Chinatown Movie Theaters

Walking around Chinatown today, I felt some nostalgia. I had lunch with my parents and was just browsing around the various shops. Among the locations I shopped at was formerly a movie theater called "Sun Sing". This was located on Grant Ave,. between Pacific and Jackson Streets.

My cousin's grandmother had managed the concessions at Sun Sing for years. I had spent a good amount of time at Sun Sing (and other theaters) in Chinatown during my youth. Keep in mind this was in the 1980's before imported DVD's of Hong Kong and other Asian films had started appearing.

As imports of DVD's appeared in the 1990's, the Chinatown movie theaters began to lose business. The theaters turned to showcasing X-rated films but it wasn't long before all the theaters in Chinatown closed down.

Here's a list of theaters that once were in and around the Chinatown area and what each location is doing now:

• Sun Sing (Grant Ave., between Pacific and Jackson Streets) - As noted below, the space was converted into multiple stands of shops. There are stuff for tourists, jewelery, DVD's and other things.
  
• Jackson Street Theater (can't remember actual name. On Jackson Street between Stockton and Grant) - Converted into a bargin shopping store.
  
• World Theater (On Broadway between Stockton and Grant) - Probably one of newer and more modern theaters and had a nice run before closing down. The space still remains empty to this day.
  
• Pagoda Theater (In North Beach, across from Washington Square) - Technically not in Chinatown, but played many Chinese movies in it's day. After the theater closed down, the space was to be redeveloped into a business. However, to this day, the space still remains closed to this day.
  
• Great Star Theater - (On Jackson between Grant and Kearney) - This remains the only theater that is still operating thought it doesn't screen movies. The theaters primarily plays hosts to various Chinese opera troupes that stop by in San Francisco.
  

To me, it is a shame that there are no theaters in Chinatown that showcase new Asian films like they were back in the 1980's. While it is great to have imported DVD's and the Internet to see films, the experience of seeing a film in a theater sometimes cannot be beat.