"We're using The Lot, we're using Big Newport, we're using the Triangle and the Lido, and we're also going to be using the University Town Center Irvine," festival president and CEO Gregg Schwenk told the Newport Beach Independent this week.
He was explaining why the 27th Newport Beach Film Festival, running October 15 through 22, needs more theaters than ever. Read alongside this year's city council record, the list says something else too. This is very likely the last festival with Regal Edwards Big Newport as a venue. The other four theaters on Schwenk's list are the ones that will still be there afterward, so this year's map gives an early look at how film works in Newport Beach once the 1969 theater is gone. That also makes a seat inside Big Newport the one thing this week that can't come back next year.
A 1969 screen with a closing date on the books
Big Newport opened in February 1969 as a single auditorium with 1,249 seats and a screen nearly 75 feet wide. Later it was split into a six-screen complex. The city's 2026 staff report counts six screens and 1,134 seats today. According to the Orange County Register, the theater has been a festival hub for more than 25 years.
Here is the timeline that ends that run:
- March 5, 2026: The Newport Beach Planning Commission voted 6-0 to approve Related California's plan for the site.
- April 28, 2026: One appeal had been withdrawn earlier that day. The City Council then unanimously denied the remaining appeal, filed for a group called Save Our Theater, and upheld the commission's decision.
- June 2027: The Edwards family, which owns the land, has said it won't extend Regal's operating agreement past this date. Regal told the family it was interested in leaving much sooner, before the end of 2026.
The approved project covers 4.17 acres, including the theater and the neighboring Body Design facility. It calls for 150 condominiums in two 22-story towers, each under a 270-foot height limit, plus 343 parking spaces and retail and café space, according to the city staff report. Speaking for the family at the March hearing, Jim Edwards, whose father opened Big Newport, put it this way: "our family wants to honor [my] dad's passion to create something special on this property."
No exact closing day has been announced. When the Daily Pilot ran its lineup story on September 25, it called this year's festival "likely a farewell" to Big Newport as a key venue. Both "likely" and "probably" are doing real work in that sentence and in this post's title.
Five theaters this year, and what each one becomes
The festival is screening more than 100 features and 250 shorts from 21 countries. More than 4,000 films were submitted. To hold all of it, the festival has spread across these venues:
| Venue | Where | Festival role in 2026 | After Big Newport closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regal Edwards Big Newport | Newport Center | Closing-night screening of Behemoth! on Oct. 22 | Site approved for two 22-story condo towers |
| The LOT Fashion Island | 999 Newport Center Drive | Screening venue | Showing current films every day |
| Lido Theater | Lido Village | Closing-night special event, Unleashed Spirits | Restored 1939 house running weekly films plus comedy and music |
| Triangle Cinemas | 1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa | Screening venue | Showing first-run films as Starlight Triangle Square Cinemas |
| University Town Center | Irvine | New venue aimed at UCI students | Outside Newport Beach |
Closing night is the clearest sign of the shift. Two films end the festival on October 22, in two different theaters. Behemoth!, starring Pedro Pascal, plays Big Newport. Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires, a documentary special event, plays the Lido. One theater on its way out and one that has spent 2026 adding programming are sharing the festival's last night.
The Lido's role is worth a closer look. The restored 1939 theater added comedy and live music to its weekly film schedule in 2026, which the Daily Pilot covered in May. The festival has also been building a year-round presence beyond its October theaters. Last month it launched The Process Unlocked, a PBS SoCal conversation series hosted by Jenelle Riley at the new Witte Hall in Newport Beach. Willem Dafoe was the first guest.
The week, built around the theater that's leaving
These are the dates that matter to anyone who wants the full festival, including at least one more night at Big Newport:
- Thursday, October 15. The festival opens at 7 p.m. with Frampton, a documentary about Peter Frampton. Frampton and director Rob Arthur are scheduled for a live Q&A. The opening party follows at Fashion Island. Schwenk says "30 or 32 of the top restaurants" will serve signature tastings, with a hosted bar from Tito's Vodka.
- Saturday, October 17. KJ Apa receives the festival's Spotlight honor with Jimmy, in which he plays Jimmy Stewart. The film is having its West Coast premiere.
- Sunday, October 18. The Festival Honors brunch at Balboa Bay Resort is held with Variety's 10 Actors to Watch. Honorees include Taraji P. Henson, Jack O'Connell, Mckenna Grace, Sosie Bacon and casting director Sarah Finn, and PBS SoCal plans to broadcast the event in January. That evening the Irish Spotlight premieres Trad, The Body Is Water and You'll Never Believe Who's Dead, followed by a reception at Muldoon's Irish Pub, 202 Newport Center Drive.
- Monday, October 19. Justin Hartley and Jonás Cuarón receive Artist of Distinction honors. The Latin Showcase after-party starts at 10 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 20. Gemma Chan is honored for Outstanding Achievement in Acting, and the European Showcase after-party starts at 10 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 21. The Pacific Rim Showcase after-party starts at 10 p.m.
- Thursday, October 22. Behemoth! closes the festival at Big Newport. The film was shot partly at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and it's the event most likely to be the theater's last festival night.
Schwenk also says the festival holds events every night at Time Nightclub in Costa Mesa. The after-party times above come from a September guide, so it's worth checking them against the official schedule before heading out.
Between the marquee nights, the centerpiece films include Danny Boyle's Ink, with Jack O'Connell as Larry Lamb and Guy Pearce as Rupert Murdoch, and James Gray's Paper Tiger, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Schwenk has also named several documentary screenings where guests are expected: Dave Koz for Smooth World, Kenny Loggins for Conviction of the Heart, and Lily Tomlin for Sock It to Me: The Legend of George Schlatter.
What a ticket buys
"For 95 percent of the things here at the Newport Beach Film Festival, it's all about just buying a ticket," Schwenk said. Most events don't require being on a guest list. Here are the published 2026 prices:
- Individual tickets: from $20 for most features and shorts, $30 for Centerpiece films, and from $30 for International Spotlight films, or $60 with the after-party.
- Opening night: $250 for the Frampton screening plus the party, or $200 for the party alone.
- Receptions: $70 for Sunset Series receptions and $40 for International Spotlight after-parties.
- Party Pass, $300: The opening gala and three showcase after-parties. It doesn't include admission to the International Spotlight films.
- Premier Insider pass, $950: The opening screening and gala, reservations for up to four films a day, after-parties, Sunset Series receptions and Fashion Island mainstage events. It doesn't guarantee entry to sold-out events.
That last condition matters most for Big Newport. Even a $950 pass doesn't guarantee a seat at a sold-out screening, so anyone set on seeing a film inside the 1969 theater will want an individual ticket for a specific Big Newport showing.
Where the screens are after June 2027
Once the festival ends, the same map becomes the everyday one. The LOT at Fashion Island, at 999 Newport Center Drive, keeps a daily schedule of current films. The Lido Theater runs weekly film screenings alongside its newer comedy and music nights. Starlight Triangle Square Cinemas on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa shows first-run films. All three are in this year's festival lineup, so the festival has already tested the setup that takes over once Regal's operating agreement at Big Newport ends.
A ticket to Behemoth! at Big Newport on October 22 is likely the last chance to see a festival closing night in the theater that has hosted the festival for more than 25 years.
As Newport Center changes around Big Newport, Charlie Price Group follows what each approval means for the blocks nearby. To get our updates on Newport Center and first look at properties near the area's next chapter, choose Receive Exclusive Listings.
