Dark Room Theater
2263 Mission Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94110
2263 Mission Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94110
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The Dark Room was open by mid-2004 (I was involved with a play there that Summer). A lot of what took place there (at least initially) were things that used to take place at Spanganga, which closed in 2004. It definitely has a stage.
But that’s mainly irrelevant here—it’s not really a movie theater. The “Bad Movie Nights” are the only regular movie screenings it’s ever held, and those are just movies on DVD; I’d be shocked if there were any film projection equipment, much less prints.
from what I know this is primarily a theatre and live performance type place that has what they call “bad movie nights” I have never been in it since it has been under it’s current operating status but I can tell you some history of what it once used to be which was a long standing mission neighborhood punk rock record store/club/living space as well as kind of strange cultural magnet/hub that attained a type of mythical status among people in the local punk community, known famously as Mission Records.
I also know a bit about it’s previous history operating mainly as a bar throughout the years, and apparently a quite notoriously rough one, at one point being claimed by several people to be operated by a local mafia type gang who trafficked drugs out of a specially small and crudely cut window in an upstairs room that dropped straight down to the alleyway behind and tellingly is only about big enough to fit a small parcel through! many stories and rumors of murders and bodies buried on sight. and several former tenants swearing up and down to having several ghost experiences…but regardless of myths and rumors, one solid story that may be of note to film enthusiasts is that during one of it’s stretches as a bar (i believe as what my friend called a “cowboy” bar) it was used as a real life location in the first 48 Hours! the scene where Eddie Murphy smashes a drink against the glass behind the bar (I can’t remember the scene exactly it’s been a while!) and supposedly that same glass remained broken and behind the bar even into it’s life as a record store.
so in short, definitely not a traditional theatre, although I think the back room has been renovated into a more legitimate performance space since, and it for sure had a stage at least in my time.
by the way Mission Records closed down in 2003, I am not sure if they vacated the space immediately though, possibly went over into 2004. what happened in the interim 4 years i couldn’t tell you, except for the mission becoming rapidly gentrified, especially via Valencia street
Looks pretty low-budget.
Found 2 photos on the website under Rent The Dark Room, not exactly a movie palace.
Anyone else have info or more photos?
I finally found out the hard way,the theatre shown in “DIRTY HARRY” was on the back lot at WARNER BROTHERS. And not in Downtown S.F.