Southland Cinemas 5

As of today, the building still stands empty.

I show the address for the Southland Cinemas as 24115 Southland Dr., Hayward, Ca. 94545.

The GCC Southland was my favorite growing up. I spent many days and nights watching movies here. I preferred this to the other theatres in the area hands down, mostly due to the bizarre hallways and somewhat strange viewing angles created by the plexing of the theatre. They also used lots of fun colored lighting throughout the auditoriums and lobby.

In 1990 the theatre got a remodel, and the old GCC metal seats were replaced with the new high back blue GCC seats. Additionally, the metallic gray walls were painted dark red in auditoriums 1, 2, and 4. The lobby was also painted the new GCC red and gray staples and unfortunately, the got rid of the '60s style giant hanging lamps that used to hang in the large front window facade.

The theatre actually closed in October 1999. The last movie I saw here was "The Sixth Sense" in auditorium 2. It was a sold out showing!! Unfortunately, I guess this one movie alone couldn't balance the declining attendance to the theatre after the Century 25 Union City opened.

This would have made an excellent art-house and specialty theatre, with the many colleges and multi-ethnic demographic in the area. It's too bad GCC wasn't in the art-house business. The city of Hayward should have done something to try to save this theatre and keep it operating. There are no art-house theatres in the area, and heck, now there aren't even any movie theatres in Hayward period!

Still empty with all windows blacked out.

Sad to hear of this place closing down. I saw lots of movies there when I was growing up. Saw lots of Disney movies there including a re-release of "The Love Bug" where they actually had a VW Bug painted exactly like Herbie parked right in the theater lobby!

Southland Mall is undergoing a renovation, and as of November 3 2005, demolition of the theater building was underway to make way for two new restaurants.

Drove by this past Saturday & demolition has already begun.

I remember many a summer days at this theater in the early 80s. We would spend all day theater hopping. I wasn't a bad kid... just poor.

Sadly now an elphant bar now sits were it was.

General Cinema opened the Southland Cinema I & II on December 21, 1967, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine's issue of January 1, 1968.

Does anyone have any photos of the theatre to post?