Dublin 6 Cinema
7450 Dublin Boulevard,
Dublin,
CA
94568
7450 Dublin Boulevard,
Dublin,
CA
94568
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New photo of the theater in the photos section…
I was actually here and saw The Money Pit in the large #1 main auditorium…
From the “Hayward Daily Review” I found the following information. The Dublin Cinema’s second and third screens opened on Friday, June 2, 1972. Screen #2 featured Woody Allen’s “Play it Again, Sam” and Screen #3 had Shirley Maclaine’s “The Possession of Joe Delaney.” For some time after, Screens 2 and 3 featured PG and R-rated films, while the larger #1 auditorium ran Disney movies and other family fare (Disney’s “$1,000,000 Duck” and “The Biscuit Eater” played that weekend on the #1 screen).
The Oakland Tribune, dated March 24, 1969, indicates a grand opening for the Dublin Cinema on 3/26/1969 with the film “Where Eagles Dare” starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood.
I used to see movies here all the time before the Galaxy opened, then only very rarely afterward. It had a nice, old-time cinema feel to it. I vaguely remember going on a field trip and being able to look at the projection rooms (I think there was a spiral staircase?) and seeing An American Tail. It seems like I saw a lot more movies at the GCC Dublin Place across the street, which was all gray brick and more utilitarian than this one. But they are both long gone now.
I remember this theatre well. I saw Return of the Jedi here in 1983 and Terminator the next year. Nearby was Dublin Place 6 in a shopping center with a Montgomery Wards and a Gemco. Anyone have any info on it? That’s where I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, ET, and Krull among others.
Does anyone have any photos, interior and exterior, of the theatre?
With regards to the Belmont Cinemas 3, that theater is now a carpet store. I remember it when it was a theater that had one side showing mainstream films and the other side(as the Bel-Art) showing arthouse fare.
A fantasic theatre in a great location, it was a regular haunt by myself and my sisters during our childhood. The lines would often pour out of the small lobby into the parking lot. In later years, a second entrance and small concession was added on the west side of the building. When the adjacent San Ramon Auto Movies was twinned, the second screen projection was shot out of the back of the indoor. I always prefeered this theatre to the GC location across the street. While it was older and a bit more run-down, it had a lot more charm.
Hi Folks:
I worked for the Enea family but over in Belmont at the Belmont Cinemas 3. I did visit the Dublin 6 a couple of times. It had a strange hall way leading to the different auds that twisted left and right as though you were going through a maze. I seem to recall every aud being completely different with different styles of seats, wall drapes etc. To bad they tore it down.
I worked at the Dublin Cinema (1985-1997) and managed it for part of that time. It was a great theatre with a lot of character. It was known for having a friendly helpful staff. It was hard to see it torn down, since I remember going there as a child (the drive-in too). It was a pleasure working for the Enea family.
Vince Halter
I do remember now the Galaxy was an eight-screener.
With regards to the Vine Twin(recently remodelled and has a new facade), there has been a rumor that Century theaters is looking at opening a multiplex in downtown Livermore. If indeed that happens, I think that spells doom for the Vine Twin.
Scott,
The GCC Dublin Place had 6 screens and the Galaxy in Pleasanton had 8 screens.
EM Theatres (Enea Bros?) also operated the Galaxy in Pleasanton and The Vine Twin in Livemore, as well as the Dublin 6 Cinema. They would open first run films at the Galaxy, and then move them to the Dublin as second runs. The Galaxy and the Dublin had to split product with the GCC Dublin Place.
The Dublin 6 Cinema closed in January 1998. The last film to play there was Kundun. It was closed and demolished in order to build the freeway offramp that is now right behind The Good Guys.
The Galaxy was taken over by Regal shortly before they opened their 20 at Hacienda Crossings. (Hmmm, I smell a conspiracy!!). Regal attempted to operate it as an art house but eventually just closed it.
The Vine Twin in Livermore is still going strong…
The drive-in in question was the San Ramon Auto Movie.
The GCC Dublin place started as a three-screener and ended its days as a five screener(and had become a discount house in its final days.)
The Regal Hacienda 20-plex put these two theaters, as well as Regal’s Galaxy 6 in Pleasanton out of business.
This may have been operated by the Enea Brothers when it first opened. (They owned the land where this sat on and also owned and operated a twin screen drive-in that was behind this theater. The shooping center is called Enea Plaza.) It also started its life as a twin-screener.
Nathan,
You are thinking of the GCC Dublin Place that was across the street at 7000 Amador Plaza Rd next to the PetSmart. This listing is for the EM Theatres Dublin Cinema that was at 7450 Dublin Blvd next to Pier 1 Imports. The site is now a Good Guys and an Italian restaurant.
This was a General Cinemas theater, and it closed around 1999. I believe it was demolished in 2002. A lot of the equipment (including all of the Cinemeccanica projectors) was purchased by the Camera Cinemas, removed just weeks before demolition, and is now in use at the Camera 7 Cinemas in Campbell, CA.