Roxie Cinema

This jewel of a theater is in danger of closing. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the operators are four months behind on rent and may have to close if the matter is not resolved by April 16. They are having a save the theater benefit on April 7. If you are in the San Francisco area on this date, attend by all means. Not only is this the oldest operating theater in San Francisco(and in great shape too), but they have also been instrumental in getting many little known films exposed to the public that helped get them wide exposure. Some examples are: Red Rock West, Baise-Moi, Panic, Man Bites Dog, Tigerland, numerous documentaries, pre-Code Hollywood films, noir films of the 40's & 50's, and lots more. Save this theater now!!

Splendid projection booth with pair of Simplex E-7s and carbon Peerless Magnarcs - enjoyed my visit.

Who ever heard of a symphony concert hall that seats less than 300 people?

Lets hunt MICHAEL and make his house a concert hall instead.

This place is a cramped, uncomfortable dump. Old and tired. It's like watching a movie in a dank basement. I can't recall having a bleaker moviegoing experience. An ambiance more than matched by the dark and intimidating neighborhood that surrounds it.

I'd rather take a midnight stroll through the Tenderloin.

A more convenient, comfortable, accommodating venue with the same programing would easily double the take and eliminate, or at least ameliorate, the ever-present specter of financial collapse that seems to plague this establishment.

Old doesn't always mean good.

Let it go, man!

Be happy to have a full time revival house, in New York all of ours closed.

I'm afraid I'll have to agree with MST-SF. I've lived in the Mission for almost 20 years and the poor old Roxie just keeps getting grimmer and grimmer. Most of my movie-going pals avoid the place regardless of how badly they want to see the picture that's showing. Good grief, a little paint and polish would go a long, long way! The "little Roxie" going in next door is taking forever to get up and going and I can't see how spending money on a new auditorium will improve the old one. This place has interesting and challenging booking but must have rather inept managment. People want to go the movies in this neighboorhood, but they'd like to retain SOME sensation in their buttocks before the film is through. (Someone mentioned to me that the seats are from the old Surf Theatre!)

The long-planned "Little Roxie" has finaly opened, just up the block from the original.

So whats going to happen to the original?

Roxie's roots seem to go back even further than 1912. It's listed in an October 1909 San Francisco telephone directory as being operated by C. H. Brown. The name Poppy first appears in 1912; around 1918
it was known as the New 16th Street. (The Victoria down the street
had been the first 16th Street Theatre). In 1920, it was the Rex,
in 1926 the Gem, in 1930 the Gaiety, and, finally, in 1933 (or so)
the Roxie.

This was also one of the earliest theaters in San Francisco showing hard porn, starting in the late 1960's and in some of their SF Chronicle ads, even advertised 35mm hardcore. (At the time they started, many of the other places showing hard porn at that time were theaters made out of converted storefronts and used 16mm projection.) In March 1976, it went to revival house programming.

The Roxie has turned the corner and between the regular Roxie and the Little Roxie two doors away (the Dalva bar doorway is between them), and with the success of Roxie Releasing (which releases interesting movies abandoned by other distributors), the Roxie appears to be on firm footing for the first time in the 28 years it's been a revival/independent cinema house. And it was the fundraising by interested filmgoers and neighbors in 2002 that saved the Roxie.

The seats for the Roxie came from the Surf Theatre when it was demolished. These much newer seats (circa 1975) replaced the original circa 1915 seats, which were prone to collapse.

The Surf was converted into a church, not demolished.

They should move some of the Castro bookings here now that the tide seems to be changing there.

Once again, this theater is in danger of closing, according to today's SF Chronicle. The theater operator owes $140,000 between the IRS($115,000) and back rent to the landlord($25,000). The article was implying that the IRS may wind up seizing the theater.

The Roxie does show a lot of independent film festivals as well as good documentaries and other gems.

Gee that's what we need, the Tax office seizing and presumably running a cinema.....or trying to, which would be beyond even them. Then they would learn about distributors! and the IRS could investigate them instead.....oh, haha. But of course they would have to sell the cinema or lease it which means the cycle could start all over again...... The Roxie management might be better off handing it all over to the IRS with a note left on the manager's office saying "OK smarty pants YOU run it".

I caught Robert Gardner's Forest of Bliss here on July 21, 1986.

Here is an older photo of the Roxie Cinema.

From the SF Public Library:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-9097.jpg

Another photo from the same source:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-9096.jpg

One more:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/aad-8075.jpg

As well as...

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-9098.jpg
http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-9099.jpg
http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAA-9101.jpg

As of 12/27/05 the Roxie Cinema has been sold to New College of California for assumption of debts of $200,000. New College will operate it as part of their media department, showcasing student films in addition to the regular Roxie fare of independent, foreign, and unusual films. Bill Banning, former Roxie owner, will continue to book shows, and it appears that Roxie Releasing will also go to New College.

This is another photo of the Roxie Cinema.

And another photo here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/424136403/

Hello,

The Roxie is looking to acquire new seats.
If you know of an abundance of used cinema seats,
please contact me (keith@roxie.com).

Thanks!!

This is an amazing little cinema with (what looks like) the worlds smallest projection booth... God forbid another earthquake.
They manage to find the most unusual films never heard of before; I went to the Roxie to see "The Art of Masterbation" and was completey amaaaaaaaaazed at what we (the audience roaring with laughter)were shown. I swear I blushed in the darkness!

The exterior of the Roxie has just been repainted, possibly for the first time in 30 years. It looks very nice now.

Here is a nice picture.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthworm/631691460/

This is a "before" photo of the Roxie.

Here is an "after" photo of the Roxie.

A recent photo of the Roxie at night can be seen here.

The previous photo was not a night view. I must have linked to the wrong photo. This is a more recent photo of the Roxie.

This is a December 2008 photo.

1981 Photo

1986 Photo

Here are two more photos of the Roxie:

Photo1

Photo2

Here is a 1970 photo that is being sold on eBay:
http://tinyurl.com/o26hsm