Festival Cinemas
19901 Hesperian Boulevard,
Hayward,
CA
94541
19901 Hesperian Boulevard,
Hayward,
CA
94541
3 people
favorited this theater
Opened on August 18, 1972 as a four-screener showing first-run films, this theater was a first-run mecca for films in Hayward and surrounding areas. Along with the Southland Cinemas, these theaters drew business away from the theaters in downtown Hayward (Ritz Theater and Hayward Theater), as well as the nearby Lorenzo Theater in San Lorenzo.
This theater eventually expanded to nine screens. A 25 screen Century theater in nearby Union City started bringing a decline in business (and resulted in the demise in the Southland Cinemas). The final nail came when a 16 screen Century theater opened in San Leandro. The city of Hayward, which owns the site, did not renew Mann’s lease, and so the theater closed on January 26th, 2003. The theater was demolished in September 2005 to be replaced by retail.
Contributed by
scottfavareille
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Just thought I might add this bit of info
The address is:
19901 Hesperian Blvd Hayward, CA 94541
The last day it was open for business was January 26th, 2003
If the add photo option was available, I could submit images as well, for I have many.
Was one of the rare bay area theatres to have a THX certified auditorium for many years, before many of the huge 15+ screen multiplexes came along.
In the area, the first THX certified auditorium was at the GCC Fremont Hub 8, which opened in 1987 and had one auditorium THX certified. (That theater later closed, ironically due to the popularity of the 25 screen Century 25 in Union City. How interesting is that theater wound up putting 4 separate multiplexes totalling 28 screens out of business.)
Over 1 ½ years later, the building still sits, empty.
Update: This theater is slated to be torn down in September(after the Hayward Zucchini Festival, which is held at Kennedy Park across the street) and it will be replaced with a Target store.
Just got back from vacation—It has been demolished.
bobbie,
Any chance I could get you to send me those images that you have of the Festival Cinemas?
I remember seeing films there like Dumb & Dumber, Stargate, Bean The Movie, Alien Resurrection and I’m countless other movies as a kid in the 90s. Those were some good times going to the movies with places like this, Union City Drive-In theater 6, Southland Cinemas, Hayward United Artists 6, the Cinedomes 7 Newark and East in Fremont, the Fremont General Cinemas and the Super Saver Cinema 7 (basically I went to all of em as a kid) had some great times going to these movie theaters.
Back in the early 80s, my dad went to this very movie theater and actually got to see City of the Walking Dead (aka Nightmare City) the Italian zombie-like infected movie from the late director Umberto Lenzi during it’s US theatrical run in 1983. Which was probably either 83 or 84 when he went to see it.