For a number of years, Costa Mesa was famous for its colossal mall, South Coast Plaza.  Situated on former farm land, South Coast Plaza has been a high-end regional shopping mecca since the 1960s.  It stands to reason that the area would soon receive a new 70mm theatre, and it happened in 1968 when National General opened the South Coast on Bristol Street parallel to the mall.

The luxurious theatre had an inviting lobby surrounded by tall glass.  Similar in concept to the National in Westwood, the South Coast was the late-1960s ideal of cinema luxury.  Simplicity in design, yet inviting.  And according to an article in The Orange County Register, the interior was almost identical to Anaheim’s Cinemaland, which would open a month later that same year.

The auditorium was equipped for 70mm projection.  But by the mid-1970s, as with a number of theatres nationwide, the auditorium was divided in half by its new owner, Mann Theatres.  The re-opening of this new “twin” happened on June 23, 1976.  Viewing movies in this type of auditorium was painful.  The screen seemed like it was a million miles away in either auditorium, and the screen seemed like it was almost always off-center.  Luckily, there was an alternative piggy-back theatre to the formally gorgeous South Coast.

On November 25, 1970, National General opened a new 700-seat theatre behind the older cinema with an engagement (35mm) of “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.”  This new theatre, also known as South Coast Plaza II, had a fairly early concept in stadium seating for movie theatres.  The seating area in front of the screen was sloped, but the back section of the theatre was on a higher foundation and sloped for stadium-seating.

The screen was large and slightly curved, and the auditorium had an orange curtain motif, which was similar to NGC’s National in Westwood, CA.  It was equipped for 70mm and ultimately became one of Orange County’s premiere modern movie palaces.

Audiences could enter the auditorium through one of two side entrances from the lobby.  Walking up a ramp, the first thing they would notice was the enormous screen covered by curtains.  They could choose to sit in the stadium section, or the standard seating area below.   

The lobby was rather small, with the snack bar located straight ahead as patrons entered the front doors.  The most unfortunate design of the theatre was the restroom.  For a theatre with 700 seats, the bathroom could only accommodate very few people with full bladders. 

Once the South Coast Plaza was split into two theatres, the South Coast Plaza II was eventually renamed the “Theatre III.”  (Though we haven’t found information as of yet, it is possible that the 70mm/35mm projectors were moved from the original South Coast into this newer theatre.)

The Theatre III showed a number of 70mm engagements, especially during the 1980s, and usually to a packed house.  This theatre showcased the exclusive Orange County engagement of "Days Of Heaven" (1978).  Some personal memories include seeing “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” (1977) and being startled by John Williams’ crashing score in the opening credits of the film.  Good memories were created from the 70mm run of "Ladyhawke" (1985), with its cool yet out of place rock score.  Seeing James Cameron’s “Aliens” (1986) was like riding a roller coaster ride with 699 other people watching a 70mm print of the film here.  "Close Encounters" and "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" (1981) were among the theatre's most successful and longest-running engagements.      

Both the South Coast and Theatre III were taken over by the Edwards Cinema Circuit by the 1980s.  The company upgraded some of the amenities of the theatres with new neon lights and gourmet snacks.  The theatres were very popular up until Edwards opened up a new 12-screen stadium seat complex nearby.  The theatres were eventually closed.

At one point, Edwards had plans to turn at least one of theatres into a large, stadium seat luxury cinema.  But Edwards filed for bankruptcy and the plans haven’t materialized.

The theatres were demolished in April 2008.