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1 Screen. Built in 1910. Operated by Landmark since 1991. The mighty Clay is one of the oldest continually operating movie theatres in San Francisco.
Built in 1910 by the renowned Naify brothers, builders of the first movie screen in town, the New Fillmore, the Clay was first a nickelodeon house. In April of 1935, Herbert Rosener reopened the Clay as The Clay International, a foreign film showcase.
In the early 1970s, the theatre was part of the Surf Theatres group, run by pioneering San Francisco film exhibitor Mel Novikoff.
In 1972, the Clay began its midnight movie career with the premiere of John Water's Pink Flamingos, and It has been playing midnight films intermittently ever since. It has also hosted many other controversial films, including The Life of Brian. After Landmark assumed management in 1991, the Clay has enjoyed such improvements as digital sound, new seats and an extensive refurbishment of its art deco and classic Greek accoutrements.
The Clay under the Landmark Theatres banner has continued its penchant for premiering many of the world's largest foreign films, including the works of Jean-pierre Jeunet and almost all of Pedro Almodovar's extensive canon. The combination of classic appointments and modern amenities has helped keep the Clay a comfortable, laid-back place to see unique film programming for almost a century.
In what can only be described as an ironic thing to brag about on a midnight movie website, San Francisco's 7x7 magazine named the Clay theatre San Francisco's best place for a 'rainy-day matinee' in 2007. Drop by for one of our shows in the afternoon sometime, and see if they were right!
Landmark's Clay Theatre. 2261 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115. Showtime line: 415 267-4893 Box office phone: (415) 346-1124
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