Megan Ellison Saves Santa Monica's Vidiots From Closure

"Annapurna is helping out to keep the doors open," a rep for Ellison tells THR.

Time to press rewind on the Vidiots tale — thanks to Megan Ellison.

The iconic Santa Monica movie rental store — located at 302 Pico Blvd. — was preparing to shutter, with co-owner Cathy Tauber announcing this week that the store would close in April after 30 years in business. However, there was always the option for a last-minute Hail Mary from a wealthy benefactor, Tauber told reporters. (The store operates as a nonprofit through the Vidiots Foundation).

Enter Ellison and her Annapurna Pictures. Ellison, who keeps a low-profile in the press and declines interview requests, teased that she could be that wealthy benefactor, when she tweeted "yeah…maybe not" in response to a story in the Santa Monica Daily Press that the store would not close after all.

On Friday afternoon, ID PR's Bebe Lerner, who reps Ellison and her Annapurna Pictures, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Vidiots is staying open. "Annapurna is helping out to keep the doors open," Lerner said.

She would not confirm any additional details about management or money, offering only that the Santa Monica institution will stay "as is."

Ellison, the daughter of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, is an Oscar-nominated producer who has made a huge splash in the business during the past few years. She produced American Hustle, Her and Zero Dark Thirty, all of which were nominated for best picture Oscars. She also produced Foxcatcher and the upcoming Terminator reboot.

Ellison had hinted at a role in saving the store, writing "be kind rewind" on her Twitter account on Thursday.