Castro Theatre
429 Castro Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94114
429 Castro Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94114
75 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 185 comments
If they choose to landmark the interior of the theater the commission. Then nobody will be able to remove those seats the original seats. This could be a real blow to the future of the Castro theater. Removing the old seats and putting in motorized seating with the raked floor will be exactly the same as it is now just new seats. They can move the seats away when they need to, for live events. Or whatever else they need to get the seats out of the way for. With the raked floor and the motorized seats movie going will be exactly the same sightlines as it has been in the past.If they choose to landmark the interior of the theater it’ll hamper anyone coming in to try to do more than just Movies. Theatre hasn’t been making money on Movies for many many years. With 50 to 60% of each dollar going back to the movie companies. The people protesting removing the seats are very shortsighted and really don’t know much about the business side of Theatre’s obviously
From a Dec 5, 2022 article:
“A fight over seats could define the future of an iconic San Francisco movie theater”
NPR article
Another Planet’s latest seating proposal - a motorized raked floor. This is from their website with a video of how the floor would be transformed from (orchestra) seating to no seating. There is also a push coming from the Save The Castro conservancy to landmark the interior. The exterior is already landmarked.
AnotherPlanet
The Castro Theatre and Another Planet Entertainment (APE) have announced their plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the historic theater.
Plans include a week of screenings featuring iconic films from each decade of the Castro Theatre’s history, from June 3 -12. Tickets to the screenings are on sale now.
Also, to mark the 100th anniversary of the theater’s 1922 debut on June 22, a day of movies that were all filmed in San Francisco will be screened.
Article, including schedule can be located here.
https://hoodline.com/2022/05/castro-theatre-another-planet-entertainement-announce-plans-for-100th-anniversary-celebration/
Hoodline article from March 17 has some of the architectural plans for orchestra level seating removal that are larger and viewable at this link:
Hoodline
Thanks for the link MOOse1111. Lots of photos of the theatre inside and out are included in the Page and Turnbull proposal (a local architectural firm with experience in notable old buildings) as well as the plans for a second floor lobby concession bar and HVAC air filtration system. I would have happily provided a direct link to the plans but your link will only allow for a downloaded file.
It is unfortunate that the sloped orchestra level will be partitioned and leveled for standees at concerts and temporary seating for other events. Wondering what that will do to sight lines for films or stage events when seated (except for those seated in the front row of each section)?
I googled Page and Turnbull and what came up first is the link below to EverGreen Co. which has been retained by Page and Turnbull “to conduct historic finishes investigations of painted finishes within the Castro”.
EverGreen Co
mOOse1111…the marquee looks the same today as the photo I posted on July 2, 2021 (“Happy 99th Birthday”) in the photo pages.
The Google street view is from June 2021, and shows the faded, chipped paint and construction fencing in front. Those links don’t share here easily, because the CT website somehow changes the URL. But a copy and paste of the address into Google will get there.
Walking by the Castro today I noticed that the marquee has not been restored - yet. The very faded and peeling paint are still there. The neon on the vertical blade though appears to have been repaired after a naked man climbed it last August and damaged it.
Another article from Hoodline yesterday and more comments from Another Planet CEO Gregg Perloff addressing the Castro’s history and future. Emotions have been running high over the Castro. Possibly these statements will qualm some fears over the amount of film presentations and community input but physical changes inside are likely regarding (some flexible front orchestra) seating, organ installation, sound upgrades, lighting, HVAC and marquee rehab and more.
Hoodline
“Castro Theatre will still show movies, new operator Another Planet assures distraught film fanatics”.
“People are making assumptions that are unfounded,” he (Greg Perloff, CEO and founder of Another Planet) said on Thursday, Jan. 20. “What we have talked about is doing a little of everything. The intention is to have film and film festivals, along with music and comedy and lectures. Ultimately, the public will tell us what they want to see.”
Here is G. Allen Johnson’s SF Chronicle article on the changes coming to the Castro and the importance of the Castro Theater to film lovers and film makers as a special place for cinema.
Castro
So many fine memories over the years at the Silent Film Festival. At least I got to fully enjoy it as a premiere film venue. Will always fondly recall what SF and the Castro used to be.
At least one article says “rehabbing the marquee” Many now have electronic signage on the marquee rather than just letters.
Replacing the marquee is unthinkable.
The 35mm/70mm projectors at SF’s Castro Theatre will not be used much now that a deal has been signed for ‘Another Planet Entertainment’ to take over the management and booking at this famous SF movie palace. The Nasser family will still own the building. The Nasser’s are mainly under ‘Bay Properties’ in the real estate business. Look what they have done to the Royal Theatre on Polk St, turned the cinema property into condos same with the Alhambra Theatre on Polk ST now a gym. At least the Nasser family won’t be knocking the Castro Theatre down for apartments or condos in the Castro area. The ‘Planet’ people say they will remodel the theatre with added lobby and stage space? The only way they can enlarge the small lobby is to turn the rental stores out front to new drink bar set up spaces inside. That’s how they can afford to pay for all the long delayed fix up work by charging inflated money for booze. The same with the very small backstage, I don’t think they will spend the money knocking down the back wall parking lot and extending the stage for live events. Planet will probably put in a thrust stage and take out 8 rows of seats or maybe take out all the seats downstairs like they have done at the Fox Oakland Theatre they book in Oakland CA. The old bathrooms downstairs need a major up grade. Forget the days of paying $9 to see a classic movie or double bill in 35mm film on the giant Castro screen. Be ready to come up with big bucks to sit or stand for a live show. They say they will still show some movies but this never happened at the Fox Oakland. Planet says they will up grade the neon marquee but I bet this will be a junky LED video screen that will flash and glare all over Castro St. No more plastic marquee letters. A new sound system is also planned but I don’t think It will be a nice surround Dolby Atmos® or Meyers® system for movies. They will probably hang ugly rock/music speakers on the side stage ceiling like at the Fox Oakland? Forget the days of seeing a double bill, going to a matinee, the smell of fresh popcorn in the lobby and hearing a live pipe organ pre show before the noisy gold curtains opened. Thanks to the Nasser family for holding on as long as they could in keeping some sort of showmanship at their famous SF movie theatre. Looks like the Drafthouse ‘New Mission Theatre’ in SF not far away still shows 35mm/70mm films in the larger downstairs auditorium with curtains with my friend ‘Jim’ as a live projectionist on duty. They don’t have all the seats as the Castro has but a least they may get some film festivals or show classic movies on film or DCP video. We hope ‘Another Planet’ still keeps as promised the new giant pipe/electric organ that was to go in and many people donated money for? We wish the new managers well and hope they can bring back all the color lights that once lit up the inside along with other up grades, time will tell. We will miss seeing movies all the time at the Castro Theatre.
another article here on Another Planet taking over operating the Castro at sfist:
Castro
The Castro’s website shows that films are back starting with Nightmare Alley (2021) tonight and a free showing of Spielberg’s West Side Story Dec 12 among others this month.
Interview with David Hegarty, house organist from today’s (Jan 22, 2021) SFGate:
SFGate
Amen to that!!
Photo of souvenir program and ticket for Oct 1996 showing of restored 70mm print of Vertigo added in photos.
Too bad the “Movie Theatre News” on the home page has been ignored for so long. So I will post this here since SF is one of the 7 cities and the Castro one of the theaters presenting Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma in 70mm in Dec/January.
70mm Roma
From a paywalled LA Times article:
“Cuarón shot “Roma” on the Alexa65 digital camera, mastering at 4K resolution. FotoKem, the only remaining 70mm print lab worldwide, handled the transfer from digital to film, as well as the production of 70mm film prints.”
When are they going to install the new sound system I hear of terrywade? Recently saw “Scotty” at the Castro and the sound was HORRIBLE! Very fuzzy and inaudible at times. The Castro would benefit greatly from a speedy installation of the Surround sound!
Finally after all these years of bad used small box no volume surround speakers on the side walls from the Blumenfeld Alhambra Theatre in SF the Castro Theatre will be getting a new kick ass stereo surround system we hear to go also along with their new electronic/pipe organ.
Saw 2001 70mm print at the 4:30 show yesterday. A couple of hiccups w/reel changes. Surprising in a theatre that seems to show 70mm several times a year. Otherwise another great presentation and a large appreciative crowd for a Monday afternoon. Another surprise was the house organist playing a 4:30 show made even more special by playing The Blue Danube and then Also sprach Zarathustra before the overture started.
Lou Rugani has posted a street shot of the line in front of the theatre for Sunday’s Kim Novak/Vertigo special event in Photos. Here is the news report from the SF Chronicle w/pics:
Kim Novak
The Castro theatre appeared on an episide of Mythbusters(season 2, episode 34).
The new 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia played in a roadshow presentation over the 4 day holiday weekend starting last Friday evening. As the overture and entre act music played the house lighting dimmed gradually until only the curtains were half lit before finally going dark when the film started. Showmanship lives here! Whoever is up in the booth needs to be thanked not only for this weekend’s performances but for all films that play here. The print was great – crystal clear and vibrant.