From The Team Behind Los Angeles' Historic Chinese Theatre, Theatre Box San Diego To Grand Open On December 14 With Star-Studded Party

December 8, 2018

From the team behind Los Angeles' iconic Chinese Theatre, luxury cinema Theatre Box will finally open in downtown San Diego on Friday, December 14 with a star-studded event that will include an appearance by Pitbull, a DJ set by Nick Cannon and much more.

Downtown San Diego's former Reading Cinema at Fifth Avenue & G Street, which closed in February 2016, has been transformed into a luxury, Hollywood-themed movie theater from Elie Samaha, President and COO of Los Angeles' TCL Chinese Theatre, Alwyn Hight Kushner, and Sugar Factory Founder Charissa Davidovici. Theatre Box will share its 73,000 square-foot space with three other concepts - Sugar Factory American Brasserie & Chocolate Lounge, Nick Cannon’s Wild'N Out Sports Bar & Arcade, and Pitbull's ILov305 Rooftop Bar & Garden.

The Theatre Box will house eight high-definition movie screens on the second floor of the building with 815 high-end, reclining seats in total, as well as front row lounges for two. There will be seven luxury theaters, which will offer delivery of food and drink service that can be ordered by iPads located at each seat. Movie goers will be able to order a “theatre box” filled with snacks and choose from a large menu of drinks and foods - including a 6 flavors of popcorn, donuts, and even a shareable 24-piece sushi boat. There will also be Hollywood memorabilia installed, including up to 50 celebrity-handprint tiles like those outside the Chinese Theatre in LA.

Sugar Factory American Brasserie restaurant, which currently has nearly 20 locations around the world, will sit along 5th Avenue and offer frequent celebrity visits, a Chocolate Lounge, a gelato stand, and a full candy store with more than 450 varieties of sweets. The 14,000 square-foot eatery will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with specialty dishes like red velvet pancakes, Chocolate Decadence French Toast, Monster Burgers piled high with toppings, woodfired pizzas, pastas and more, as well as a full cocktail list with punch bowl "goblets" and "Insane" milkshakes.

Nick Cannon's Wild'N Out Sports Bar, which opened its flagship location this summer in Miami, will bring the celebrity's hit MTV show into bar form when it opens at some point next year. Described as a "hip-hop-themed, full-service sports bar", Wild'N Out has a staff of scantily-clad "Wild'N Out Girls" as waitresses and offers sports bar fare like Wild ‘N Out Wings and Oversized Nachos. There will also be interactive games, arcade consoles, and memorabilia from Cannon's hit MTV show, as well as a full-service bar with cocktails and frozen drinks. The venue is also expected to host live performances, comedy shows, and Wild 'N Out Girls auditions.

The developers have also teamed up with Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull, and will collaborate on ILov305 Rooftop Bar & Garden - a 6,000-square-foot Latin-inspired rooftop tiki bar and nightclub set to open in 2019. Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, opened his first ILov305 within Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, MS, this past June, with a second branch heading into Miami's Bel-Air Hotel. The multifaceted venue, "Where What Happens, Never Happened," will serve a seafood-centric menu of multi-cultural cuisine, as well as house multiple VIP rooms, a private lounge, and severals bars featuring cocktails reflecting Pitbull’s energetic and upbeat persona.


At Theatre Box's Grand Opening on December 14, wtiness Pitbull make history with Theatre Box’s inaugural "Hand and Footprint Ceremony," in the tradition of TCL Chinese Theatre in LA. There will also be a live DJ set from Nick Cannon starting at 10pm. Guests will be able to reserve a table inside the Chocolate Lounge to enjoy the DJ, book tickets to see a movie in one of the luxury dine-in cinemas, and reserve a table to dine at Sugar Factory American Brasserie all by calling 619.814.2225.

Theatre Box will be located at 701 5th Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp. For more information, visit theatrebox.com