Cine Metropolitan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ponce de Leon Avenue

, San Juan, Puerto Rico

(map)

Status:	Closed
Screens:	Single Screen
Style:	Unknown

Function:	Church
Seats:	500
Chain:	Unknown

Architect:	Unknown
Firm:	Unknown

This movie theater was part of the Cobian chain, which was bought by Wometco.

During the 1960's it featured first run films, although not the huge blockbusters. The Metropolitan was the kind of theater that showed a wide diversity of movies, from Woody Allen movies to Bruce Lee flicks to British horror movies. It was also the place where all the "Planet of the Apes" movies were shown in the early 1970's.

In the late 1970's it became an independent theater and the quality of movies dropped a bit. Still it was always a nice, comfortable first run movie house. It closed down in the early 1980's. The last movie shown was the Charles Bronson film, "Death Hunt". The title of the movie remained posted in the marquee long after the theater was closed.

In the mid 1980's it was transformed into a disco called "Levels". The place was very trendy for a couple of years but it eventually closed too.

In the early 1990's it became an evangelical church. Currently one can see advertising for the church on tv, and it is always weirdly nostalgic to recognize the interior of the wonderful Metropolitan Theater .

Contributed by Jose Mendez

YOUR COMMENTS

Before the UA Cinema 150, there was... the Metropolitan! Fond film memories include "Planet of the Apes", "Tora!Tora!Tora!" (That film played for months), "The Sound of Music", "Gone in 60 Seconds", and "Blue Water, White Death". I recall that during "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" an elaborate setup was erected in front of the lobby and box office. I can't exactly remember which film, but I was standing in line one time and there was someone with a loud transistor radio playing Eric Burdon and War's "Spill the Wine". Every time I hear that song, I go "back" to the Metropolitan!

posted by JSA on Apr 8, 2005 at 9:51pm

I remember that above the marquee the theater had a huge poster for the movie being shown, like the ones in movie theaters in the Gran Via in Spain. I remember ones for "Sound of Music", "Waterloo" and "Che!". This huge kind of movie poster would only be seen at the Metropolitan and in a wall at a parking place in Ponce De Leon avenue where the Cobian Plaza building now stands.

posted by josem on Apr 15, 2005 at 11:47am

Does any of the old theater ornamentation remain? Usually, when an old theater is turned into a night club, the old ornatmentation is a big part the the club's decor and allure. This was especially true of New York's big theaters turned trendy night clubs: Loew's Commodore (The Saint), The Academy of Music (Palladium), The Forum (Club USA), Henry Miller (Xenon) and of course, Studio 54 which used to be the Gallo Opera House!

In most cases, the clubs kept the theater around a few years longer, but they ultimately weren't able to save them. Today, only Studio 54 remains as a theater and is now, once again, a legimate Broadway house.

Hopefully, some if not all of the old theater still survives.

posted by LuisV on Jun 29, 2008 at 1:13pm

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