Blue Fox Entertainment is framing this as a major evolution — founder James Huntsman calls it "a fully integrated entertainment group" that can now support filmmakers from development through theatrical exhibition. The company insists the elimination of in-theater dining will actually enhance the moviegoing experience by removing "service-related noise, light and other distractions."
Sources close to the situation say iPic's bankruptcy sent shockwaves through Hollywood's exhibition space. The chain's signature concept — luxury recliners with full restaurant service delivered to your seat — proved unsustainable amid rising costs. The fact that only two locations survived while Pasadena and other markets were left out suggests a much messier ending than the PR spin implies.
iPic filed for bankruptcy in March 2026, per Variety's reporting. Blue Fox acquired exactly TWO iPic locations: the six-screen Westwood Village venue (formerly Avco Center Cinemas) and New York's Fulton Market location in Seaport District with eight screens. The Tuck Room restaurant and cocktail lounge will remain operational at both sites.
Blue Fox just turned two luxury cinema casualties into a vertically integrated empire — but let's not pretend this isn't also the story of how iPic's grand dining-in-theaters experiment crashed and burned. Audiences wanted the experience; apparently, they weren't willing to pay enough for it.
iPic Theaters' luxury moviegoing dream has officially been dismantled. Blue Fox Entertainment announced Thursday it has acquired two flagship iPic locations — in Los Angeles' Westwood Village and New York's Seaport District — rebranding them as "The Cinemas" just months after the chain filed for bankruptcy protection. The deal marks a dramatic reversal of fortune for iPic, which built its reputation on the promise of premium recliners, full restaurant service delivered directly to your seat, and cocktails ordered via app.
That signature experience is now dead at these locations. Blue Fox confirmed the theaters will no longer operate with in-theater dining, pivoting instead to what it calls "elevated food and beverage offerings" — essentially fancy popcorn and concession stand upgrades rather than sit-down meals during screenings. The company claims this shift is "designed to enhance the cinematic experience by reducing service-related noise, light and other distractions." Translation: they're blaming your waiter for ruining movies when really the economics just didn't work.
Blue Fox Entertainment Group founder James Huntsman celebrated the acquisition as a watershed moment. "Expanding into theatrical exhibition represents a major evolution for our company and further strengthens our position as a fully integrated entertainment group," he said in a statement. The company, founded in 2015, has previously released films including "Lost on a Mountain in Maine" and "The Wolf and the Lion." Huntsman emphasized that these locations are "among the most recognized premium cinema destinations in the country" — which raises the question of why they needed rescuing from bankruptcy court in the first place.
The expansion creates what Blue Fox describes as "a vertically integrated platform capable of supporting filmmakers from development and production through worldwide distribution and theatrical exhibition." Not every iPic location got a lifeline, though. Sources confirm that theaters in Pasadena and other markets were not included in the Blue Fox acquisition — leaving their futures uncertain and their staffs out of work. The Tuck Room restaurant and cocktail lounge will remain operational at both surviving locations throughout the rebranding process, which offers cold comfort to employees at shuttered iPic sites now facing an uncertain job market.
The Westwood Village location was once known as Avco Center Cinemas before its luxury transformation; it now operates six screens under the new banner. New York's Fulton Market outpost, located in the trendy Seaport District, features eight screens. Looking ahead, The Cinemas plans to continue programming major studio releases alongside independent films and classic movie nights — but with an expanded slate of event-focused content including advance screenings, filmmaker Q&As, repertory titles, special engagements, and community-driven events.
Whether that programming strategy can fill seats without the novelty of in-seat service remains to be seen. For now, Blue Fox has successfully positioned itself as a survivor in an exhibition landscape still reeling from pandemic-era closures and shifting consumer habits — but the real test will be whether audiences show up for premium movies without the bells and whistles that once made iPic feel revolutionary.
