One of the more unusual marriages of movie exhibitors came in the form of  the Edwards/Sanborn Laguna Hills Mall Theatre.  This rather small three-screen complex is also an anomaly in mall theatre exhibition; it was equipped for 70mm presentation.  Most theatres are owned by one company, and most mall cinemas are very small and don’t have 70mm projection.

This boutique cinema was owned by Sanborn (later becoming SoCal Cinemas) with Edwards, who pretty much had the monopoly on Orange County theatres.  Located inside of the Laguna Hills Mall, the theatre resembles mall theaters built during the mid-1970s and 1980s.  The lobby is fairly small and non-descript, whereby patrons can enter one of three auditoriums.  The middle auditorium is the largest.

Most of this theatre’s 70mm presentation occurred during the early-to-mid-1980s.  The theatre is still open and serves mostly the retirement community of Laguna Woods (a.k.a. Leisure World).

[1]

Edwards / Sanborn Laguna Hills Mall Cinema opening day ad (December 16, 1983)

[2]

Laguna Hills Mall Cinemas (2003)