Lido Theater (Newport Beach)
Lido Theater (Newport Beach)
The Lido Theater is a historic single‑screen movie theater in Newport Beach, California. It opened on October 27, 1939, and was designed by architect Clifford A. Balch in the Art Deco style. The project was developed near Lido Isle for about $105,000, with extra funds for the lot, equipment, parking, and landscaping; the seating capacity was increased from 750 to 800 before it opened.
Over the years, it was operated by Edwards Theatres, then Regency Theatres, and later Laemmle Theatres. In 1989, the theater marked its 50th anniversary with a renovation costing about $250,000, restoring ocean murals with luminous paint and repainting the exterior.
On September 9, 2001, Edwards Theatres ceased operating the Lido Theater amid Edwards’ bankruptcy. The Fritz Duda Company, the owner, closed the building while seeking a new operator. Regency Theatres leased and operated the venue for a period, and in 2014 the lease with Regency ended. A new operator, Lido Live, planned to run a mix of movie showings and live entertainment.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2020, the area in front of the theater and under its marquee was used for outdoor dining for the nearby restaurant Fable & Spirit, with the marquee bearing the restaurant’s name.
In September 2024 it was announced that the Lido Theater would reopen, with Fritz Duda hiring director and producer McG through his River Jetty Restaurant Group to operate after more than four years of renovations.
Architecture notes: Balch’s Art Deco design features a north-facing facade on Via Lido, including a 45-foot-tall tower and a circular copper marquee. The theater’s original exterior color has been debated; some sources suggested light pink, while others claimed yellow. In 2014 the exterior was painted taupe by the operator, causing local controversy.
This page was last edited on 29 January 2026, at 10:34 (CET).