San Rafael movie theater closes after lengthy run
After decades of entertaining families and cinema buffs, the Regency 6 in San Rafael has closed.
Cinemark, the Texas parent company of the Regency theater chain, shuttered the venue on Sunday. A company spokesperson said in an email that the theater was closed at the conclusion of its lease.
“This closure is normal course of business and the result of the careful and ongoing review of our theater fleet,” the statement said.
The six-screen theater at 280 Smith Ranch Road opened in 1983. A drive-in movie venue operated at the site for about 20 years before the cinema house was built.
Eileen Mize, who grew up in Marinwood, said the Regency had always been the go-to theater for family and friends.
“I remember outings with friends throughout high school — ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’ are obvious favorites,” she said. “The closure of the Regency is a loss to our community for sure. Thankful for the memories.”
It’s unclear what the future holds for the site.
The 9-acre lot is owned by an entity called Nationwide Theatres Corp., according to the Marin County assessor’s office.
The property is zoned for a theater, but there is a potential housing density range of 8.7 to 21.8 dwellings per acre, according to the city’s general plan. A proposal for housing would likely require a zoning change, said Angela Robinson Piñon, assistant city manager.
Piñon said the site was identified in the city’s economic development strategic plan as a property that could be used for a mixed-use project with residential and retail.
Alexis Captanian, the city’s housing specialist, said property owners have not contacted City Hall with plans.
“The city has been approached by real estate representatives asking about the potential development of this site, but no applications have been filed with the city,” Captanian said.
The property is not listed for lease or for sale, city officials said.
“I am sorry to hear about the closing of the theater, but also recognize that the impact of COVID continues to affect movie theaters and their ability to profitably operate,” San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin said.
Colin said she looks forward to working with the property owners when a proposal comes to the city.
The exit from San Rafael site is not Cinemark’s only recent departure from Marin County.
In 2020, the company closed the single-screen Century Theatres Cinema in Corte Madera. Last year, the company quietly shuttered its Century Larkspur Landing Theater, which has since reopened as Larkspur Landing Cinema under Cinema West Inc., a Petaluma company.
More recently, Cinemark moved out of the Sequoia Theater at 25 Throckmorton Ave. in Mill Valley. The California Film Institute, the San Rafael nonprofit that owns the theater site, is moving in.
The institute, which owns and manages the Smith Rafael Film Center in downtown San Rafael, organizes the Mill Valley Film Festival presented in the fall. The organization purchased the Sequoia in 2008 with the intention of rehabilitating the venue for day-to-day film screenings as well as big events.
Mark Fishkin, the organization’s executive director, said his team is busy performing electrical work and moving new equipment into the Sequoia. Getting the theater ready to reopen is going to cost about $100,000.
“We’re intending to open in the beginning of the year — Jan. 1 if possible,” Fishkin said.
Meanwhile, planning for its major multimillion renovation is still underway, Fishkin said.
The Sequoia Theater, built in 1929, is on the Mill Valley Historic Resources Inventory, and because of its art deco style is eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources.
It’s going to take some time to get the final design, Fishkin said. The scope and budget of the project are still unknowns.
“There are many variables that are still to be determined, but regardless of what will be built, it’s going to be something incredible,” Fishkin said. “In the meantime, we’re working to bring back the movies to Mill Valley and Southern Marin.”