Willing to do whatever was necessary, he and his wife essentially ran the business by themselves, manning the ticket booth, screening the movies, and cleaning up the theater after shows. To the tenacious 23-year-old Edwards, however, the leanness of the times was no deterrent. The middle of the Great Depression may not have seemed like the most opportune time to start a business-especially a business that relied entirely on consumers' disposable income. James Edwards, founder of Edwards Theatres Circuit, bought his first movie theater in 1930-a single-screen cinema in Monterey Park, California, which cost him $1,000. Since its inception in 1930, the company has been family owned and managed. Since 1997, however, Edwards has been expanding across California state lines, opening four theaters in Idaho and one in Houston, Texas.
Almost all of the theaters are located in southern California, where the company was founded and is headquartered. owns and operates approximately 90 motion picture theaters with more than 725 screens.
