Japantown's AMC Kabuki Theater Closed In the Middle of Screenings Tuesday

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Where was the Belle Forge 10?

[Rusty Gordon]

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9033

[Jim Cassedy]

Popular San Francisco Movie Theater, The AMC Kabuki 8,
Remains Closed For Nearly A Week Due to 'Emergency Repairs'

The AMC Kabuki 8 in San Francisco remains closed nearly a week after the movie
theater suddenly shut down in the middle of screenings last Tuesday, citing “an issue
with emergency lighting,” as The Chronicle first reported.

“Kabuki will be closed for emergency repairs until further notice,” read multiple signs
that were still taped to the locked doors of the theater on Sunday afternoon. “We’re so
sorry for the inconvenience.”

A security guard inside told SFGATE he did not know how long the repairs would take
or when the theater would reopen. The posted signs encouraged patrons to check
AMC’s websitefor updates on the situation, where a message highlighted in red
confirmed there were no changes on the temporary closure.

A spokesperson for AMC did not immediately respond to SFGATE’s request for
comment Sunday, but a representative for the theater chain told the Chronicle
last week “a generator that powers the emergency lighting failed” and they
“weren’t comfortable operating the building” without it for safety reasons. The
theater plans to repair the generator but is also exploring some temporary
solutions, the representative continued. They did not specify what time of
day the incident occurred.

The closure disrupted what would have been the opening weekend of
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” as well as ongoing screenings
of “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “The Batman,” “Ambulance” and
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”

Source:
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article...y-17086983.php

In a slightly interesting coincidence, I got a text message from a friend on Thursday
night that the Century Daly CIty (just a mile or two south of San Francisco) where
he had gone to see an advance showing of "The Unbearable Weight Of Massive
Talent", had suddenly shut down & the building evacuated just before the screening
started. He said they never really got any explanation- - only that things suddenly
stopped and everyone was told they "needed to exit the building".

[Randy Stankey]

Are public safety inspections public information like the way restaurant health inspections are? If a restaurant gets cited for a health violation, you can look it up and find out why. Around here, they even publish them in the newspaper.

I wonder whether it's possible to look and see if that theater recently had a health/safety inspection and whether any action was taken as a result.

I've got a sneakin' suspicion that something went wrong during an inspection and the theater was shut down because of it.

[Leo Enticknap]

Maybe the inspector asked the theater manager to start the genny, and when (s)he pushed the button, nothing happened. If that was the case, I agree that the only safe option was to close the place immediately, though with a heightened watch on the auditoria, waiting until the shows in progress were over would likely have incurred very minimal risk. From my experience of evacuating a nearly empty Egyptian in pitch darkness and with flashlights (capacity was 625, and we'd sold around 50 tickets for that show), if the place had been full and the room smoky, things could have ended very differently.

[Jim Cassedy]

That theater building contains several other businesses in addition to the theater. I seriously doubt most
of the managers who have worked there even know of the presence of the generator. - - and there's no
"button" to push. I'm sure it was an auto-start installation.

I'm familiar with that area, not only because of the theater, but because I used to frequent a Japanese
bath house (don't ask....) on the same block. The utility wiring for that area is all underground. In fact
I was IN the Japanese bath one very rainy night when an underground transformer vault flooded
causing a short that "exploded' one of the transformers. I remember that for the next 10 days or so,
the the utility company (Pacific Gas & Electric) brought in a huge multi-KW generator, mounted on a
flatbed trailer, to run that whole block until they could pump & dry out the underground vault & replace
the transformers. I have pictures around here somewhere. . . . .

[Randy Stankey]

That theater building contains several other businesses in addition to the theater. I seriously doubt most
of the managers who have worked there even know of the presence of the generator. - - and there's no
"button" to push. I'm sure it was an auto-start installation.

That makes a little more sense. If there are several tenants in a building, how can any or all of them know the ins and outs of every system?

On the generator I used to be responsible for, it wasn't just a push-button start. I don't remember the whole process because it was so long ago but the impression I have from memory is that it was more like cold-starting a semi truck. It wasn't just "kick the tire, light light fire."

That's why I said, before, that somebody would have to go down there and check to be sure that everything was okay whenever there was an actual power failure. Yes, it would come on by itself but a human had to check, just to be sure.

[Phil Ranucci]

UC Santa Barbara had a generator installed for their large lecture hall. Even with the temperate climate, the oil in the sump was kept warm in case the genny ever needed. to start.
Can't recall if the transfer was automatic or manual.

[Paul Finn]

Did Leo Enticknap ever get an explanation of why the generator at the Egyptian did not run during the power outage and blackout? Was an explanation ever given of what electrical system(s) in the building were "protected" by the generator?

Thank you, Paul Finn

[Mike Croaro]

The whole thing sound fishy to me. I wonder if AMC is pulling out of the Kaubki...........