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Categories: Cinema, Shopping Centers [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMAMon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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The Metreon is dead! Long live the Metreon!
Or at least in it's next life when someone figures out how to optimize this prime piece of real estate.
My son and I came through here yesterday on the way to the Yerba Buena Gardens and the SF MOMA. His favourites including the PlayStation Store and the floor game projection are gone, as is the Sony Store, the restaurant upstairs, and a good chunk of the food court. The movie theatre and the Chronicle book store are still hanging on, as is the arcade that even bores my teenage son. And then there's the odd and lonely "Farmer's Market" that seems to filling space until something better comes along.
It's kind of sad really. But with the above mentioned surrounding attractions, plus the Jewish Museum and the old Emporium Dome beckoning us on, it's just another place to forget along the road.
I love this place. The memories it holds of first dates in the evening, strolling through the outdoor landscape and then going to see a film, and then, memories of hungover mornings spent at a matinee with aviator shades and a bloody mary tucked inside my purse- oh, these memories are priceless.
My last visit here, I went to see a cheesy romance film (and I don't even LIKE romance films! lol) and strolled the landscape alone. I grabbed a Sour Patch Kids and enjoyed the film, then checked out the new attached Farmer's Market they have downstairs. AWESOME empanadas there, btw.
It's overpriced like any theater these days, and the interior food court is not all that. But come on, there is something exciting about a movie theater, right? The smell of popcorn, the anticipation of a long-awaited film, the right company at your side? It all makes for some good memories, in my opinion.
DEVASTATION!!! Wow, Metreon is on it's last legs. We visited recently to check out a movie and needed to kill half an hour before the movie started. It had been a few years since I'd last been at the Metreon so I figured it would be cool to check them out. Eeks! All the anchor stores have left. A few of the prime spots have been taken over by video games and those god-awful contraptions where kids drop quarters into a machine prospecting with a mechanical hook for cheap stuffed animals and carcinogenic plastic toys.
The food court that they used to have is a shell of the current bustling hub of visitors looking for good food at a good price prepared quickly. Now it's just Buckhorn Grille and another restaurant.
They have a farmers market on Sundays...which is great in concept. However, it's mostly cheap food with a few artisan-esque jellies and cheeses with some produce that look like they could be within a few weeks of being fresh.
The best thing that could happen to the Metreon is for their creditors to foreclose on them or for the owners of the project to file for bankruptcy. This will allow them to offer competitive lease rates and start attracting new businesses to reinvigorate this prime property.
I don't get what all the fuss is about.............
The only complaint I have about this theater is the price (but most theaters in the Bay Area ARE this expensive).
What else is there to complain about? I don't know how good it USED to be, I've only been going here for the last year and a half, but each time I'm satisfied and had a nice theater experience.
What happened to this place?
It's still a tourist trap but ghettofied. What a shame since it's centrally located smack dab in the heart of the SOMA district. There's constant fights among punk-a** thugs and your occasional shooting and stabbing incidents. There's even an influx of homeless people begging for money so they can buy their booze, and the constant use of their restrooms to clean themselves.
It's now funky....in a bad way.
A complete compilation of crap. I wonder if any downtown area in any city in the history of time has had such a repulsive display of mediocrity. From the pathetic food court to the heartbreaking farmer's market to the dirty theater, the Metreon is a sad, sad site in the center of the city. The one redeeming new addition is Point Break Live, which started showing here in October.
It wouldn't pain me so much to know that the Metreon existed if it wasn't taking up a prime piece of San Francisco real estate. If I had my way we would burn the thing down and extend Yerba Buena Park.
This place USE to look SO COOL!!!! Now it's not. They use to have the Discovery Store? that was cool. Didn't they have a "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE" store on the highest level? I just remember the restrooms were near it. They have a pretty big arcade.
This place use to be loved, now it feels old & neglected.
Back then, it would have gotten a 4 or 5, now it gets a 2.
What ever happend to this place? This use to be the hot spot with may locals and tourists hanging out here. Now it's so empty and sad. The only thing good here is the theater.
1. The Metreon is creepy. Entire rooms should not be devoted purely to claw machines.
2. The noodle place closed, and it was good. Where am I supposed to get Tomato Zinger noodles now?
3. It's nice to have an IMAX so close to work, but there really needs to be a better system to lining up when a popular movie comes out. The line for The Watchmen was hella long, hella scattered, hella smelly and it got way too hot in there. Harry Potter was the same way, only the line was out by the snack bar and the windows, which meant less smell but more confusion. I hope they improve upon this line situation before Where The Wild Things Are comes out.
Not sure why this place has such a low rating. I like it -has everything I need for a theatre/mall type place.
I've enjoyed movies here. I even like the market in the mornings!
It's big and confusing. The lines for tickets are long, too long and move way too slow. The lines using the ticket machines were better but people didn't know how to use them and there's nobody around to answer any questions. Spent $9 extra only to have to get my tickets were an agent because the machine broke down! The things I do to watch Harry Potter...that leads to yet another LONG line. On a hot day, you are screwed standing under the intense sun and nowhere to hide... Yet another line at the concession stand...seriously people, decide what you want before you get to the register! There are only so many choices, it's really not a brain teaser.
This explains why hubby doesn't like to catch a movie...lines lines and more lines...babies crying, rowdy kids...the person sitting next to me couldn't get his hand off the iPhone, shut that thing down already, I don't need the glare!
Definitely was expecting better reviews for this place. It's never really all that busy when I go (I go pretty much anytime I'm feeling down for a film: Saturdya night, Tuesday evening, whatev). If there's a line you can always skip it by going to the ticket machines on the side and just swipe your credit card. It's also easy to steal those 3-D googles from that bin behind the ticket counter guy and waltz into the newest 3-D film after seeing your movie. I love it.
Pretty expensive for me compared to the past two states I've lived in: Missouri and North Carolina. In Saint Louis I can go see a late night movie for $6.50. Ah well, the perks of being in California with the movie stars... :p
They get docked one star because I think they deliberatly switched the escalator/stair sequence once you hit the second floor so that you have to take the stairs if you're movie plays on the right side of the theater. Who's going to walk a mile across to go down the freaking escalator?
This place confuses the hell out of me. So.. it's supposed to be some kind of futuristic building with all kinds of arcades, movie theaters, food stuff and shops, but then it feels really empty and deserted and abandoned. And there's a farmers' market??
This place is a bit confusing - my friend said that it seemed like a maze of sorts - with the escalators and stairs going every which way (not like in a mall, where all the "up" escalators are congregated around the same area so you can step off and keep going up).
For movies, I think I'll stick to those little independent ones, where it's never too crowded and things aren't overly expensive.
hummm....
I don't come here often but yet I were around the area within 5 days.
Watched Harry Potter, I realised I paid $11 plus $1.25 admin fee for buying tickets online in advance. I took BART this time, won't drive my car and park it at the disgusting garage. As far as the seats at the cinema I think it is ok. I feel the ventilation inside the movie theatre is not very strong because I smell popcorns all night while I stuck in my seat between people enjoying their popcorns. I am not a fan of the smell of popcorns. Just want to point this out because when I go to Century Theatres Center 9 I don't feel it's stuffy nor do I smell anything at all. One may argue it's newer therefore nicer. Perhaps.
I'm kinda glad this place is coming to an end--or at least that it's changing. It's funny how it's a husk of its dot-com-era self, but then I think about all the people who have come and gone since then, and I realize not many people get the joke.
I used to think of this place as one gigantic remote control. That's the only way to take it seriously. Almost all of the businesses in here, past and present, annoy me. And yes, I've spent many hours here, so I'm just just being my normal I-don't-like-consumerism self.
They have pinball machines, which is the source of the extra star. I didn't see what kind of condition there were in last time I was here, but I'll check it out and hopefully enjoy myself here. I still don't understand why you have to buy movie tickets on a different floor from the theaters themselves--at the AMC on Van Ness it's cooler and makes sense--but I'm glad there's a farmers market here now. Um, I think I'm glad.
"In the year 2000, in the year 2000!"
Is there a reason why I have to be shivering while watching a movie? I kept my jacket and scarf on and was still ridiculously cold. My friend who is normally hot even when it's cold also thought it was chilly. It was colder than it was outside for christ sakes! I swear I felt the air conditioning on even though it was 60 degrees outside!
And why are there only two concession cash registers open on a Sunday in the middle of the day?!
Although I love the Farmer's Market, I really, really hate watching movies here.
By far the grossest of all the SF city theaters. If it weren't for it's location and IMAX theater, I… Read more »
I used to like coming here when they first opened. There business is going down the drain. Who is running this place? I wish they would give student discounts, now, I only go to theaters that are giving student discounts. The Playstation store, Things From Another World(comic book store), and the Discovery Channel store are gone. There is a farmer's market in place of these two businesses. WTF??? Also, there arcade has old games, and they still have that old bowling game from when they first opened???? ALso, what's up with having so many grapple dollar machines behind the arcade? Not the place to be anymore! LOL
You would think the Metreon would have a BofA or a Chase/WaMu ATM machine. Apparently not.
I went today and the volume was a much too loud. I love loud movies more than most people, but the volume was so high I felt like I needed earplugs. Otherwise, everything was cool. The $6 matinee price was reasonable. Usually the movie prices here are outrageous.
I don't get why this place has gotten so many 2-3 star reviews. I like coming to see movies here. I don't particularly mind the crowd of high school teenagers because they don't really interfere with my movie-watching experience. I come here because for the most part the place is clean and the seats are comfortable.
Those are my main concerns when watching a movie. I hate when my shoes get stuck to the floor because someone spilled a soda everywhere and the staff figured it be best to just let it dry. Bad idea. Also, sitting in an uncomfortable seat for 2 hours is nearly torture, so yes I'd like my tush to be happy. So far, I haven't had to wait in line to use the bathroom, which is a huge plus too.
Yes the tickets are expensive, but it's California, they'll be expensive no matter where you go.
This place has too much space for its own good.
Downstairs across from the playstation store is now a Farmers market.....thats nice i guess.
But besides from the theatre, which has nice big screens and seats, the rest of the place is filled with crap.
This is actually a review for the chicken tenders that they serve at the Metreon snack counter.
I went last night after work to the Metreon to see "The Hangover". I didn't have time to eat after work and I was starving, so I took my chances and ordered the chicken tenders. I was so surprised! They were awesome. For $8, I got a huge carton of chicken tenders. They seemed to be good quality, not too oily, and really yummy- and they came with bbq sauce and honey mustard.
Nice work Metreon.
I hate this over priced hang out for either the lame Goth kids or the loud kids who should be in school, but aren't. The PlayStation store is gone.... They have vending machines where you can buy cell phones..... really?? The only thing worth going to is the movie theater.... that is the only reason and I only come here when the nicer theater in the mall isn't playing the movie I wanna see.... This place is Lame sauce, served with dry over cooked chicken
so I came here to see the Avatar IMAX preview last friday. It was...AWESOME! After watching it in Imax 3D, there's no way i could settle for watching it in a regular theatre.
However, I couldn't help but wonder: what the hell is up with the Metreon now?! All i see are a bunch of closed restaurants and stores. No more action theatre, no more comic book store, and the Playstation Store is now a fucking farmer's market?? This place is so...sad nowadays. I've had a lot of memories about this place. Had my first date here, back when the place was still busy. Now the only thing to do here is watch movies or IMAX.
OOH and i wanna mention a FAIL moment i witnessed here. When i showed up to watch Avatar, this one dude ahead of me was wondering why his printed tickets weren't being accepted. He was told that he bought tickets for the Century Theatre in Westfield, not AMC Metreon. FAILLLL!!!!
It was a Friday night, I didn't feel like doing the usual Friday night thing...and I hadn't seen The Hangover yet. My roomie and I checked out movie times online and the Metreon seemed to have a showing every 40 minutes. This seemed like a great idea so we could grab a snack and maybe play a few video games without feeling rushed to get to the film.
First of all, I like where the Metreon is located, right smack in the middle of downtown. Safe, well lit and with plenty of public transportation options nearby. However, after 9pm it's like a ghost town. I really wanted to go into the mall across the street for SF Soup Company, but it was closed :-(.
So, we ventured inside the actual Metreon as it boasts so many dining options. Nope...all closed except for the movie theater concessions, vending machines and a lone ice cream stand. I settled on getting the kids pack at the movie theater (small popcorn, chocolate raisins, small diet coke...I know, I'm 7 years old) and watched my roommate play some video game involving holding a gigantic fake gun in the air. He was happy, I was too.
A few minutes into show time, we headed inside...scored pretty good seats considering it was a full theater. Here come gripe number one, why are the rows so close together? Am I just spoiled by usually sitting in the front of the second balcony or going to the Kabuki??? I couldn't even cross my legs without kicking the seat in front of me or the person next to me. The seats were cozy, but I couldn't settle into prime movie watching pose (legs crossed or indian style...yes, I'm 7 years old).
The lights dimmed and we were help hostage to 20 minutes of previews and commercials...seriously? Ok, so the movie starts at 11...not 10:40pm. Got it...
Gripe number 3 comes once again from me being 7 years old and having an equal sized bladder....yup had to pee halfway through the movie. I thought, it's cool...I'm stealthy and quick, I can easily miss a maximum of 3 minutes of the film. I made a run for the door and found out there is only one bathroom on that floor next to theater 3 (we were in 11). So I had to book it to the other side and back. Total movie time missed, 7 minutes!!!
Lastly, on our way out, we almost got lost in the maze of escalators, closed restaurants, and hood rats standing in intimidating groups. This is where I noticed the average movie-goer here is the teenage boy dressed up a la Chingy or Lil Wayne.
Overall...the Hangover is hilarious and I intend on buying the DVD copy...but I think I'll stick the Van Ness AMC and Kabuki for future movie outings.
Never disappointed when I go to the metreon. Forget the people who go to the movies, it's all about the theater itself.
- is it comfy?
- how's the sound?
- how large is the screen?
Check, check and CHECK. Even when you think you're in a small theater... the Metreon surprises you and opens up the screen just a few feet more on each side making your heart sing love sings.
I'm not too sure about the new food policy, but before I knew you could bring in whatever you want to eat. I love that.
I'd suggest parking elsewhere in the city and riding Muni or Bart to Union Square. The parking is atrocious unless you leave 2 hours before your movie and park in the ridiculously over priced 3rd and Mission lot.
The once-lauded Metreon has become a sad place to go to. :( Sony opened the Metreon to much fanfare, hoping to make this a mecca for techies, video gamers, & kids w/ unique shops like the only Microsoft store ever, a Bandai Gundam shop, Sony Style store, Playstation Store, the Discovery Channel Store, Things From Another World toy store, an anime shop, How Things Work amusement area, etc. during it's ownership.
Last year, they sold the entire building to Westfield (the mall people) & is a dwindling renter instead. They recently closed their Sony Style store & will shutter the Playstaion store next month.
Other tenants such as Martuni's, Long Life Jook Joint, Starbucks, have left the food side pretty desolate as well.
The AMC Theatre (formerly Loews) on the third floor seems to be the lone thriving concern at the Metreon these days. Much of that is supported by the frequent advance screenings booked there.
There is talk of Westfield planning to revitalise the centre in the coming year or so, but due to the recent economic situation, they'd be hard-pressed to find many (if any) major tenant willing & able to enter into hefty "market-level" leases.
Most recenty, they have month-to-month rented out the vast space left empty by the Discovery Store to a group of sub-renters that pose as a "Farmer's Market", although only two of the stalls offer fresh produce or fruit. All others are hawking pricey prepared foods. Well, there is the table trying to convince folk to subscribe to the New York Times newspaper. How that qualifies as a farmers market booth, I'll never know. I guess the paper is paying.
As a wise man once told me: "You'd find more cheers in a graveyard."
Just like the Mines of Moria, this place used to be the bustling capital of entertainment in the heart of San Francisco, and after the goblins (the economy) shut down most of the place, it is not the happy Metreon you once knew. Hopefully the future holds well for this wonderful complex. I miss the old bustling hype of the place, but I guess I have to wait this one out...
I find myself at the Metreon more and more lately, because for some reason they are always the only place playing the movies I want to see. Ok, I'm lying. They are the only place playing the movies I want to see that I don't have to take more than one bus to get to. So I go there.
I don't have any complaints about the quality of the viewing experience, although those weird seats in the upper rows on the sides don't make any sense. You know, the three or four rows of two seats with a banister directly between you and the screen? Silly. But whatever. I guess the trick is to get there early enough to not have to sit there.
I saw Harry Potter here recently with the ex-boyfriend (don't ask), and the total for the tickets was over $23. I remember it being less, but maybe I'm just broker than before. (Yeah, I paid, because I'm a stupid, dumb girl.) Also, my medium popcorn was smaller than the bags I pop at home, and cost $5.75. And it was cold and stale. Its too bad that I am a popcorn addict, because the sad thing is I will probably make the same ill-advised purchase again in the near future.
I feel like I'm rambling. Maybe I'm bitter because I didn't like the movie. Or because I paid, and went home alone. Or that damn popcorn. Bring your own snacks, get there early enough to get good seats, and bring a better date... things should work out just fine.
There once was a time in my life where i lived like a vagrant. I left the buxom embrace of the Bay Area and lived in strange new surroundings. I never knew I would miss the City and its eclectic styles till I left it, like a woman you grow out of, knowing she'll take you back when your ready.
One such place I missed was the Metreon. I left S.F. when it was still brand new. It was like entering the Superman's Fortress of Solitude or stepping into the world of the Future. Lights, sleek designs and its emphasis on technology and appeal to the geek and kid at heart. It was like a mecca of modernism run wild. Each time I remembered 'Home' this was one of the things I would remember.
Now the saying rings true, "You can never really go home".
Coming back to this site... its like the end of a tinker tank parade. Traces of joy and rapture on the streets with confetti, horns, and popcorn, but now empty. The future has finally caught up and overtook this once scion of a dream, its merely an echo of 1999.
I still love going here though.
Maybe its nostalgia, or like a World War 2 vet visiting his old playground remembering a time long lost and forgotten. I'll stick with this place cuz of what it used to represent, and ignore its current amnesia.
This place gets more and more depressing each time I visit, because all the shops have literally emptied out of this place. The only reason why I would come here is because of the IMAX screen. Even the theater is mediocre at most. Although it is quite large with many different screens and various concession stands. AMC/Leows Theaters really needs to get with the flow and offer kettle corn. For the day that I was there, the highlight of my day was that I was able to get a bottle of Vitamin Water Sync to wash down my butter drenched popcorn, since their popcorn tasted flavorless.
P.S. They now have Farmers Market inside the Metereon.
This place is just cool. I love the way it was designed. There are a bunch of shops here and a very nice movie theatre. The giant glass walls let in lots of natural light. The "farmers market" is kinda weird. Its more like, how many little stands can we fit in here, and there prices are a little higher than the one at Civic Center Plaza, with less stuff to see and buy.
I got to go to the movie screening of Food Inc here. I got to meet its director of the movie, it was an elite event, and I do have to say the bathrooms here are CLEAN! I was VERY surprised.
All in all this is a good place to catch a flick, do some shopping, and have a fun day in down town.
Its a pretty standard movie theater. I think overall its an okay place. I think what they were trying to be was a good idea but it didn't really work out. It seems like they're starting to change it which I think is great. The "food court" is kind of lacking. Especially since its now so close to the kickass one in Westfield. The new farmers market is super cool. Just Desserts definitely makes it cooler too.
Its a convenient location especially for movies but I feel like everything is pretty overpriced. I dunno definitely not my favorite place to hang out in the city but a good place to see a movie.
WTF happened here? The only thing its got going for itself now is the IMAX theater and the fact that you can take outside food in...though everything around there is big city pricing...which is expected but i expect big city entertainment...nothing to see here...
Just your average movie theatre (but bigger), though I would only come here on Thursdays because of the student discount ($8). Parking is quite pricey too. Oh, and don't forget to bring your ID; there's this one biotch who is adamant about showing student proof.
The curly fries are killer.
At the end of the day a movie theatre with big screens is all I ask for. Hit this place in the middle of the day during the week and I guarantee you will be the only occupant. Odd however that there are different prices for different movies...whats up with that?
I don't go see movies all that much anymore...guess I need to start going on more movie dates...anyways, as previously mentioned, I do not do well in heat, and to be honest, neither does SF. Nowhere seems to have air conditioning.....enter my saviour, the Metreon.
I love that it is kept almost freezing in this theater, it provides the perfect escape from the heat. Theaters are pretty big, LOVE the IMAX! There are a few films I'll go to opening night for, in costume...and luckily for me, the Metreon puts up with this behavior splendidly.
Great place to go see movies....although I must say movies are getting pretty pricey!
I used to work at the Sony Metreron at the giant Discovery Channel Store on the first floor. After they closed the store (leaving me unemployed) this otherwise beautiful complex went downhill. All of the good stores closed, (where the wild things are, sony store) and it seems very deserted, not to mention the last time I was there i saw a chick fight where one girl lost half of her weave. Ew. The escalators still confuse me to this day, but I must admit, parking is really convenient, and the IMAX movies are great.
I went here recently for the first time and wasn't sure what to expect due to the number of theaters within the building. While on my way home I tried to think of the best way to describe it.
Winchester Mystery House.
Room and space that goes nowhere. There were very few signs giving direction. The inner theater is tiny and I felt as though the screen was five feet away from me; during some scenes I had to look to the left to see what was happening *over there*. The bathroom was huge and very clean. It honestly reminds me of a 1970's disco house bathroom with plenty of surface room for the recreational drugs those folks did back in the olden days. I was thirsty (parched, actually) and the water on Level Three was something like $3.75 ish and then on a lower floor it was $2.00. Huh?
There are much nicer theaters in the Bay Area.
What the heck is going on with the Metreon? It's pretty much a movie theater, a few restaurants, the claw machine arcade, the PlayStation store (though someone said they were moving out), and the small bookstore. And that's it. Even Starbucks' kiosk has moved out! And that's saying something when the ubiquitous Starbucks doesn't want to be in your space.
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