Specifications

Operators: Edwards/REG
Status: Open
Opened: 4/98
Closed: NA
Current Use: Film/First Run
Screens: 20
Seating: (stadium)

Profile

A product of the 90′s megaplex boom, Edwards Aliso Viejo 20 opened in the Aliso Town Center shopping plaza during April of 1998. The lucrative site had been secured by Edwards in 1995, after winning a bidding war with industry giant AMC. Reflective of the times, the venue was initially planned as an eighteen screen theatre, but, as the industry moved in to a “more is better” mentality, the Aliso Viejo build was upgraded to twenty screens.

Key to the venue’s success would be it’s centralized location, set almost dead center in the burgeoning city of Aliso Viejo and beside the family oriented communities of Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, and Laguna Niguel. Yet, also located some four miles from the Irvine Spectrum megaplex and near a host of ”dated” (per industry standards of the day) south county multiplexes, the Aliso Viejo 20 opened amid public speculation that the area was overscreened; an idea that was scoffed at by Edwards’ founder, James Edwards II, as he claimed the theatre would “complement” area cinemas (Edwards would pass away a year prior to the theatre’s grand opening). Edward’s viewpoint would generally prove correct, as the Aliso Viejo 20 quickly settled in to brisk business and the area’s cinema landscape remained relatively unscathed by the “overscreening”. However, the theatre also marked the “beginning of the end” for Edwards, as a family held business. Overextended and mismanaged, as a company, Edwards Theatres would file for bankruptcy two years later and fall under the ownership of REG by 2001.

The Aliso Viejo 20 was designed in a somewhat standard late 90′s megaplex fashion. Lacking the trademark Edwards style, the theatre looked quite similar to the “big box” builds of AMC. However, the generic styling did not carry over in to the overall movie going experience, as the Aliso Viejo became known for excellent presentation and operations quality. Of particular note, the venue features generously sized auditoriums and screens throughout, unlike the sizing extremes of most megaplexes. Little known, outside of the immediate area, the Aliso Viejo 20 has become a hidden gem among Orange County megaplexes.

Images

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