Hollywood is back on the map for real estate investors, and the deals closing in 2026 are starting to look a lot like the deals from the boom years. With the Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, the World Cup coming to the region, and major TV and movie production returning to LA, large investors are buying up trophy assets in Hollywood at a pace not seen in years.
The most recent example is also the largest. Advanced Real Estate, a private firm based in Irvine, just made Southern California’s largest multifamily acquisition of 2026. The company purchased the 200-unit Columbia Square Living, which it has now renamed Sky Hollywood, along with the 193-unit Jardine Hollywood towers. With those two acquisitions, Advanced now owns nearly 13,000 apartment units across Southern California.
Why Hollywood, and Why Now
The reasoning behind the Hollywood bet was spelled out clearly by Paul Julian, president of Advanced. He pointed to the World Cup, the Olympics, and the return of movie and television production to the region as the core drivers of his confidence in the area’s future.
His argument is straightforward. Hollywood is one of the most globally recognized neighborhoods on earth. Even after years of headlines about runaway production, content layoffs, and a tough creator economy, the brand of Hollywood has never been stronger. Both Sky Hollywood and Jardine Hollywood are positioned within walking distance of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, two of the most photographed streets in the world.
For Advanced, the calculation is about the next ten years, not the next ten months. The 2028 Olympics will bring tens of thousands of athletes, staff, journalists, and visitors to Los Angeles for an extended period, and demand for premium short-term and long-term housing in the heart of the entertainment district is expected to spike well in advance of the games.
What These Buildings Actually Look Like
The two towers Advanced just acquired are not generic apartment buildings. They are luxury high-rises with rooftop pools, large fitness centers, resident lounges, floor-to-ceiling windows, and high-end appliances. Penthouse units lease for between 12,000 and 20,000 dollars per month.
The current and past resident list reads like a who’s who of the entertainment industry. Film and television celebrities, social media influencers, professional athletes, and senior entertainment executives have all rented at Sky Hollywood and Jardine. There are only five apartment towers in Hollywood proper, and these two account for more than half of the total high-rise units. Buying both at the same time is an aggressive move to corner a small but extremely high-end market.
The Olympics Effect Is Already Pricing In
Real estate analysts who track Los Angeles luxury rentals have been flagging an Olympics premium for at least two years. As host cities go, LA has a unique profile. Unlike Paris or Tokyo, which built new infrastructure for their games, LA is leaning heavily on existing venues and existing housing stock. That means the existing inventory of premium apartments has more value, because there is no surge of new luxury units coming online.
For investors, that scarcity is the whole thesis. If you own a luxury Hollywood high-rise in 2026, you are positioned to capture rental rate growth that will likely peak around 2027 and 2028, then settle at a higher new normal afterward.
Production Is Coming Back, Slowly but Clearly
The other half of the bet is on the return of TV and movie production to LA. After several years of work moving to Atlanta, Vancouver, Albuquerque, and various international hubs, the data is starting to tilt back. State-level production incentives have been adjusted, and several major streamers are signaling that they want more LA-based production for marketing reasons alone, even when other locations are cheaper.
Advanced is not alone in betting on this. Netflix is reportedly close to a 330 million dollar deal for the Radford Studio Center in Studio City. Other studio real estate has changed hands in recent months at prices that suggest investors expect demand for soundstage space to climb again over the next three to five years.
For ongoing coverage of Hollywood deal flow, see the California Business News section.
The Capital Behind the Move
One of the more interesting parts of the Advanced story is how the company is funded. Advanced sources its capital from a large friends and family investor network, not institutional limited partners. That gives the firm a longer time horizon than a typical private equity buyer, who would be under pressure to exit a position within five to seven years.
For a play that depends on the 2028 Olympics, the World Cup, and a multi-year recovery in production work, having patient capital is a real advantage. It also signals that the buyer side of these deals is not just hot money chasing a trend. It is long-term capital making a long-term call on Hollywood.
Advanced says it plans to keep buying Southern California apartments throughout 2026. The firm currently manages a portfolio with a market value of more than 4.5 billion dollars, and has been operating since 1981. The Sky Hollywood and Jardine Hollywood deals are the third acquisition by its newest opportunity fund, after a 138-unit property in West Covina and a 104-unit property in Santa Ana.
What This Means for the LA Housing Conversation
Not everyone will read this as good news. Hollywood and the broader LA region are in the middle of an affordability crisis, and the optics of a private firm buying up nearly 400 high-end apartment units in a single transaction are complicated. The penthouses leasing for 20,000 dollars a month sit in the same neighborhood as some of the city’s most acute housing pressure.
The counter-argument is that the buildings are already there. They were not converted from affordable housing. The deal does not displace existing tenants, and Advanced has a long operating history of holding rather than flipping.
Still, expect to hear more about the gap between luxury Hollywood real estate and middle-class housing in LA as the Olympics get closer.
The Bottom Line
The Sky Hollywood and Jardine Hollywood deals are a clear vote of confidence in Hollywood’s near-term future. The investor case is built on three pillars: the Olympics, the World Cup, and the return of production. So far, all three pillars are showing up exactly when investors hoped they would.
Watch this space, because more deals are coming. Stay tuned to our Business News coverage for the next round of major Hollywood real estate moves.
