SF Bay Area: anyone know of a child-free Finding Dory showing?

July 1, 2016 7:57 AM

We love kids' movies; hate watching a movie in a theatre with kids. Does anyone know any place offering a child-free showing of Finding Dory?
posted by Zed to Media & Arts (15 answers total)

If it were me, I'd just go to one of the very late showings; in a quick search, I see lots of showings after 9pm and several that start after 10:30pm. I suppose there's no guarantee that those will be child-free, but it's a pretty good bet.
posted by Betelgeuse at 8:03 AM on July 1, 2016 [11 favorites]

Try the last show of the night that starts around 10pm.
posted by cecic at 8:03 AM on July 1, 2016

I would also go to a late show in maybe the Castro or other neighborhoods where there are less likely to be kids.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:05 AM on July 1, 2016

The big chain theaters often have "No kids after X:00" policies (sometimes even sliding, e.g. "No one under 10 after 9:00, no one under 13 after 11:00"). Might want to call around to ask whether they have them and how strictly they enforce them.
posted by Etrigan at 8:07 AM on July 1, 2016

Best answer: Kabuki Sundance Cinemas in Japantown has 21+ showings (because they serve alcohol), including for Finding Dory. Their website should indicate which showings are 21+.
posted by sunset in snow country at 8:11 AM on July 1, 2016 [24 favorites]

I suppose there's no guarantee that those will be child-free

Hoping such a thing existed, such as an exclusively over-21 venue. Not that I need alcohol to appreciate a Pixar film, just didn't want the charms of shrieking children for the benefit of a large movie screen.
posted by Pocahontas at 8:14 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

sunset in snow country FTW!
posted by Pocahontas at 8:16 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Are there any drive-in theaters in your area? Even though there would be kids in attendance, they wouldn't impact your viewing experience in the same way as an indoor theater.
posted by TheCavorter at 8:22 AM on July 1, 2016 [2 favorites]

I went to go see The Witch, an R rated movie where a baby gets pounded to death by a naked woman during a horrific scene 10 mins in, at an evening showing on a school night. There were many children in the theater. You are not going to win this game unless you go to a theater/showing that explicitly forbids children.
posted by phunniemee at 8:31 AM on July 1, 2016 [14 favorites]

I saw Inside Out at the theater in the SF Westfield mall at an 8:30 or 9:00 showing and there were no kids.

Alamo Drafthouse only allows kids 6 and up after 6 PM and says that "families with loud children will be asked to leave".
posted by asphericalcow at 8:44 AM on July 1, 2016 [3 favorites]

My wife and I have had good luck with the first showing of the day on a Sunday, when many families are at church. Or sleeping in. Or still having breakfast.
posted by kindall at 10:05 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

The new Mission Drafthouse has a strict "No unaccompanied kids" policy and they will sure as shit kick out the loud ones - they also have late shows where you probably won't have to worry about it. (Also the Drafthouse is awesome.)
posted by restless_nomad at 10:20 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

I went to go see The Witch, an R rated movie where a baby gets pounded to death by a naked woman during a horrific scene 10 mins in, at an evening showing on a school night.

I mistakenly went to see American Psycho at the Parkway in Oakland on what turned out to be Baby Brigade night. Moral of the story: people will take kids to any damn movie they're able to, regardless of appropriateness. OP: Go to the Kabuki 21+.
posted by psoas at 1:25 PM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Double check the layout on that 21+ showing. A theater near us lists 21+ showings but that consists of an upstairs balcony where you can drink booze, watching the same screen and over top of the regular audience. It's nice - comfy loveseats, booze; and there won't be squirming near you, but it won't fully scream proof.

I'm not advising you not to do it, just a warning that it might not be as child free as you imagined.
posted by telepanda at 4:14 PM on July 1, 2016

Response by poster: Finding Dory at the Kabuki rocked! Thanks again, sunset in snow country!
posted by Zed at 11:53 PM on July 2, 2016 [1 favorite]