Earlier this week I tweeted about the closure of the Red Vic Movie House in San Francisco. This is very sad news for movie buffs everywhere. I have so many fond memories of this place, located on Haight Street. It was always notable for its front-row couches, and its wooden bowls of popcorn. I saw all kinds of things projected on film there, including Easy Rider (1969), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Nashville (1975), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Manhattan (1979), Stranger than Paradise (1984), Sherman's March (1986), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), The Killer (1989), Almereyda's Twister (1989), and Wendigo (2002) -- that last one at a press screening. The Red Vic also opened Nina Paley's extraordinary Sita Sings the Blues (2009), when no other theater would bother.
In any case, reality and economy have now caught up, and memories are all that will be left. Following is the e-mail I received from the collective of good souls that owned and operated the theater:
Dear Friends,
After 31 years of continuous operation as a cooperatively-run, single screen neighborhood theater, we're sorry to announce that the theater will be closing its doors for the last time after the July 25 "Red Vic birthday" screening of Harold and Maude.
The four members of the Red Vic collective and our loyal staff and volunteers struggled to keep the theater open as the economy got tougher and repertory cinemas around the U.S. went out of business, but the age of downloading and Netflix has brought ever-declining audience attendance, and our business is no longer sustainable. In fact, it hasn't been sustainable for several years, but we kept trying anyway! We are saddened at this phase of the Red Vic, but we have chosen to finalize the closure.
We appreciate that this news will distress our longtime patrons, and, of course, we too regret seeing this great resource close. At this point we are focused on closing up our business, but we are also exploring ways to use the space for something that will benefit the community and carry on the spirit of the Red Vic.
Thank you to all our supporters, volunteers, and patrons over the years!!
And here's hoping that San Francisco will continue to support the Castro, Roxie, Balboa, Vogue and all of the Bay Area's great remaining repertory and arthouse cinemas.
Sincerely,
- Claudia, Jack, Sam, Susie
After 31 years of continuous operation as a cooperatively-run, single screen neighborhood theater, we're sorry to announce that the theater will be closing its doors for the last time after the July 25 "Red Vic birthday" screening of Harold and Maude.
The four members of the Red Vic collective and our loyal staff and volunteers struggled to keep the theater open as the economy got tougher and repertory cinemas around the U.S. went out of business, but the age of downloading and Netflix has brought ever-declining audience attendance, and our business is no longer sustainable. In fact, it hasn't been sustainable for several years, but we kept trying anyway! We are saddened at this phase of the Red Vic, but we have chosen to finalize the closure.
We appreciate that this news will distress our longtime patrons, and, of course, we too regret seeing this great resource close. At this point we are focused on closing up our business, but we are also exploring ways to use the space for something that will benefit the community and carry on the spirit of the Red Vic.
Thank you to all our supporters, volunteers, and patrons over the years!!
And here's hoping that San Francisco will continue to support the Castro, Roxie, Balboa, Vogue and all of the Bay Area's great remaining repertory and arthouse cinemas.
Sincerely,
- Claudia, Jack, Sam, Susie
If you have good memories of the Red Vic, I'd love to hear them!
(Thanks to Devery Sheffer's San Francisco Film Lover for the photo.)
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