On September 24th 2024, AMC Regal & Cinemark announced worldwide renovations to
all of their theaters. 7 months ago, those same renovations began in the Regal Edwards in West
Covina.
This renovation involves a two-story, 88,700 square foot theater/auditorium complex, and
the budget for this project is valued at about 8 million dollars.
The current status is “post-bid”, meaning that the plans are finalized, but the work is still
being completed. To not create any large obstructions, the renovation is being done in sections,
such as the auditoriums are done first.
From the old seats, to even the flooring. Everything was changed, and surprisingly it
didn’t take too long to make these changes. Melissa Reyes-Navarro, a junior at Los Altos
Highschool and a frequent visitor to the West Covina mall, says “I always go with my family,
but I always complained about the seats. Now, they’re more comfortable.”
The theater is still operating throughout these changes, they have some restrictions, for
example the bathrooms appear to be closed even if they are. Creating some traffic from the main
hallway to the other.
“It’s pretty nice that they remained open during the changes.” Reyes-Navarro says.

Something movie-goers could enjoy as well are new sound and projection improvements.
Upgrades to sound quality, and enhanced speaker systems.
People can expect this change to be seen throughout Regals and AMC’s. While AMC is
known for IMAX and recliners, Regal is starting to match those trends and stay competitive.
The industry is seeing a wave of investment in physical theaters, such as upgrades to
screens, sounds, seating and apps. Various theaters are beginning to serve food while someone is
eating, to lure more people out of their homes but to enjoy the cinema experience.
Daniela Alfas Quintero, a frequent Cinepolis movie-goer, says “I used to drive 20
minutes to Pico Rivera just to have nice seating. But now, I can go to Edwards in 5 minutes and
still enjoy the same experience.”
What's next? The completion dates haven’t been officially confirmed, but several
auditoriums have already been renovated. For the earlier phases, such as the lobbies,
concessions, are expected to wrap up in a couple of months. After that, the sound projection and
possibly the addition of IMAX will follow.
“They’re bringing the infamous cinema back alive, watching movies should be an
experience; this Regals is making it into one.” Alfas Quintero says.