Century San Francisco Centre 9
835 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
835 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
2 people
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Sorry the name brand at Century is XD. Not EX.
Today we checked out the brand new EX screen they just put into Theatre#1 and watched Gatsby in 3-D. Such a shame they did not put in the same type of curved EX screen they had in their first EX screen in Theatre#6 The new one is not that curved at the top or bottom and seems smaller then the one across the lobby. At least Theatre#1 has the first install of the Dolby Atmos sound system and sounded hot. Like all Cinemark/Century EX screens when you watch a scope print you will have boring white screen at the top and bottom of the giant square white/silver screen. No masking has been put in at the top or bottom. I don’t know who goes into these multiplex theatres to re do them but in the Century 9 in the new EX #1 cinema they have bright WHITE lights on the side and set to close to the big screen so when the pre show and previews are on the whole screen is washed out with bright white lights leaking on the screen. Does anyone think these days about putting a color lamp in like blue and haveing a shield in the first set of side lights close to the screen.
A recent trip to the Century 9 was most fun. I went into the XD Theatre and found the best curved screen in San Francisco. It’s huge and curved at the top and bottom. This screen is so popular they are adding a second one on the other side on the right section. They even cut a hole in the lobby for the left side exit from Theatre#1. I am told It will even be larger and with Dolby Atmos sound this may be the best place in SF to check out a movie on a giant curved screen in SF. They hope to be open with the new XD GIANT screen for Gatsby in 3-D next week. The theatres at the 9 complex near the cable car area of SF have the height to put in this giant screen.
I made it back here in Nov of 2012. Wanted to catch the film “Lincoln” before it opened wide. Such a great experience (granted since I had an early morning screening before the rest of the Centre opened I had to find an open side door) employees pleasant, patrons well behaved (including a school group seeing the film for history class) the seats were more comfortable than I remember. This theatre complex allows you to use your phone for your ticket.
The Century San Francisco Center was also the last of several multiplex projects designed for the Century chain by the San Diego architectural firm Fehlman LaBarre (partial list from Reed Construction Data. The page for this project mistakenly gives the address as 1835 Market Street.)
The Fehlman LaBarre web site used to have information about their theater projects, but the domain name was allowed to lapse and it’s now a spam site, so avoid it. Partner Mark Fehlman has retired from architecture to pursue a career as an artist, and partner Michael LaBarre has merged his practice with San Diego firm Carrier Johnson + CULTURE.
This was the last theatre opened by Century Theatres before being sold to Cinemark only weeks later.
I’ve posted information and photos from a recent visit here.
Some of those photos posted above are rather neat, but those light fixtures look like they were picked up at a close-out sale at IKEA.
An article about Cinemark’s XD screens (Cinemark owns Century) here: View link
Century has installed something they call XD, which I think stands for extreme digital, at this theater. It seems to be a mini Imax format.The screen is floor to ceiling and wall to wall, though the sound was not what you would experience in an Imax theater. I saw “Amelia”. Some of the scenes were in full screen, while other scenes almost looked letterboxed, with small black bars on the top and bottom of the screen.“The Dark Knight in Imax was like this also. Century is charging $14.00 a ticket for this cinematic experience. It is not available on all their nine screens.
Hey Terry… FULL “SCOPE” at SF’s infamous CASTRO THEATRE as well as lovely new curtains AND the Wurlitzer nightly!
Who needs any more shoe-box theaters when you have historic palaces?
Photos
Entry from Shopping Mall:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flaneur/260299791/
HugeLobby of movie theater:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v63/255468910/
Mural in Lobby:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejcgerm/276790439/
Ceiling Light Fixture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbcastro/371599251/
Like many new Century Theatres they don’t have a full scope screen. They just drop black masking down from the big flat screen and make it look like Cinemascope. To fit in as many shoebox’s as possible they made the screens not able to expand. Gone are the days that curtains closed and the masking went out for a wide screen show.
I went to check the new place out.It is on the 5th floor of the new mall.The theaters themselves are on opposite ends of a long mall walkway, with the concession stand directly in the middle so mall shoppers can buy popcorn without going to a movie. I was in the side containing theaters 6-9.Theater 6 was a nice size with excellent sound and picture on a big screen, and yes the seats are leather. I also checked out theater 7 which was a bit smaller but also featured excellent picture and sound. The place itself does not have much personality.It is a typical Century mall movie theater.Just another set of boxes of varying sizes.
I have yet to visit this place yet but I did read that the place went DARK just the other day. And Bloomingdales which is in the complex was the only with lights on.
Also I hear the chairs there are L-E-A-T-H-E-R