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Cult-favorite L.A. video store Vidiots will reopen in a renovated theater

Vidiot Box

Cult-favorite L.A. video store Vidiots will reopen in a renovated theater

The new Vidiots will open at 4884 Eagle Rock Boulevard, in a space that once housed the Eagle Theatre, a 200-seat independent theatre first built in 1929 that shut down in 2001 and has since operated as a church. (Courtesy Vidiots)

Like the LP and the hardcover book, the DVD is a form of media subject to unpredictable waves of popularity and stagnation, never to be officially put to rest. However, it may come as a shock that, in 2019, a video store housing more than 50,000 DVDs, BluRay discs, and VHS tapes is in the works.

The owners of cult-favorite Vidiots, a “one-of-kind hub for film lovers, filmmakers, and everyone curious about cinema” that first opened in 1985 in Santa Monica and closed in 2017, announced that they will reopen next fall as a store, movie theater, and event space in the youthful northeastern neighborhood of Eagle Rock. The nonprofit will be housed in the former Eagle Theatre, a 200-seat independent theatre built in 1929 that shut down in 2001 and has since operated as a church. “Vidiots relaunching on the cusp of our 35th birthday,” said Vidiots executive director Maggie Mackay, “is a triumph for Los Angeles film history and cements the legacy of Vidiots founders Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber as innovators in L.A. film culture. Bringing the Eagle Theatre back and providing L.A. with a long-needed new film space is thrilling.”

A video screen in a pink theater with VIDIOTS on it
The interior of the original theatre will be renovated and equipped with state-of-the-art sound and projection. (Courtesy Vidiots)

The original theater space will be renovated and equipped with state-of-the-art sound and projection, as well as a second 50-seat screening room that will host screenings, workshops, and receptions, and a storefront from which its vast collection of film materials will be sold. According to renderings, the original 1980s-era Vidiots sign will be hung above a renovated marquee, which will continue to function as a space for advertising upcoming movies and events.

Vidiots secured funds for the theater space with the support of development partner Jeffrey Birkmeyer and “founding members,” which include actors Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton, and director Jason Reitman, who will be donating a 35mm projection system. Until it opens roughly a year from now, Vidiots will continue to remotely host events in the recently-opened Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Bootleg, a concert venue in Historic Filipinotown.


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