Bay Theater Reopens Friday in Pacific Palisades Under Paramount

The Bay Theater in Pacific Palisades reopens on Friday, nearly a year after wildfires shut it down, with Johnny Depp's "Ebenezer" — which opens nationwide the same day — headlining the first-run slate.

The reopening comes a month after Paramount Pictures announced it is taking over the cinema. Paramount, developer Rick Caruso's company and luxury dine-in operator The Lot have jointly reimagined the venue. The partners describe the upgrade as combining "luxury seating, elevated dining and exceptional hospitality, while preserving the intimate neighborhood character that has made it a community favorite." That promise of intimacy sits alongside a heavy amenity build-out; whether both survive a busy Friday night is the open question.

Netflix previously operated the theater. It has stood closed since the wildfires of January 2025. The multiplex sits inside Caruso's Palisades Village shopping area, which itself reopened in August after extensive remediation and fire repairs.

What can audiences actually see there? The opening lineup runs beyond "Ebenezer" to "The Cat in the Hat," "Wild Horse Nine," "You Can See Everything" and "Godzilla Minus Zero." Beyond first-run titles, the Bay plans nostalgic classics, curated screenings and special events — a hedge toward programming that does not depend solely on studio release calendars.

The Lot operates the venue as a five-auditorium complex with immersive surround sound and laser projection. Each theater offers:

• Customizable seating with adjustable foot, back, head and neck rests
• USB charging at the seat
• Personal dining tables with custom lighting
• Service buttons for ordering food and beverage

The made-to-order menu arrives at the seat: appetizers, snacks, burgers, entrées and desserts. The premium beverage program spans wine, beer, mocktails and signature cocktails — the Pacific Blush, the Sunset Mule and the Coastline Cantarito among them.

A lounge area and full-service bar feature a video wall for sports viewing, giving moviegoers a place to gather before and after films. It is a deliberate push to make the building function as a neighborhood venue, not just a screen count.

What does this change for Pacific Palisades? A closed commercial anchor in a fire-damaged retail district reopens under a major studio's banner, restoring first-run cinema to a neighborhood that has lacked it since January 2025. The catch is durability: premium dine-in formats live or die on staffing and repeat local traffic, and neither Paramount nor Caruso has released financial terms or operating commitments for the arrangement.

For now, the schedule is concrete. "Ebenezer" plays Friday.