Century Regency

I spent much of my childhood seeing movies at the Regency. I still fondly remember seeing movies like The Right Stuff and standing in line on opening day for Tim Burton’s «Batman.»
I caught a screening of «Everybody Wants Some» here last week. I’m glad to see the theater is still alive and well. Though truth be told, this multiplex still looks like it’s stuck in the 80s. Don’t get me wrong, the screens and sound system are all modern and stellar, it’s just that the building itself looks like it could use a little face-​lift. Also, it’s a shame that they got rid of the arcade. I remember as a kid spending all my quarters on the video games there while waiting to be picked up by our parents. I guess the times they are a changin’.
On a positive note, the theater boasts plenty of free parking. There are never any long lines at the box office. The concessions stand still serves plenty of buttery popcorn and tempting sweets. And the theater is always clean (there are never any sticky, littered floors). So while the Regency may be stuck in an 80s time warp, it’s still a nice place to catch a flick.
See you at the movies!

Love the old movies they are showing here of late. I went to see Blazing Saddles, a Mel Brook’s classic, and had a fabulous time this last visit. The theatres are very roomy and the concession stands are very reasonable in price. I went with a group to celebrate a friend’s birthday and we had no problems sitting together despite the size of our group. We laughed, we enjoyed, and then we sauntered out. Great night out. Oh, and the parking lot is huge. No problems finding spaces.

Last week, Monday, I went to a 2 pm movie (Oscar catch-​up time) and, running a little late, quickly got a small popcorn and berry drink, At check-​out it seemed high — $ 12.55 — but the kid said that it was the drink, «daytime robbery.» When I returned home I pulled the receipt out of my pocket and saw that I was charged for a «tub» (not a small) popcorn. We live in west Marin, so it’s about a 45 minute drive over foothills back to San Rafael (and lots of gas); but my wife and I returned yesterday (Sunday). While buying our tickets I noticed a spike-​haired guy in a black suit with name tag: RYAN. He said he was, «one of the managers» (very un-​pro — wimpy), so I showed him my receipt, and explained the overcharge. He said that he didn’t have the daily security tape from a week ago. I looked at him, «You mean to check to see if I am lying?» yeah. We’re talking the difference between $ 7.90 and $ 6.05 = $ 1.85. I am a retired manager from Barnes & Noble in Corte Madera, and I know customer service and unqualified managers. (My last 3 months, before retirement, our store was #1 in combined metrics in the western U.S. — almost 300 stores, in 2011.) We have 4 grandchildren, and probably have spent $ 200 — $ 300 a year with Cinemark, between Northgate and Smith Ranch. Yesterday, we skipped our usual popcorns and drinks (over $ 20 in lost sales). We’ll ween off of Cinemark now. As to «cutting off my nose to spite my face,» the popcorn is much better at the new theaters in Petaluma, and we love the Raphael Film Center. Ryan not only failed to apologize for a small overcharge, but he made the low-​ball mistake of insinuating a very good customer was lying. This Ryan is not management material, as he is a poor face for the Company; and, as far as our reach, will represent lost revenues.

read on Unilocal the slope of the floor was a problem .and if the theater was packed .it would have been. however sound and theater size was pretty good… go to a matinée

Went there for the first time yesterday — a nice theatre for sure. Lots of leg room so when people need to get past you in the middle of the movie, you don’t have to stand up, block others etc. We were able to buy tickets online so walked right in without standing in line. We did not buy any food as we had just had lunch but it looked like they were very organized the way they worked the lines for food.
It’s in an odd area, the middle of an industrial park. And if you want to have lunch nearby first or after — we couldn’t find anything at all decent close by — just a heads up on that.
But otherwise a very nice theatre.
Looks like they have a «seniors» deal on Mondays too.

This is so unlike me to write a review on Unilocal but I feel I must based on our treatment last night. My family and I have been coming to this theater for years and have always enjoyed coming here. However, last night I was completely disgusted and it was almost as if the whole atmosphere changed because the «top manager» was working. Everyone who works there is kind and understanding but when this guy was there everything was different. I know that the lady who gave me my ticket felt pressured to tell me to «please not bring my food in the theater» because this guy was standing right next to her giving out tickets. NO ONE who works or formerly worked at this theater had EVER had an issue with us bringing food in. But now when this guy is there everything suddenly changes? And to add to it all he was soooo rude to me as well as my dad and family. Long story short, we missed the beginning of the movie because of this guy. Every manager or employee we came across in the past here has always been so nice, understanding and down to earth. But this «by the book» jerk really upset me, and I don’t get upset often. I’ve never been so frustrated at a movie before and how this man acted did not sit well with me. The so called «manager» has spiked hair, tall, wears glasses and is Caucasian. Maybe he should get written up for not wearing his name tag if he’s so by the book. Anyways, if this guy isn’t there putting fear into the other employees, then you shouldn’t have a problem bringing in outside drinks or food-​which has NEVER been an issue until this guy was there.

I paid $ 24 to watch Amy schumer’s new release of «trainwreck» and I was overwhelmed with disgust by all of racism fat shaming and gay punch lines. I had to leave very early into the movie. When we went to the front I explained to the manager, Santiago, and he completely understood and helped me out. I will most definitely return because of this man! Thank you Santiago, you are amazing!

This is a nice and spacious movie theater. Right off the freeway, I like the fact that carry more «artsy» movies and it isn’t over crowded. The chairs are comfortable, the crowd is mostly families or the over 40 crowd. We saw «Love & Mercy» over the weekend and it was an amazing film about Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.
The prices are typical of most movie theaters but I actually like too see films here because they have lots of parking and you’re not fighting the mall crowd.

I went to the Century Regency about a week ago to see The Grant Budapest Hotel (great movie by the way if you like Wes Anderson). The theater itself is in a pretty random location. There isn’t much else going on and it’s definitely off the beaten path. Unfortunately there is no stadium seating, but the wonderful customer service made up for it. I had just missed the earlybird special, but the employee working was extremely nice and offered me that price anyways. He went out of his way to help and I really appreciated the excellent service. I will definitely choose this theater over others in the area the next time I go to see a movie!

The food is always stellar. The seats are SO comfy, and the arm rests move up or down depending on how cuddly you wanna be :)
I live in Central Marin, but I will go out of my way to come to this particular theater when they are playing my desired movie.
Private lot. I’ve never had a problem parking. I love coming here on rainy nights for the movies that aren’t as new. And they play even older movies, too… I went there to see Her and they were also playing Groundhog Day! Love it.

Really enjoy the service you get here. The staff is friendly and well organized.
Pros:
–clean appearance.
–friendly staff
–generally not busy
–has more of the harder to find movies playing compared to the Northgate theater
Cons:
–it’s an older cinema and it shows.
–just the 6 screens, pretty small.
–not much around food-​wise by the theater.
Overall a great little theater to go see movies that may not be playing at the other theaters in the area.

This is a great movie theater. It’s very rarely crowded. The legroom between the seats is great. The staff is friendly. SInce it’s not attached to a mall, it’s mostly well behaved adults going to see movies.

The chairs are nice, but they don’t serve wine/​beer the way a lot of theatres are going (e.g. Kabuki). It’s a multiplex and what else can I say?

This place is somewhat off the beaten path and I like that. The crowd is older which is nice because you don’t have to listen to kids crying. They also have Ms. Pacman… I’m hooked! Rates are not any lower than anywhere else however. I could see this place having really bad parking if they get really busy but when I went the parking was great.

Über time warp when I went to this theater. From the marquee to the attire of the ushers, I felt like I was in the 1960’s. Either way, I loved it. BIG BIG BIG theater and comfy chairs.
If you are like me and have a shopping addiction, and are bothered by the smell of stale popcorn, go to this theater. Smells nice, no temptation of other stores, and cute. Just plain cute.

One of my favorite theaters. Enormous parking lot, good hot popcorn, efficient ticket takers, and some massive screens.

Love this theater! It’s the only one in the area that shows a lot of Indies and even though it’s an old theater, it seems fairly clean. It’s in desperate need of a makeover but so are most Marin theaters! Also, they show movies at good times, some early on a Saturday or Sunday so I can check out a movie and still have my whole day ahead of me. Less kids here too which is a MAJOR plus for me!

It’s been years since I last visited the Regency theater. In fact, I remember seeing ‘Dennis the Menace’ at the Regency when I was kid. And that was in ’93 and not much has changed other then it no longer being Pacific Theaters. The theater in association with Fathom Events hosted a special screening of ‘Scarface’ celebrating the film’s anniversary and Blu-​ray release on Aug. 31.
The cost was a little steep, $ 12.50, but it was a special event and not many can claim to of seen ‘Scarface’ in theaters. I purchased my tickets online and there was no issue when I arrived at the box office. The lobby and the auditoriums were just as I remembered. Not much changed over the years. I neglected any concessions but the usual snacks and beverages were readily available at a premium of course.
Although there’s no stadium seating, I love the large auditoriums. It wasn’t a packed house, but a good amount of people showed up for the special screening. My neighbors were annoying with their Scarface quotes throughout the flick, but were apologetic, which is non-​existent in any East Bay theater. The classic film looked incredible with its new restoration. The sound was a little soft but was improved once the volume level was raised.
In reality, the Regency is a three star theater, but I’m somewhat bias due to my sentimental value of the movie house. Additionally, the theater does a great job of getting flicks that other theaters don’t manage to get. Lastly, who doesn’t love tons and tons of free parking.

I’ve been a Marin resident since early 2009, but didn’t reach this cinema until May of this year (2011). I feel like I should have stayed home.
Nothing wrong with this theatre… plenty of room in the auditorium (#1) that I visited, lots of screening options with 6 screens, and a good variety of the more specialty-​oriented cinematic fare.
However, my crucial problem was that it lacked character. I could have been going to any Cinemark/​Century theatre in the USA with the Regency, and I wanted to feel like I was right in Marin.
I agree with the other reviewer who said there is not much to say about this place. I wanted to say more, and expected that there would be more with their classy film reputation, but there isn’t.

I swear they listened to ME. It was because of my constant *whining* to Cinemark and my reviews on Unilocal that they finally listened to my plea of what this theater desperately needed to «step it up» to the 21^st Century: DLP Projectors.
DLP is essentially a HI-​DEF presentation, where a movie is no longer projected the way it has been the last 100 years (on film, with a dim/​scratchy presentation that only gets worse after each time it collects dusts after each and every showing). The sound accompanying it is equally as impressive, if not a bit jarring at some points in a loud movie. What has held theaters back on doing this type of projection is the cost: at about $ 100,000 per projector, most theaters are slow to shell out that kind of enormous investment up front to give this kind of quality.
For now, in just two of the six auditoriums here (and I am not sure which ones yet), but I can’t emphasize how much better this makes the picture (brightness) and sound (loud and bold!).
Doing DLP at the Regency San Rafael now puts this theater as arguably one of the best places to see a movie in the North Bay area, given the size of the auditoriums, quality of movies shown, decent restaurants nearby and almost total lack of high school scene. I think that the only thing missing here (once they upgrade the other 4 theaters to DLP) would be stadium seating… but this could be one of those rare theaters where it is not quite physically possible given the huge auditoriums yet fairly low roof, it actually isn’t necessary given the quality of the place in general.
Cheers to the Regency. Rumors that you would be turned into a «nice office complex with a fountain in front» can now be laid to rest by stepping up to the future in movies!