After iPic Theaters filed for bankruptcy in March, BlueFox Entertainment will acquire the two iPic luxury theaters in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village and New York and rebrand them as The Cinemas.
The company said these locations will no longer offer in-theater dining and will instead focus on premium concessions featuring “upscale food and beverage offerings,” stressing that the transition away from in-theater dining is “designed to enhance the movie experience by reducing service-related noise, light and other distractions.”
The theater, Tack Room restaurant and cocktail lounge will remain open during the rebranding process, Blue Fox said.
“Expanding into theatrical exhibits represents a major evolution for our company and further strengthens our position as a fully integrated entertainment group,” said James Huntsman, founder of BlueFox Entertainment Group. “These locations are some of the most well-known premium movie theaters in the country, and we look forward to building on their strong reputation while providing audiences with the best moviegoing experience.”
iPic theaters in Pasadena and other locations were not included in the Blue Fox acquisition.
In addition to continuing its program of major studio releases, independent films, and classic movie nights, The Cinemas will develop an event-focused program that includes advance screenings, filmmaker Q&As, repertoire titles, special features, and community-driven events.
The iPic Fulton Market in New York’s Seaport District has eight screens, and the Westwood Village location, formerly Avco Center Cinemas, has six screens.
Founded in 2015, Blue Fox is an independent film distribution, financing and sales company that has previously released films such as “Lost in the Mountains of Maine” and “The Wolf and the Lion.” The expansion will create a “vertically integrated platform that can support filmmakers from development to production, global distribution and theatrical release.”
