The long-awaited, still controversial, $41 million renovation of the historic Castro Theatre may or may not be complete by year-end, but Another Planet Entertainment is now starting to line up bookings starting for March 2026 and beyond.
We don't have a firm reopening date for the Castro Theatre, and grand opening events may well occur before next March. But March is when the booking calendar opens up, according to spokesperson David Perry, speaking today to the Chronicle. And Another Planet is already in discussions with Frameline, the LGBTQ film festival, about serving as a host venue for next June's fest — with the Castro being the traditional large-venue anchor for the festival, though it hasn't been able to do so now for two years.
Perry said they were "beginnning to engage" with longtime clients of the theater, including Frameline and Oasis Arts, the theatrical event arm of Oasis, the nightclub. And regardless of what the grand reopening date will be, it sounds like Another Planet is now confident to say that the renovation will be complete by March at the latest.
Perry is still saying the building renovation will be completed by the end of the year.
As Hoodline reported earlier today, nighttime trench work has begun on Castro Street outside the theater, in order to complete the overhaul of the venue's electrical system — something that has reportedly delayed the construction process overall. The project involves digging up the street to connect to a PG&E vault that is on the other side of Castro Street.
While the theater was originally supposed to be back open in time for Pride season this year, we learned in March that construction was about six months behind schedule — and over $20 million over-budget. What was originally supposed to be a $15 million project is now at $41 million, so it sounds like a $26 million budget overage now, and some of that may relate to the trench work.
The main auditorium of the theater has reportedly been leveled, and tiered platforms will be installed — not dissimilar to the way the Fox in Oakland was configured. But here, motorized theater-seat platforms will be able to fill the space for film screenings and other seated events.
Movable bars will serve drinks from the auditorium, and a second-floor space at the front of the building will also become a bar and lounge space.
Allegra Madsen, the executive director of Frameline, said her organization already had a "little tour" of the space, and "It’s really gonna be a magnificent palace when it’s all done."
Hoodline captured images of the theater's grand Art Deco chandelier being moved back in, in pieces, last month.
The near-term fate of two small businesses that have long been fixtures on the street, in small retail spaces on either side of the theater entrance, remains unclear after both remained open last week past their announced eviction date of June 30. APE's Gregg Perloff tells the Chronicle that it's a "landlord-tenant issue," and that eviction notices have been given, however owners Ken and Riyad Khoury, who are brothers, told Hoodline they had not been served with eviction notices.
Reportedly, Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman have intervened, and there is a 60-day timeframe for helping the businesses to transition out of the spaces. Another Planet has said they need to spaces to create a box-office and back-office functions for the theater.
Photo by Steven Bracco/Hoodline
