Apple Cinemas Van Ness IMAX — Local services in San Francisco

As one who went to the old AMC location several times and the CVG tenure once, Apple Cinemas is just alright. A step up from AMC, just about the same as CVG years ago (and if you pay good attention, you can still find remnants of CVG here and there). Let's start with the good: I loved that the popcorn was self-serve and the new seats are a welcomed change. My nitpicks with those is that the popcorn was a bit chewy (and there was a bit of smoke at the concessions, so that was a little concerning) and the seats can be a little squeaky when reclining (which isn't a big recline to begin with. Also, I think they got rid of the 4DX seats from CVG). The screens are fine, but I noticed there was a little bit of flickering for some reason that kind of reminded me of old film projectors (Also, these IMAX screens aren't the real deal, you'll want to go to Metreon for the proper experience). The biggest issue here is getting around. Those who been here in other iterations know about the escalators. They're still there (and if you are going to a screen in the 10s, please take in account the time it'll take to get up to the upper levels), but on my visit, the escalators going down from the top level were turned off and their solution was to direct people to the small singular elevator to the lower levels, which causes a BIG line for the elevator right after a popular screening like the one I went to. While there were barriers, many just decided to walk down the off escalators anyways. Also, the entrance is a little weird: The main door along Van Ness that I'm used to going through all these years is closed, pointing you to the doors on the far left, past a little A-frame sign for the theater (I don't recall if there's a proper Apple Cinemas sign on the building itself). The many times I've been here throughout the ownerships, this location tends to be pretty empty, and for some, that's part of the appeal. If you want to get away from the crowds and/or you're in this area of town, it's a convenient location with somewhat comparable pricing to others. But personally, this won't be my go-to theater in the city. You won't have a bad time here, but there just might be some growing pains with the new operators. But I'm honestly glad this option is back...

First visit was a bit of an odd introduction, but overall I really enjoyed the experience.

The popcorn was yummy, bathrooms were clean, most of the staff was friendly. There was a cool vibe with the design elements throughout. I saw a movie on the imax screen and both picture and sound were excellent. We bought our tickets online in advance so no line to wait in when we arrived. The lobby to the theater is really cool and I’m hopeful it will become more lively. It’s a good location right off the bus line. We’ll most likely visit again.

The odd stuff:

👮🏽‍♂️ when I arrived a security guard and staff person were standing on the front steps; when I confirmed it was the theater entrance (no signs) they said yes but the staff person said the theater was a closed. I think he was joking, but also why be a weirdo?

🎟️ the ticketing machine was broken so we couldn’t print our tickets; that was fine though because no one actually asked to see them

🍿 the self-serve popcorn machine wasn’t working great and I had to try a couple of times to get enough out of it to to fill their smallest container (but heck yeah to the self-serve butter!! 🧈)

💺 the seats don’t recline and were kind of uncomfortable for my back, but had tons of leg room

👻 we were watching a scary movie where people charged at each other so on our way out of the theater were a bit spooked when a staff person started coming toward us quicker than expected; all good they just wanted us to...

On the upside: The theater was clean and pristine (including the restrooms), and the movie-goer is required to sit through only 2-3 previews prior to the start of the movie, unlike the 40-minute gauntlet of ads we're enduring at other theaters.

On the downside: The operations are ... lacking. I'm pretty sure not a single employee was working there when I visited; there was no one checking tickets, no one working concessions, no one selling tickets, and no employees seen in any other corner of the building. Only 1 out of the 5-6 electronic ticket kiosks was working, while the others all had handwritten "out of order" signs on them. None of the escalators were moving, requiring patrons to either locate the single elevator (which was hidden away in a dark room with no signage pointing in the right direction--definitely nothing intuitive about it) or haul up 5-6 flights of standstill escalators to get to the theater. The entire experience gave major Black Mirror/Twilight Zone vibes, like maybe the rapture happened and I was left behind. It really is a shame given the great potential of the space and the investment that went in to up-leveling the theater otherwise. I really hope they can get it together; otherwise, Apple Cinemas will soon be another headstone in the graveyard of defunct theaters in...