Coronet Theatre
3575 Geary Boulevard,
San Francisco,
CA
94118
3575 Geary Boulevard,
San Francisco,
CA
94118
26 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 142 of 142 comments
Phantom at the Coronet!! I’m driving 40 miles to see it as it should be seen. Can’t wait!!
Let’s not forget that the Coronet was the San Francisco premiere house for Todd-AO, “Oklahoma” opening around 2/16/56, followed by Todd’s “Around the World in 80 Days” Christmas week, same year.
ANYONE INTERESTED IN HELPING SAVE THE CORONET PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP.
I HAVE OPEN THIS PROJECT UP AND I AM READY TO TAKE CHARGE ON SAVING THE BUILDING FROM GETTING DESTORYED. SAVE THE CORONET!!
EMAIL ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED!!
San Francisco had great viable single screen theatres longer than most other cities. It was the arrival of the AMC megaplex that one by one all the great single screen movie theatres started to bite the dust. After the decline of downtown in the 1960’s the Coronet was the undisputed king of the box office in San Francisco. The Coronet continued to be a big excusive run house long after the reserved seat roadshow fims of the 1960’s. I would venture to say the Coronet was one of the most successful single screen theatres in the nation for decades. All the studios and producers wanted there movies booked into the Coronet.Its to bad Regal got there hands on this property.Regal doesn’t even attempt to showcase this theatre in any way knowing they were going to dispose of it when they took over United Artists. The Coronet continued to be the flagship of UA long after the decline of the Egyptian in Hollywood and the Rivoli in NYC.The Coronet was always kept in top shape by United Artists who was notorious for letting there theatres fall apart.The Coronet was built in 1949 when not many theatres were being built. The first movie I saw at the Coronet was the reseved seat roadshow attraction “Funny Girl” in 1968. I saw Star Wars on its first day of release at the Coronet and the lines went on forever. 20th Century Fox had figured the number of people who had seen “Star Wars” at the Coronet matched the entire population of San Francisco, 6 months into its run it was still gossing $80,000 a week.Remember this is the same City which was offered the Fox for $1Million in 1963 and turned it down and then spent over $70 Million years later constructing Davies Symphony Hall. I guess when its all said and done the Castro maybe the last single screen still showing movies in the city.brucec
I too was suprised that the Coronet passed on Spiderman 2. I assume it’s because they are playing “I Robot” instead. Likweise I think they should have moved “The Terminal” from the Metro to the Vogue so they could play Spiderman 2 there (instead of vise versa).
Pictures of The Coronet can be seen at http://photos.yahoo.com/coronet_theatre1
Regal just continues to baffle me. Instead of booking Harry Potter and Spiderman 2, the big summer movies that SHOULD be playing The Coronet, they’re showing Dodgeball to an empty house. I fear the end is very near…
I too saw Ben Hur at the Coronet in the late 50’s. The Coronet is being razed so a developer can build a 6 story VERY MASSIVE, 120 unit apartment building with 2 floors of office on the ground level.
The new building will be at least 2 stories higher than the theater and will extend all the way to the gas station (over the entire parking lot).
We need as much “HISTORICAL” information about the Coronet as possible to fight such a mamoth “high rise” development in a “low rise” neighborhood.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of Jim Doyle, the historical expert on the Coronet, please ask him to email me ASAP.
LET’S SAVE THE CORONET!!!
Does anyone out there really know the date that the Coronet will finally close? Each day
that I pass by, and see a title on the markee, I realize that I still have one more chance. Its really sad that nothing can be done to save the best theater in town. We all understand the bottom-line but this is a landmark. The recent closing of the Alexandria was a blow, but this is another small cultural tragedy.
Wouldn’t it be great to get all three “Rings” movies there for a real send-off when the final days draw near—like the special day-long 10th Anniversary Star Wars events.
I just hope we continue to get extensions.
In 1964, the first run of “My Fair Lady” which seemingly ran forever. And of course, “Godfathers I & II, packed to the rafters.
In 1959, The first run of “BEN HUR”, for the Bay Area, was at the GREAT CORONET! Ran there for a long, long time, also! -Ronnie T.
The Coronet, with its long tradition of being THE place in the Bay Area to premier the biggest blockbuster films (especially the Star Wars franchise) would be sorely missed by those of us who have loyally driven the extra distance to see these films specifically at THAT theater(I actually live in Contra Costa County and regularly drive the 45 miles in to the city and wait, happily, in lines around the block for these movies when they premier there). There is not a single multiplex in the Bay Area with the same mix of nostalgia and grandeur that this theater brings to the experience of watching a bigger-than-life epic movie. To say nothing of the appreciative, enthusiastic, and sometimes raucous (but always entertaining) crowd it attracts for these events. My wish is that this theater could be saved as a landmark or, in some way, preserved by anyone with a love of film and the money to afford a gem like the Coronet (Mr. Lucas, Mr. Spielberg, any interest?)… Probably just wishful thinking.
The Coronet Theatre heralded it’s gala opening on November 2nd, 1949, as the city’s first major theatre construction in more than 15 years. The luxurious Coronet seated 1336 people when it opened on that night. The architects of the Coronet Theatre were Cantin & Cantin firm that was founded in 1901. That firm also designed and remodeled other theatres in the Bay Area. Colma, Lake in San Francisco, Studio, Burbank in San Jose, Crest in Sacramento.
In addition to an eye-catching neon vertical sign rising from a three-sided marquee, the front features a plain block design in light Nile green with terrazzo marble running from the curb to the doorway. Marble, together with stainless steel has been generouly used to trim the glass boxoffice and display cases. The foyer color scheme back in 1949 was a blend of browns, creams and gold with pre-colored acoustical plaster. A sunken lounge section behind the candy counter has entrances for the manager’s office, telephone booth, and restrooms. Wall to wall carpeting with floal designs in Venetian red retains the plush atmosphere. The oval chartreuse ceiling of the auditorium has colored lights which follow the perimeter of the oval. Murals on the magenta walls are medieval in design. Upper level seats have been arranged in a “stadium” rather than a conventional balcony pattern.
The Coronet will now continue to be open through the END of 2004! Heck, with these continued extensions, the theatre just may stay open long enough to see the Star Wars movie in 2005.
From what I heard, The Coronet theater is closing down after the lord of the ring 3 return of the king.
I was employed at the coronet in the late sixties up to the first star wars movie release in 1977. I have many memories of the people I worked with . I also remember meeting many celebrities there.
The Coronet has been the major venue in San Francisco for first-run major studio blockbusters for over 25 years.
This is where I waited in line for over two hours around the block on May 25, 1977 for the premiere opening of George Lucas' first STAR WARS movie in 70mm and Dolby Surround Stereo Sound. I returned to see it two more times here in 1977. The stories about the ticket lines being over half a mile long around the block then are not exaggerated. Many sci-fi fans met, networked and even fell in love while camping out in lines here.
I also saw CLOSE ENCOUNTERS here in 70mm in October 1977 on its premiere, and we waited in line for over an hour for that one.
I must have seen a dozen films there in the next 20 years. The last two times I went there, I saw BATMAN AND ROBIN (1995) and BATMAN FOREVER (1997).
The Coronet, on Geary Blvd., is an indispensable part of the San Francisco Cinema experience, and it needs to be preserved. As you can see from the photo above, taken in 1964, the Coronet is an Art Deco-Moderne style building, and has thankfully never been remodeled, twinned, or multiplexed.
Its appearance is still unchanged today.
It would be a historical tragedy if it is destroyed.