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The Historic Vista Theater Is Now Open

Looking up at the marquee of the Historic Vista Theater in Los Feliz. It's lit up in neon green and red with signage that reads:  

Since 1923 
Celebrating 100 Years 
True Romance 35MM"
The marquee of the newly renovated Vista Theater in Los Feliz. It opened Saturday, November 11th with screenings of the 1993 film True Romance.
(
Victoria Alejandro
/
LAist
)

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Topline:

A month after its 100th anniversary, the historic Vista Theater reopened Saturday after a three-year closure. How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro swung by the Los Feliz landmark to hear from folks excited to hear that it’s finally back in business.

Why it matters: The 400-seat Vista Theater first opened its doors in Los Feliz in 1923 but it went dark in 2020 during the pandemic. Its future was uncertain. For months, the iconic marquee simply read: “To Be Continued." That is until filmmaker and theater owner Quentin Tarantino announced in 2021 he had purchased the Vista from Vintage Cinemas.

"I hear the inside is gorgeous, I hear he refurbished it all," said Matt, who was waiting in line with his partner Sunny. "It was one of our favorite theaters to go to for years."

Added moviegoer Jesús: "I've been coming {to this theater} for like the past 20 years." An L.A. newcomer who told us his name was Tony added he and his partner are excited to check out the Vista and all the vintage theaters in the city.

Why now: The theater will kick off its regular program schedule on Friday, Nov. 17th with Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving and then Ridley Scott’s Napoleon the following week. But this past Saturday, fans got a sneak peek at the remodeled theater with two different screenings of the 1993 filmTrue Romance, which was written by Tarantino.

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