stations — particularly smaller and rural ones — defray the cost burden of licensing fees, making Create available to more of them.
"This enables stations to maintain their educational programming while redirecting funds toward other critical operations and local content production threatened by federal funding cuts," the auction house says.
The 30 paintings going up for sale span Ross' career and are all "previously unseen by the public except during their creation in individual episodes" of The Joy of Painting, according to Bonhams. Many have remained in secure storage ever since.
They include vibrant landscapes, with the serene mountains, lake views and "happy trees" that became his trademark.
Ross started painting during his 20-year career in the Air Force, much of which was spent in Alaska. That experience shaped his penchant for landscapes and ability to work quickly — and, he later said , his desire not to raise his voice once out of the service.
Once on the airwaves, Ross' soft-spoken guidance and gentle demeanor won over millions of viewers. His advice applied to art as well as life: Mistakes are just "happy accidents," talent is a "pursued interest," and it's important to "take a step back and look."
"Ross' gentle teaching style and positive philosophy made him a cultural icon whose influence extends far beyond the art world," Bonhams says.
While Ross was prolific, his paintings were intended for teaching instead of selling, and therefore rarely go on the market.
In August, Bonhams sold two of Ross' early 1990s mountain and lake scenes as part of an online auction of American art. They fetched $114,800 and $95,750, surpassing expectations and setting a new auction world record for Ross at the time. Kowalski says that's when her gears started turning.
"And it just got me to thinking, that's a substantial amount of money," she recalled. "And what if, what if, what if?"
Bonhams officially estimates that the 30 paintings could go for a combined total between $850,000 and $1.4 million. But Starr, of the auction house, predicted in October that they will continue to exceed expectations, based on their artistic value, nostalgia factor and more.
"Now we add in the fact that these are selling to benefit public television, I think the bidding is going to be very happy," she said. "Happy trees, happy bidding."
Disclosure: This story was edited by general assignment editor Carol Ritchie and managing editor Vickie Walton-James. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.
Copyright 2025 NPR
Topline:
If you’re mourning the — probably — impending closure of Cole’s downtown or one of the other handful of classic Los Angeles eateries we’ve lost in the past few years, you might find camaraderie in a local social club.
For about a year now, Jake Hook has been holding monthly meetings of what is called the Diner Preservation Society . "Diner" is a loose term for the group.
Diners, diners, diners: Hook has also compiled a massive list of classic joints in our region. And this month, the club launched the Diner Theory podcast .
Read on ... for details about the next meet-ups.
If you’re mourning the — probably — impending closure of Cole’s downtown or one of the other handful of classic Los Angeles eateries we’ve lost in the past few years, you might find camaraderie in a local social club.
For about a year now, Jake Hook has been hosting monthly meetings of the Diner Preservation Society . "Diner" is a loose term for the group.
At classic joints like Philippe’s and the recently closed Papa Cristo’s , attendees talk about their favorite eateries and what they can do to save the ones we’re at risk of losing.
“Diners are the classic American third space. They are where communities happen. And you can see that by how worked up people get when diners close,” Hook said.
Take the recent closure of the Pantry downtown. Now it looks as if it will be reopening , but Hook said people from across the city showed up in droves before it shuttered.
“So much so that the wait on the last day was about seven hours. And I endured all seven hours,” they told LAist.
A philosophy professor by day, Hook’s enduring love of diners led them to compile a massive list of classic joints in our region . And this month, they launched the "Diner Theory" podcast , which delves into topics “at the intersection of food and philosophy.”
Hook, 31, said they think younger generations are looking for spaces that feel more human in an increasingly online world. And diners fill that void.
“It’s something that unites people who have lived here from generation to generation to have these experiences in roughly the same way. And I think that’s valuable for forming some kind of citywide identity,” they said.
Plus, there’s really good, cheap food.
If you’d like to attend the next meeting of the Diner Preservation Society, visit their Substack to learn more.
Shakers
601 Fair Oaks Ave.
South Pasadena
Saturday at 10 a.m.
Bun N Burger
1000 E. Main St.
Alhambra
Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.
Topline:
Culver City council has passed a motion to consider an “entertainment zone” for their downtown business district.
Why it matters: Culver City wants to get into the “entertainment zone” business to boost economic activity and compete with surrounding attractions in Santa Monica and Century City.
The backstory: In May, Santa Monica became the first city in L.A. County to adopt an “entertainment zone” in accordance with California SB 969, which passed in 2024. Long Beach followed suit in August. West Hollywood voted to study the creation of one in September. Now, Culver City is the latest to motion to create an entertainment zone.
What's next: The Culver City Council needs to pass an ordinance approving a plan for the area. A date consider that plan has not been set yet.
The Culver City Council has passed a motion to consider creating an "entertainment zone" for its downtown.
Once implemented, it would be the third city in Southern California with a designated area where people can walk around and consume alcohol outside during designated special events.
In May, Santa Monica became the first city in L.A. County to adopt an “entertainment zone” in accordance with California SB 969, which passed in 2024. Long Beach followed suit in August. West Hollywood voted to study the creation of something similar in September.
And now, Culver City wants to be part of a growing trend to boost economic activity and compete with attractions in surrounding cities.
"Century City, Hollywood, Downtown LA ...we're competing with the whole city," Culver City Mayor Dan O’Brien told LAist. "So giving yet another reason for Angelenos to come to Culver City and have a nice night out and enjoy our special events. I think we need to grab it."
“It’s going to be for our special events only,” O’Brien said. “Certainly during the World Cup and throughout the Olympics.”
Other city events listed in the motion include the Summer Concert Series, Independence Day Drone Show and the downtown Tree Lighting ceremony scheduled for Dec. 4.
“ That would be an ideal opportunity to activate for the entertainment zone,” O’Brien said. “But I do not know if we will have everything in place to do so by then.”
The current entertainment zone proposal encompasses the Downtown Culver City Business Improvement District — of about eight to 10 blocks long and three blocks wide, O'Brien said.
That includes Culver Boulevard between Madison Avenue and Venice Boulevard — and Washington Boulevard between Hughes Avenue and Culver Boulevard. It would also include side streets up to the city boundary.
The Downtown Business Association, which is behind the proposal, is requesting the area that includes the Town Plaza, the Culver Steps and Main Street to be part of the new zone.
The Culver City Council will now need to pass an ordinance approving a plan with information about the exact boundaries of the entertainment zone, its hours of operations and specific events for which they'll be active.
A date for the next vote hasn’t been set.
