"It's always a gamble," Regency Theatres President Lyndon Golin told the Claremont Courier the week his company opened Director's Cut Claremont. He was talking about running a five-screen neighborhood theater at 450 W. Second St., the same building where Laemmle Claremont 5 closed in January after 19 years.
The soft opening was Friday, October 2. Regency's discounts all land on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This October, nearly every weekend in Claremont already has a fixed event, so those weeknights are the open spots on the calendar. If you live nearby, Tuesday and Wednesday are when this theater fits most easily into your week.
Four Years of Near Misses on Second Street
The building's recent history explains why the reopening got so much local attention. In short:
- December 2021: The Courier reported that Laemmle Claremont 5 was in escrow with Win Fund Investment LLC of Rancho Cucamonga. The buyer proposed replacing the theater with a market, restaurants and a rooftop bar.
- January 2023: Greg Laemmle said that escrow was canceled after more than a year because the buyer couldn't complete the purchase.
- December 2024: An auction failed to meet a reserve of about $4 million.
- November 2025: The sale closed. Within days the Courier named Regency as the buyer.
- January 29, 2026: Laemmle showed its final films on a Thursday night.
- May 2026: This was the reopening target the Daily Bulletin reported when Laemmle closed.
- October 2, 2026: Doors opened, about eight months after the last Laemmle show.
Golin said Regency saw how strongly the community responded during the failed escrow and took that as a sign the theater could work. The Courier also recalled that during the Laemmle years, the community was told several times the theater would survive only if people came out and bought tickets. That history explains the design choices you'll find inside.
Why the Pricing Points to Weeknights
Regency calls this format "Director's Cut." The program is part arthouse and specialty films, part "more sophisticated commercial films," modeled on the chain's Laguna Niguel location. Opening-night titles included "Digger," "Verity," "Primetime," "Heart of the Beast" and "The History of Concrete."
The discounts go to the quietest nights of the week:
| Night | What Regency announced |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | $8 tickets all day, for everyone |
| Wednesday | $7.50 senior matinees |
| Wednesday | "Flashback Wednesdays," with classics and other curiosities from the past |
The building itself changed too. Every seat is now a recliner, and Golin said that "reduced the seating capacity a lot." He also said the screens were replaced and the picture and sound reworked. Fewer seats per screen means each auditorium can fill on a smaller crowd. With discounts on Tuesday and Wednesday, a weeknight movie is the cheapest way in for Claremont residents. A full seat count hasn't been published, and neither has a regular adult ticket price. Check the Director's Cut Claremont page for showtimes before you go.
The wider opening and a community open house were promised for "the following week," which puts them sometime in the week of October 5. No exact date or time had been posted when this was written.
October's Saturdays Are Already Booked
The weeknight case gets stronger when you look at the rest of the month. Starting October 10, every Saturday has a fixed event, and most Sundays do too.
| Date | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 7 | Acorn member presale and happy hour, 4 to 7 p.m. | California Botanic Garden |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Grow Native Nursery fall plant sale: members 8 to 10 a.m., public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | California Botanic Garden |
| Sun, Oct 11 | Plant sale continues, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | California Botanic Garden |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Halloween Spooktacular, 3 to 6 p.m., free | Lewis Park |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Sunflowers painting class | California Botanic Garden |
| Sun, Oct 18 | Medicinal-plant herb walk | California Botanic Garden |
| Sat, Oct 24 | 44th Village Venture, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free | Claremont Village |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Yarn in the Yuccas fiber-arts meetup | California Botanic Garden |
| Every Sunday | Farmers & Artisans Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine | Harvard Ave. between First St. and Bonita Ave. |
The plant sale features thousands of California native plants, and the Garden says books and resources are new this year. The Spooktacular includes games, costume contests and a sensory zone. Proceeds from the Sunday market support the Prison Library Project.
If you hike, Claremont Hills Wilderness Park is open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in October. In November the hours shift to 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Claremont residents can park free for up to six hours a day in the south lot at the Thompson Creek Trail. To use it, scan a California driver's license showing a Claremont address and enter your plate. The free parking doesn't apply in the north lot.
Fit all of that around a household schedule and most weekend afternoons are taken. The Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are what's left, and that's where the theater's discounts sit.
A Weeknight Around Second Street
The theater sits a short walk from the Packing House on First Street. Its directory lists Eureka!, Gus's BBQ, Crepes de Paris, Iron & Kin, Mozwell, Nekter, Packing House Wines and Whisper House among its food and drink tenants. Some confirmed addresses for dinner before a show:
- Eureka! at 580 W. First St., open daily
- Mozwell, a cocktail bar and kitchen at 590 W. First St. that takes table reservations
- Gus's BBQ at 500 W. First St.
- IN Sake Museum at 532 W. First St., Suite 209, which held its grand opening on June 28 and lists Wednesday through Sunday hours
IN Sake Museum's hours start on Wednesday, so on a Flashback Wednesday you can visit the museum and see a movie on the same block. On a Tuesday, Eureka! and Mozwell are your nearest dinner options.
For dessert, there's a newer option a few blocks east. Bacio di Latte opened in August at 221 N. Yale Ave. It's one of more than 20 California locations of the Italian-style gelato chain. The Student Life described it as joining a Village dessert lineup that already includes Bert & Rocky's Cream Co., 21 Choices and Yogurtland.
For parking, the Packing House says public parking is in the structure east of its site. The city's Village parking page lists a three-hour structure at College Avenue and First Street and an all-day public lot west of Indian Hill at First Street. The city doesn't list any validated parking for the theater. On a weeknight that matters less, since the three-hour limit fits a dinner-and-movie evening if you watch the clock.
October 24 Is the Exception
One Saturday this month makes the Village harder to reach by car. The 44th Annual Village Venture Arts & Crafts Festival runs Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with more than 375 artisans and crafters. The Chamber's festival page lists vendor booths as at capacity.
These streets will be closed from about 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
- First Street between Indian Hill Boulevard and College Avenue
- Second Street between Alley 38 and Harvard Place
- Bonita Avenue between Alley 38 and Harvard Place
- Harvard Avenue between First Street and Fourth Street
- Yale Avenue between First Street and part of Fourth Street
There are three new free parking lots this year, each with a Pomona Valley Transportation Authority shuttle running 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.:
- Taylor Hall, 1775 N. Indian Hill Blvd.
- Claremont High School, 1601 N. Indian Hill Blvd.
- Claremont Graduate University ACB lot, 130 E. 9th St.
The last shuttle leaves at 5 p.m. The festival also lists the Packing House parking structure on First Street, just west of Indian Hill, and the Metrolink lot on First Street east of College as extra parking. If you're planning a Saturday matinee on Second Street that day, expect festival crowds in that garage, or use one of the shuttle lots.
The day opens at 9 a.m. with a ceremony at the Shelton Park Stage. Next comes the Children's Costume Parade, led by Grand Marshal Hader Aldouri, owner of Dr. Grubb's. New this year are four selfie stations, one of them at Lost Levels Arcade & Card Shop, and a BINGO card you can turn in for a prize while supplies last. If you're 21 or older, the Beer & Wine Garden is on Harvard Avenue north of Bonita, and the Chamber's visitor center at 205 Yale Ave. will be open all day.
On the drive in from Foothill, you'll pass the Route 66 Centennial Monument at Foothill Boulevard and Indian Hill Boulevard. The City dedicated it September 21 with Claremont Heritage and the Chamber.
If you own near the Village and want to talk about how changes on Second Street affect your home or your plans, Christian Briseno is glad to walk through your options with you, one step at a time. Schedule a free consultation.
