Growing up in Huntington Beach and later Newport Beach, there were four classic movie theaters (call them art houses) my friends and I frequented where nostalgia met Hollywood: Surf Theater in Huntington Beach, Balboa Theater near the Balboa Fun Zone, Port Theater in Corona del Mar, and Lido Theater near Lido Marina Village.
The Surf Theater and Balboa Theater were shuttered long ago, and Port Theater has morphed into an upscale movie palace with couches and a full bar.
The 520 seat Lido Theater, which opened in 1939, showed first run films as well as revivals and served as one of the venues use by the Newport Beach Film Festival until 2019, when theater owner Fritz Duda Company – which purchased the theater in 1986 – closed the venue for a much-needed renovation…