Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog - 1SiliconValley.com » Cupertino Square

AMC Cupertino Square 16 Now Open

Alex Wang — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:24:26 +0000

The AMC movie theater at Cupertino Square opened today with a noon ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Cupertino Mayor Kris Wang.

Automated movie ticket pods are available in the lobby next to the escalator and you can also purchase tickets at the traditional AMC ticket booth or online. (This is just a convenience link, I have no association with MovieTickets.com.)

The redesign of the former Vallco Mall is progressing steadily with the new facade built out for the theater along Wolfe Road and updated branding throughout the mall.

AMC Cupertino Square 16 Ribbon Cutting

Alex Wang — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:49:16 +0000

I confirmed that, beginning Monday next week, Cupertino Square will be holding several charity events (not open to the public) leading up to the ribbon cutting at the AMC Cupertino Square 16 movie theater on Friday, April 27.

The Cupertino Chamber of Commerce is offering previews on Wednesday during its mixer from 5:30-7:00pm, with movies at 7:10. Tickets are $5 and they're advertising free popcorn.

AMC Cupertino Square 16 Coming Together

Alex Wang — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:17:12 +0000

[The AMC Cupertino Square 16 movie theater is now open.]

Going up? Cupertino Square pulled the wraps off the construction they’re doing on the AMC theater set to open in April.

Stairway to heaven? Normally an escalator wouldn’t be that interesting, but in this case it’s the visual centerpiece of the Vallco revitalization.

The entire area had previously been cloistered away behind thick plastic wraps to keep the construction hidden and the corridor free from dust.

While the Strike bowling alley is still several months away, the automated ticketing kiosks and the ticket booths are already up and new tiles leading to the theater are being installed.

People who usually find themselves going to other theaters near Cupertino like the Century San Jose 25 at Westgate Mall, AMC Saratoga 14, or the Century San Jose triplets will find these newer facilities more convenient.

AMC at Cupertino Square Set to Open in April

Alex Wang — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:49:14 +0000

Mike Rohde, general manager of Cupertino Square (formerly the Vallco Fashion Park) reports that the AMC movie theater is set to open April 27.

Cupertino Square: Update on AMC, Bowling Alley

Alex Wang — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 03:45:45 +0000

According to the Cupertino Courier, the former Vallco (which is going to be renovated and renamed Cupertino Square) is getting a brand new high-end bowling alley, to be named "Strike." Mall general manager Mike Rohde uses the words "progressive" and "modern-looking" to describe the 38000 sqaure foot addition. The renovation's centerpiece the new AMC movie theater which Rohde says will be open in April.

Goodbye Vallco, Hello Cupertino Square

Alex Wang — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:24:25 +0000

The 80's neon-and-hair relic Vallco Fashion Park in Cupertino lost its battle with Westfield's Valley Fair Mall long ago and was pushed further into complete obscurity by Santana Row.

It's hard to call Santana Row a shopping mall given its balance of city living and planned but not completely contrived urban experiences, but it was even harder to call Vallco competition against the shopping juggernaut that those two adjacent shopping "districts" formed not more than a few miles away.

Vallco (like the mall, its website is under construction) is determined to be more than just the building that houses Todai, the obscenely large sushi buffet.

Like the Downtown Sunnyvale revitalization, Cupertino's Vallco redevelopment has been discussed for quite a while. Even in 2000, vacancy rates were a sky high 25% compared to Stanford Mall and Valley Fair (2-5%). With the equivalent of a quarter of the mall always empty, the rest quickly languished.

That hasn't kept the city of Cupertino from being one of the most sought-after places to live in Silicon Valley. After all, its school district is one of the elite places to get an education in Silicon Valley — and schools are obviously a huge driver for parents when choosing a place to live. And both Apple and HP, among others, have major presences there.

But Cupertino is also considered a bit… well… boring. Cupertino's "downtown" area, where there aren't big enough quotation marks to put around that word, consists pretty much of one hotel and a couple restaurants flanking it.

With the renaming of Vallco Fashion Park to Cupertino Square, Cupertino hopes to brand itself as a destination, not just a school district. According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the plan includes a 16-screen AMC movie theater, new restaurants, a bowling alley, and a kid-friendly atrium.

Since Cupertino voted down the original plan to build high-density housing and mixed-use developments a la Santana Row last November, the new Cupertino Square is already clearly differentiated from its urban competitor. How it fares against Valley Fair remains to be seen, but you can find the latest updates in the our Cupertino Square News section.