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Opera Plaza Cinema
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
601 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 267-4893
601 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 267-4893
- Good for Kids:
- No
74 reviews for Opera Plaza Cinema
Cute place! I had no idea this place even existed until tonight. Some friends wanted to see "Moon," and I was glad to go. Until now, the only theatre I knew existed was the AMC a few blocks away. What a nice little surprise this is!
The prices are OK for the place. $10 for a ticket, not in a fancy theatre, but at least it's ultra tidy. Junk food prices are typical. I like that this place obviously plays stuff that is not the norm choices of blockbusters, so I'll probably return for the cool selection. Landmark theatres never fail me.
Why are there no reviews for this place yet? This place is great. We just saw 'Departures' here tonight. The theater claims to provide 'San Francisco's most intimate movie-going experience', and I think it pretty much hits the mark. The screening rooms are tiny, with comfy seats, enough leg room and flannel-covered armrests.
Full concessions available. Very clean bathroom and amicable staff.
This is a very nice place to see indies. We'll be back!
It's hard to spot the theater from the street. Walk past the Opera Cafe, and the sushi restaurant, and there it is, the Opera Plaza in all it's Indie glory.
It's a typical indie theater in SF. Small venue, tiny screens, and a satisying selection of indie films. Snack bar serves popcorn, hot dogs, icecream, and vegan cookies! Try finding those cookies at a Century or AMC.
What a gem! I've seen some terrific films in this cinema, but what I like most about it is the location. A block from the Opera House, two from City Hall and right next door to a book shop & combined Peet's coffee. It makes for a great rainy day or pit spot when family is in town.
It's small, it's cute, it foreign. Oh yes, sneak away from work and go see a foreign movie here. Get the really delicious popcorn they serve and enjoy the empty theater. You will not have many people here watching the movies mid-day. It can get busy if something popular is playing on Friday and Saturday night, but not as busy as it once was, thanks to Netflix and all the other ways we can see movies these days. This theater is one of my favorites for artsy movies. I like it better than Embarcadero (expensive parking) and the one on Chestnut (no parking). Reminds me of all the days I used to play hooky from school and came up here. Very old-fashioned movie house.
"Cozy" is the word they use to describe two of their theaters on their website and cozy it is, indeed!
Went to see Anvil! here over the weekend and was a little taken aback by the tininess of the theater we were seated in. After having just seen Drag Me to Hell the night before in stadium seating this was quite a contrast. But I have to say, a welcome contrast I wasn't bargaining on.
The theater was about half way filled with what I'd call a most delightful crowd. Within minutes of the film starting I forgot about the small size of the screen and got immediately swept up in the emotion of the film. Once it was over I can easily say, I think it would have been somewhat odd seeing it any other way.
This viewing style is intimate and yes, cozy. No frills, but lots of heart.
And they have a nice selection of concession snacks including vegan cookies and yummy organic teas.
Note to the wise, parking on Sundays is a complete breeze and free. I parked right in front of the entrance!
So in the past week, I've been here twice & I must say Opera deserves its 5th Star
I've come to appreciate the small theater size & think it feels much more intimate & cozy over the gargantuan monster production houses out there
And now that I'm ridiculously early to shows here, I'm guaranteed a good seat.....but I more like to think of it as more time to catch up w/ my Movie-BFF whom I never get to see anymore
Flicks are consistently good & Indie & the staff has started this wonderful welcome that is endearing
Before the start of each show, someone walks to the front of the screen, welcomes us to Opera Plaza & announces the show about to start, a little blurb about the show & "enjoy".....
Ahhhhh - NOW I'm ready for a great movie w/ a warm fuzzy feeling, my Movie-BFF & a great flick!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/18/2008
Best advice for a night at Opera Plaza.......GET THERE EARLY
What happens if you don't?
* Seats… Read more »
I saw Choke and Doubt here.
Landmark always has great movies.
The popcorn is good, too.
And there are cute old ladies here, but it makes me hope that I age better than them.
Reasons to see a movie at OPC:
Old school greeting by an usher before the film
Art-house flicks
Tix are $10 or $7.75 if you pre-buy a pack
Caramel Corn
Fabulous tea at concessions
Theatres so small it is like having a huge screen in your living room
Corned beef sandwiches before or after at Max's
Head through the plaza, past the fountain to the tiny cinema.
What a charming theatre!
I came here to watch Ballerina, the documentary that follows 5 Russian Ballerinas....so very good.
I love how friendly the staff is and how someone introduces the movie right before the lights go dark.
The screens aren't as big as other theatres, but the room is small, so it's more of an intimate vibe.
Can't wait to come back.
Hey Landmark, why don't we do everyone a favor and move this theater from its current location (which is near to absolutely nothing except--ironically--another, much more popular movie theather), and move it to the Inner Sunset? No, this is not the first time I've suggested such a thing, and it won't be the last (surely the trendy Marina folks don't make good use of those two small-scale places? They're probably taxiing on over to Bloomingdale's).
Location aside, it *is* one of Landmark's, and hence worth your hard-earned $10. But choose your screen wisely: as Ed U says, two of the screens are actually "screening rooms", and they're about as big as they sound--albeit pretty charming. We were lucky enough to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona on one of the "big" screens (a great movie that will leave no bourgeois soul un-skewered. Speaking of which, I'm leaning towards a house in Glen Park, and I found this wonderful decorator. He's...creative, but he knows when to back off. I'm thinking modern with just a splash of steampunk here and there. I love combining the two, but God, the prices. Do you have any idea what a good size barrel-roll desk costs?)
I have a soft spot and a bias for Opera Plaza. My father was the general contractor when it was built. I was probably about 5 at the time, so I spent big chunks of my childhood running around OPC as a construction site and always felt a connection to it. Its hey-day has passed. The place badly needs an architectural face lift. A Clean Well Lighted Place is now just another book store. A franchise coffee house sits where an old deli once was, and Max's is...well...Max's. But the Cinema has always been classy. Where else in the city do they still have ushers? How about hot tea?
They usually have a pretty good selection of films at any time. Sometimes they get a little too far out for me. I think the emphasis is often on foreign dramas as well as standard art-house fare. I did see Cowboy Beebop and Choke here among others. Not a bad spot for a date.
Date & Time: Saturday November 8, 2008 @ 7pm
Movie: The Duchess
Rating: 4 Stars
Company: Michael
Crowd: Older Intellectual Crowd
Vibe: Low-Key
Decor: Small Intimate Theatres w/ Screens Comparable to Our LCD.
Service: Courteous & Efficient
Imbibe: Coffee & Tea
Devour: Popcorn
Total: $20 For Movie & $10 for Refreshments
PROGRAMMING IS THE REASON TO GO. Many limited release films and indie films that have been out for awhile, but you missed the early buzz.
Location is great, with cool restaurants, a nice book store, and coffee shop nearby. Prices are competitive (especially if you purchase the Landmark Theatres Gold Group Activity Ticket... drops the price considerably for most movies).
The place is NEVER crowded, but then again, it is a tiny theater. The staff is pleasant... a little nicer than their counterparts at the Embarcadero Landmark Cinema, but I think that is because they don't get a lot of visitors and they are just so happy to see someone, ANYONE other than their coworkers and the homeless guy bathing in the Opera Plaza fountain.
The ONLY drawback? Tiny screens. Tiny theaters. No, seriously... you have to prepare yourself, because you will THINK you are in another lobby, but you are really in the theater. I have seen larger flat screen TVs in bigger living rooms.
However, once you are used to it, it is really funny to hear people enter the living-room sized theaters and gasp, then comment on the screening room's size (or lack thereof).
Give it a shot... especially for the variety of programming and the convenience.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This is where I saw Across the Universe which I loved and became obsessed with (recently ordered the DVD so I can watch it all the time and make my friends watch it & enjoy it too!).
We found parking right on Van Ness out front which was great. Then, we headed to the little deli in the Opera Plaza in order to buy yummy sandwiches for dinner. They were delicious sandwiches and we had no problem walking into the movie theater with them.
The movie theater seems a little bit old and somewhat run-down but an entertaining movie with a great sandwich can make for an excellent night!
Boo!
We had called in advance letting the cinema know that we're bringing a group of 50+ to see "Christmas Tale."
After getting to the theater, we find out that the screening has been moved from a 150-seat theater to a 50-seat theater and 2/3rds of our group are SOL. We tried talking to the management but they were not flexible. I had to go home. Bummer.
PS. Not quite giving them 1 star as the overall concept of a small intimate movie theater is kinda cool.
3 words: Québec Film Week!
Finally, something else then maple syrup and Celine Dion is exported from my hood! I knew we were better then just invading the world with sugary love songs! Sacre bleu!
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* by the way, this flag is perfectly done.. it's just floating in the air... but i'm sure that's what you had thought already.. :-)
*This event has already happened but watch out for the next edition!
The staff were very kind, I was early and they offered to let me sit in the lobby before they officially opened.
Saw "Mongol" in one of the smaller theaters - maybe 15, 18 seats?
A little too intimate for my taste.
But it was the last theater showing the movie so I was happy to catch it before it left town.
I briefly felt guilty laughing at the subtle jokes in the movie for fear of disturbing the serious art house crowd.
But due to the size of the theater I felt right at home and mirth ensued.
This is a neat little indie theater that shows some of the non-blockbuster flicks in the area. The theaters are small and clean. They have some really cool and interesting foreign film posters on the wall. I will definitely go back here to see another indie release. The location is pretty decent as well, close enough to BART or drivable.
I'm sad to say, but this is my least favorite of the SF Landmark Theatres (http://www.landmarkthe...) mainly because it just feels so cramped in here.
I love indie films so on the upside, cool, arty films are what Landmark is all about. On the downside, I feel like I'm watching a movie in a large home-theater. I go to the movies to be immersed in the visuals and sound and it just doesn't happen here.
I shouldn't complain because they are bringing us some great lesser known movies, but I can't help feel like the movies deserve a *little* better. It's true, not all the theaters here are shoebox sized, but the smaller ones are TINY, IMO!
There's not much, if any, overlap between what's showing at the different Landmark Theatres in the city so sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet or (gasp) leave the city to see the movie you want to.
3. 5 stars. It was such a different experience seeing a movie here rather than at an AMC or Century. The individual theatres are really small in comparison to even the smallest AMC theatre, but that was kind of nice and intimate. Before the movie starts, one of the workers comes in and announces that the movie will start, which I thought was a nice touch to the already charming atmosphere. However, I do give it a lower rating, because they started the movie a couple of times with it being out of focus, which was just a little frustrating. Otherwise, cute place to relax and go watch an indie flick in the middle of the day.
I love independent theaters, I do. They show movies with unhappy endings and disturbing plots. Sometimes they are funny but in a deliciously sarcastic and dark way, which is how I serve up my style of humor, so those types of happy movies are okay.
Who likes a Hollywood happy ending anyhow? Oh, I know. Those people who lead charmed lives who can say "Awwwwww, hooray, that's how poor knocked up lonely teenagers turn things around, how sweet." or perhaps those disillusioned enough to think "Wow, maybe I will wake up one day, go to my job to wait tables as usual and some guy will come in and tell me I won the lottery even though I didn't even play and I will get to quit my shitty job and live happily ever after because, of course, I will fall in love with this man, too".
Screw that. I like basking in others misery and pain. It makes me feel better about my life without any sort of disenchantment that some crazy ass one in a million stroke of luck will define my happiness. So, independent films are right up my alley, and independent theaters bring me these little slices of sadistic 2 hour joy and escape.
However, this theater brings them to me on screens the size of my TV. If I wanted to be reminded of home I would stay home. I am paying money to have you present to me lives that are worse than mine on a screen that is larger than mine.
So, thank you for the good movies, but could ya please knock a few walls down and make your four microscopic screens two larger ones thus making me feel good about the fact that I am paying the same price for one movie as I pay for a half a month of Netflix?
Indie movie paradise...Tiny screens..
Half the seats in this "intimate" cinema are way too close to the screen. ('When you can see the pores in the screen fabric' close). We needed a chiropractor after the movie. And we arrived 15 minutes before the advertised start of the film!
The films they show are terrific and the theater is clean. But get there very early or don't go.
update: apparently the small theaters are now called 'screening rooms' in ads...beware!
Tiny auditoriums, like laughable...literally. I totally LOL'd and stuff when I first went here
great popcorn
friendly peeps
great movies
right outside my doorstep (major props for that...)
My late best friend dubbed it "The Opera Closets" because the theatres are so small. ("SF's most intimate moviegoing experience.") Some seem barely larger than a living room. Unfortunately, the seats aren't real comfortable, either.
Nevertheless, it's a good place to see indie and foreign films missed during their larger theatre first-runs. The staff is friendly, and Opera Plaza's only a few blocks walk from BART and the MUNI station.
Because the theatres are so small they do tend to sell out, so I suggest the less crowded matinees when possible. For instance, I've been there several times when I was taking "staycation" days at home in the City.
There is something amazing about independent movie houses.
The people who go to them really love movies. They must. They put up with really small theaters, tiny screens, an average sound system and non-stadium seating which sometimes leaves someones head in front of you. Its not perfect. But an employee comes out before the movie starts and thanks you for coming out. Its not perfect, but its personal.
The intimate-ness of these theaters, the way I don't feel weird for going to a movie alone on my day off, and the respectable prices make them a destination spot for me. Three quarters of the people seeing the movie today were alone. Did anyone judge? No. Its the middle of the day, and I didn't want to deal with a cinematic blockbuster. I wanted to see a movie that i wasn't sure if my other friends would want to see. I wanted to do something on my own. This theater was perfect for that.
Just me, my diet coke and my popcorn. What a great afternoon.
This is a nice little theater that shows great foreign/independent films (Persepolis, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). The side theaters seem to be around the size of a U-HAUL 26' Super-Mover truck, but I can't imagine watching Persepolis in an IMAX-sized room with 200 other people.
The staff is friendly, and I don't have to feel guilty about asking for a cup of water (I refuse to pay $3 for an effing bottle of Crystal Geyser) because there's a pitcher and some plastic cups off to the side. Help yourself. They also have a nice chocolate selection (Toblerone and Lindt, yum), and Mighty Leaf teas.
The admission price for students is $7.50 (after matinee hours), that beats a lot of other places! Overall a lovely place to enjoy some artistically creative and meaningful movies.
Opera Plaza, I salute you for showing the movies nobody else does.
Plus, it's so easy to find street parking here on a sunday.
People complain it's small or whatever but I don't care, I love the feel of this theater even though I almost couldn't find the entrance in the rain, ahahhaa. Oh yeah, your medium soda was like, $4.50 but it was HUGE!! My bf and I couldn't finish it throughout a 2 3/4 hour movie!!! that's nutso yo!
FYI: I watched "Lust, Caution" here. Hats off to you Opera Plaza, for playing a movie that display's Tony Leung's meat and 2 bits that's cock and balls for ya in crude laymann's terms. 'scuse me while I go soak my eyeballs in an acid bath, I feel like my mother is angry at me for watching a hom sup hay (dirty movie in cantonese). Ang Lee, you naughty naughty man..
If you like the kind of movies they show here (it's a Landmark), you'll probably like the OPCs. That said, the "screening room" on the right is more like a "film nook" or "movie hut". Basically it's as if they put cup holders on a MUNI bus and a screen over the windshield. Indie film patrons at their worst still smell marginally better than most people on the 49, so you've got that going for you, which is nice.
The size of it bothers me less then two of the other rooms where you can see the green EXIT sign just below the screen at all times. It's hard enough to get lost in a movie anymore with constant reminders that you're in a theater. I mean besides talking turds, the jackass lady you can see texting in front of you, people who brought babies to the Vampire Zombie flick, etc.
Really awesome staff. My mom started choking during For Your Consideration (not like Heimlich maneuver choking, she was able to excuse herself and I would SO save my Mom's life if she were in real peril, dick-nose) and the the guy at the snack bar gave her hot water and honey. Thanks for not wanting my Mom to die either dude. We ain't so different.
The back of their marquee reads "Enjoy San Francisco Movie Going At Its Most Intimate."
Gee, what a pretty way of saying "We have the smallest screens in town!" Still, I can't be too mean about them. They are right downstairs from me, after all (was that too much information?). And even though they open with the lowest-tier indie films, some of the big guns do end up coming through. I'm seeing "Glastonbury" tonight, and am looking forward to an intimate experience. You see, I'm gonna get baked, stagger downstairs, watch the film, and then I'm going to go out and drink.
Opera Plaza Cinemas gets some serious Useful points right there. I was going to give 'em three stars, but I've just had a change of heart. You gotta hand it to this scrappy little cinema with screens only marginally larger than your SUPER LED DIGITAL FLATSCREEN MONSTER. They got moxie!
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FYI. If you like the likes of Morrissey, The Cure, Radiohead, Joe Strummer, The Prodigy, Coldplay, Bjork, Primal Scream, Nick Cave, Etc, Etc, Etc, -- then check out "Glastonbury." Playing out in the meadows of Jolly Ol' England, this is a warts and all documentary about the most extraordinary music festival in the world. I had a shit-eating grin on my face for the entire two hours -- it's like the Fountain of Youth on film ... I left feeling easily five or six years younger. What a great movie! I can now officially see what it was that made our Baby Boomer parents feel so nostalgically about Woodstock. This is a keeper, folks.
"Figaro, Figaro, Fig-a-rrrooo!"...oops, wrong place... next block, right?
The Opera Plaza is the type of shoebox-sized multiplex that used to be all around the UC Berkeley campus when I was a mere lad - probably the only place you could see movies like "My Dinner with Andre" and whatever the hell obscurity came out of Herzog or Fassbinder. Those days are sadly long gone as they have been overtaken with Skechers and Jamba Juice stands.
Except gratefully for the Opera Plaza. Funny thing is they have four theaters, but two are really little more than closets..."screening rooms", as they call them, with seating available for your next of kin, certainly not your extended family much less your cinemaphiliac friends. I saw "The Squid and the Whale" in one of them last year and felt like I was in a deep-breathing adult theater on Market Street. I was just waiting for the pole dancer. Not that I would know...
Last night I was in the big theater to see "Showbusiness: The Road to Broadway", and even though the screen was no more than your beer buddy's colossal plasma screen, it was great that I could see an excellent niche film in the comfort of a theater. Even though the advent of big-screen TVs, Netflix, TIVO and the like have rendered such multiplexes financially unsound, I do hope there are enough small-budget film lovers like me out there to sustain them. Sue me...I just like the concept of "going to the movies". Know what I mean?
Its great and i like it.
you can never really go wrong with these film houses.
haha some of the employees do seem like 20 year old burnouts but they don't give you any trouble though.
Caught a late-night showing of Persepolis tonight at this small indie theater. The actual theater was small but decently comfortable, the seats were big enough, and I had no complaints about the sound. It might've been a little uncomfortable if the place was filled, though - it helped to be able to kick my feet up and move around.
I would make some comment about paying $9.50 to see a movie at 9:40 on a Tuesday night, but let's face it, movie tickets are effin expensive, and I doubt they're making a killing at Opera Plaza. C'est la vie.
Seems like they play a lot of independent films here which takes it to a 4-star for me.
It's a simple fact I can never respect a movie theater that instead of having one large theater and screen it has 4 small ones. We call these shoe box theaters, for obvious reasons. Multiplexes are only effective if large and can supply what my television cannot.
The one thing that saves the theater from a two star rating is its penchant for independent films and festivals. The festival film I saw tonight was awesome, but would have been incredible at a different venue.
I saw a chinese porno here called Lust Caution. The entire movie you just see hairy muff and some Chinese guy's balls. It was ridiculous. The manatee loves Chinese balls. On top of watching this pr0n the theater was smaller than my car. I drive geo metro so thats pretty small. I think this place literally sat 4 people. It was crazy. I thought I was in a peep show room in North Beach. Again like the 4 star theater i would only come here to watch independent films. The 4 star theater, however, is stadium seating compared to this place.
5 stars for being a Landmark Theatre, and showing great films.
No stars for three of the cinemas having screens the size of some tvs. In the day and age of huge plasma/LCD home theaters, seeing a movie in one of the "screening rooms" is like being in someone's home, only less comfortable.
I love the movies that are shown here and the little concession stand that sells popcorn, espresso and lots of little junk-food goodies.
The independent and foreign film selection via the Landmark management is great. In fact, the boyfriend and I watched "Paris Je T'aime" here and I loved seeing it in a smaller theatre. Yet, the viewing salon is a little too intimate for my tastes, the floors and carpets a bit too sticky for my taste and I just can't seem to enjoy this venue as much as its sister theatre in Embarcadero Centre.
Opera Plaza Cinemas is an older independent theater. It's not AMC Van Ness, Metreon or the new Century Theaters in the Westfield Mall. The theater has seen its best days but it still gets its fair share of the independent theater crowd which in the Bay Area still runs reasonably strong.
Personally I prefer the Embarcadero Cinemas, it's sister theater, but Opera Plaza still has it's charms when you don't want to fight the crowds.
The first time I came to see a film here I ended up in the tiny "living room" theater and wondered if some kind of joke was being played on me.
On a recent visit, I ended up in a bigger, more standard size theater.
This is a fine cinema to see films with friends, but if you want to cuddle, it's not the best as none of the arm rests lift up (drat!)
