Timeline
| 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | |
| 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | |
| 1952 | 1962 | 1972 | 1982 | 1992 | ||
| 1953 | 1963 | 1973 | 1983 | 1993 | ||
| 1954 | 1964 | 1974 | 1984 | 1994 | ||
| 1955 | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | ||
| 1956 | 1966 | 1976 | 1986 | 1996 | ||
| 1957 | 1967 | 1977 | 1987 | 1997 | ||
| 1948 | 1958 | 1968 | 1978 | 1988 | 1998 | |
| 1949 | 1959 | 1969 | 1979 | 1989 | 1999 |
1948
27 August 1948
Date scheduled for the return of bids from contractors.*
7 September 1948
Date construction was scheduled to start.*
1949
7 January 1949
Original approximate date of completion.*
17 December 1949
Actual date of completion.
20 December 1949
The Villa hosts an invitation preview of MGM's Battlefield. Business, civic, and church leaders inspected the new theater and "congratulated the management on having one of the most up-to-date and modern theaters in the area."
23 December 1949
Villa Theatre opens to the public, showing the Prince of Foxes along with the Uptown theater in downtown Salt Lake. Ticket prices before 5 P.M. were 50 cents for adults and 14 cents for children. Evening showings were 75 cents for adults and 20 cents for children.
1953
1 October 1953
The Robe starts at the Villa in CinemaScope. The Villa and the Lyric became the first two theaters in the Salt Lake area to show widescreen movies with stereo sound. A larger screen with a slight curve is installed on the stage.
20 November 1953, approximate
How to Marry a Millionaire starts at the Villa, in CinemaScope.
1958
31 July 1958
South Pacific starts at the Villa in TODD-AO, on a new 54-foot screen described as "the largest indoor screen in the Mountain West."
1959
2 June 1959
During its ten-month run the Villa sold 280,000 tickets for South Pacific, about 50,000 more than the population of Salt Lake City at the time. The film grossed about $450,000, drawing moviegoers from as far as southern Idaho and eastern Nevada. The long run of South Pacific at the Villa attracted nation attention and was one of the highest grossers in the U.S. in proportion to the population.
3 June 1959
Sleeping Beauty plays at the Villa in Technirama-70.
1960
1 September 1960
Windjammer shows at the Villa in Cinemiracle, a process similar to Cinerama. A 100-foot curved screen was installed for the presentation. A benefit premiere for relief work in Chile is emceed by comedian Tony Randall.
1961
5 July 1961
The Villa closes for 16 days for the installation of Cinerama. A 96-foot wide curved screen was installed and two new projection boothes were added to accomodate the three-projector system.
22 July 1961
The Villa hosts a benefit premiere of This Is Cinerama. The Mormon Tabernacle Chior, which provided background music for several sequences in the film, gave a live performance in front of the new Cinerama screen. Church leaders and government officials were in attendance. There was even a red carpet with the word Cinerama at the entrance to the theater.
1964
9 January 1964 to 15 February 1964
South Seas Adventure, the last Cinerama film to be presented at the Villa using the 3-projector process, may also be the only Cinerama production to open at the Villa without a benefit premiere.
19 February 1964
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World premieres at the Villa. This was the first film to be shown in 70mm Cinerama. Although the new process eliminated the center lines caused by the 3-projector system, it did not carry the same illusion of depth.
1966
13 October 1966
800 handicapped attended a 1:30 PM showing of "Russian Adventure."
1967
17 and 18 July 1967
About 1000 handicapped saw "Grand Prix" at 1:00 PM showings on each day. Because of rain on Monday, buses and cars drove under the marquee so passengers could unload without getting wet.
October 1967
The Century 21 theater opens two miles west of the Villa. The theater has nearly a thousand seats and a 80 by 45 foot "Tru-Image" screen. The Century theaters become the Villa's strongest competitor.
1968
14 June 1968 to 12 November 1968
2001: A Space Odyssey showed in 70mm Cinerama for six months. The movie had two benefit premieres. The first for the Sugar House Chamber of Commerce and the second for the Utah Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.
13 November 1968
The benefit premiere of Ice Station Zebra in 70mm Cinerama, sponsored by the Murray Junior Football Conference. The Cold War film had a far-fetched story line involving a race to recover a downed Russian satellite at the North Pole.
1969
1969
A second domed theater, Century 22, is built across the street from Century 21.
7 August 1969
The Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors the premiere of Krakatoa, East of Java as a special salute to the civic leaders of five counties, Salt Lake, Weber, Davis, Tooele, and Utah. Krakatoa was possibly the last 70mm Cinerama presentation at the Villa.
1982
11 June 1982
The Villa holds a 1-year anniversary party for Raiders of the Lost Ark. The movie played for 53 weeks and was held over several times.
1989
24 January 1989
The 1174-seat Centre theater in downtown Salt Lake closes. It is demolished to make room for a new office tower and a six-screen multiplex. The Villa becomes the largest theater in Utah.
1990
About 1990
A few months after the Centre closes, the Regency changes from first-run to a dollar theater. Later it closes and is remodeled into an office building. The Villa is now the only remaining first-run, single-screen theater in the Salt Lake area.
1996
1996
Carmike Cinemas goes against all the trends of the movie theater industry by renovating the Villa, restoring much of its former splendor. The nearly 50-year-old seats, considered by some to be "unsittable", were replaced by 1000 new ones. The sound system was upgraded, screen replaced, lobby remodeled, ticket booth expanded, parking lot repaved, marquee sign restored, etc.
1999
1999
Century Theaters demolishes it original domed theaters to make room for a parking lot for its new 16-screen all-THX certified multiplex.
13 May 1999
The unique exterior of the Villa appears briefly on the CBS series Promised Land.
2000
March 2000
Starting with Mission to Mars, movies at the Villa also show at the Century 16.
Fall 2000
Two Salt Lake area theaters operated by Carmike Cinemas close when the company reorganizes under bankruptcy. The Villa and three other Carmike theaters remain open.
2001
February 2001
The owners of the Cinedome 70 theaters in Ogden terminate their lease with Cineplex Odeon because of its impending bankruptcy. The owners hoped to find new management to run the theater, but the theaters remained closed. Cinedome had two domed auditoriums with 70-foot screens. The Villa is now the only operating theater in Utah with a deeply-curved screen.
28 May 2001
The Enterpise newspaper publishes an article saying that Carmike Cinemas plans to sell the Villa to local businessman Edmund Simantov for $2.4 million.