Century San Francisco Centre 9
845 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
845 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
3 people
favorited this theater
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Thanks for the updates. I was hoping a local would jump in. Unfortunately my last visit was marred.
Watching “Hateful Eight” in 70mm and about an hour in a fire alarm went off bringing along an earlier intermission.
Shame this place didn’t make it. Seats were alot comfier and it was a better movie going experience than the Metreon or long lamented Van Ness.
According to their website looks as though they are shutting down the power after the 2nd show , tomorrow (6/15) with only 4 screens operating.
Since someone offered the opening attractions, let’s get the closing here so we have the ‘history’ buttoned up.
We close down with “Spider-Man : Across the Spiderverse”, “ Transformers : Rise of the Beasts”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
Story about closing, also with video from KGO7 https://abc7news.com/cinemark-closing-sf-movie-theater-westfield-mall-san-francisco-century-centre-9/13380822/
Seems like tomorrow will be the last day of operation for the theater. Doesn’t help with Westfield announcing that they’re selling off the mall.
The Century Theatre here is closing Friday June 16 2023. They had the best curved XD screens in the SF Bay Area. Not surprising as they never had a marquee outside to let you know that a large cinema was inside the Westfield Mall. A busy area, now only one movie theatre is left in downtown SF the AMC Metreon Theatre a block away. A sad day for movie lovers in SF. I doubt another movie chain will take over because the area has gone way downhill. Maybe a big gym or school will take over the spot? Goodbye Century SF 9 we will miss you! Save the large XD curved screen and put in the flat screen Drafthouse New Mission Theatre in SF. Move the speakers also CineMark will give them a good deal!
This news of the Westfield San Francisco closing at the end of the year, certainly doesn’t bode well for this theatre complex.
https://hoodline.com/2023/06/san-franciscos-largest-mall-abandon-downtown-sf-exodus-largest-hotel-nordstrom-others/
Please update, total seats 1243.
Seating per screen: 1. 183 (XD) 2. 195 3. 131 4. 171 5. 175 6. 157 (XD) 7. 85 8. 88 9. 58 Source: Cinemark ticketing website
June 29th, 2009 grand opening ad posted
Exterior and lobby photos from July 2015
The current name of the shopping center is Westfield San Francisco Centre. The theatre’s address on their website is 845 Market. On Fandango the address is listed as 845 Market #500.
Went there recently but could not find it. Very well hidden. No sign or marquee in sight. Asked a couple of people and they didn’t know either. I hear it’s on the 5th floor of some building on Market St.
XD like cinemark xd.
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.
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