By Billy Fried
OK, I was more than skeptical when Rivian rode into town (silently) and bought our beloved South Coast Cinema after an interminable wait for a white knight to scoop it up and return it to its original glory – so we could once again make out on the balcony, without fear of rats, mold and asbestos. Some of our most benevolent philanthropists took a swing, but the price and subsequent remediation costs just didn’t pencil. But to hell with market value for Rivian, who had just raised $12 billion in a public offering and was valued at a whopping $66.5 billion. With that kind of haul, they could be in the electric car and movie theater rehabilitation businesses simultaneously. And perhaps solve world hunger.
Of course, they assured our Planning Department that the landmark 1930s building fronting Main Beach would not be a glorified showroom but instead, some kind of experiential center that would maintain a theater and host cultural events. My cynical brain thought it was just a gesture to get approvals. Maybe a small theater tucked into the side that would show films – with Rivians embedded in them. Like a remake of Sophie’s Choice, but with Rivians.
I was wrong. Dead wrong. It’s a giant, 11,000-square-foot, gorgeous, single-screen movie theater and lounge with just two cars sprinkled in the relaxed setting. And whatever Rivian’s marketing strategy might be to completely restore a space that can’t be seen from the street, that will show a potent lineup of adventure sports and environmental films, host panels on protecting and restoring the environment, I don’t much care. I trust their Experiential Marketing and Community Engagement Department to figure that out. But I do wonder how their shareholders feel about a retail space that isn’t designed to sell anything but rather correlates as a brand experience. After all, did Rivian realize that nearly half the town already owns Teslas? And that we aren’t really a mass pick-up truck market? And that the theater is in an area with limited parking and little foot traffic?
But never mind all that. We have our movie theater back! And it’s freaking gorgeous. The cavernous space has been painted white, with soothing blond wood accents. It’s faithful to its beginnings, with the restored star-shaped ceiling light and, in an homage to the original Edgar Payne murals (which I’m told the previous owner removed because of their value), new arched landscape murals by Ariel Lee. The marquee, ticket booth, tiled courtyard, and balcony seating have all been have been faithfully restored, and the city deserves credit for stewarding this effort.
Better yet, Rivian has partnered with our friends at Coast Film & Music Festival to program the content, meaning we get inspiring surf and adventure sports films back in a theater whose biggest draw was always surf films. And that is seriously rad. It’s a perfect synergy. Rivian is positioning itself as an environmental car company that is adventure-focused. And nothing says environment and adventure sports better than our very own home-grown festival.
Not only that, Rivian is reaching out to the students at LCAD to foster environmental graphic design to bring our students purpose and opportunity.
And for the Coast Film & Music Festival, this is a big-time partnership that keeps their products and mission in front of us year-round, which can perhaps enable other channels from which to grow. As Festival co-founder Ben Warner said, “We could not be more pleased that Rivian has reopened the theater and that we have partnered to help curate content. The partnership between the Coast Film Foundation and Rivian gives us the opportunity to show films throughout the year and provide entertainment for the Laguna Beach community at the state-of-the-art South Coast Theater.”
For now, Rivian has pledged to screen movies on Saturdays. And it’s free, which is even cheaper than the 25 cents they used to charge when the theater opened. To check programming, go to rivian.com/spaces/laguna.
So, in two short weeks, Laguna was gifted the incredible new gallery space Honarkar Foundation for Arts & Culture and this gorgeous new movie theater. We must have pixie dust. And we are fast becoming the electric car capital of the world. When we finally wrest control of Coast Highway from CalTrans, perhaps we will rechristen it Rivian Way. With a small section in North Laguna called Polestar Place. All in a little seaside village called Tesla Town.
Billy is the CEO of La Vida Laguna, an outdoor adventure company, and the host of “Laguna Talks” on KXFM radio – Thursdays at 8 p.m. Email: [email protected].
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