Historic Crest Theatre

If you're looking for a unique movie night experience, you HAVE to check this out! Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night the Crest Theater plays a throwback movie for $5.Some things to know: 1 They only accept cash2 Currently their heat/AC is not working: so bundle up if it's going to be cold and bring a blanket!3 The movie is played via projector: the picture is not perfect, but the sound is good. It's more about the experience, and we didn't mind.4 They offer popcorn, snacks, and a signature drink for the movie playing. You can also customize your specialty drink (they are non alcoholic). Bring cash!5 The staff are volunteers and were all very friendly and helpful.6 They are still renovating the building, and trying to restore it to its original glory.

I remember coming here a few years ago for aYelp event. I remember having a good time and looking around and thinking, "wow this place looks old but incredible."Last week, my friends and I planned to see "The Lost Boys" and we had a really good time. The Crest theater is nostalgic and it provides the ultimate gory Halloween vibe needed to watch this old vampire flick. The people who helped us were all kind. From the ticket sales to the ticket redemption booth, from the snacks and the people that wished us farewell, thank you.

Huge fan of this place!!!! 5 stars for awesomeness!---so friendly and positive staff---atmosphere: families, kiddos, couples, singles, oldies, young people--it's a great community place and I hope it can really be restored to its former glory soon! So the outside might look slightly rough---don't be turned off! The inside is clean and so architecturally interesting! The outside is clean as well, I have never seen any trash or anything on the ground while at a Friday or Saturday night showing. Pristine and such cool old school looking bathrooms. The theater itself is big with plenty of seating and a big empty spot without seats (like a standing room area for concerts) in front of the stage. Behind the stage is the projection screen which is the perfect size. Not too big and not too small. I have seen 4? movies here and every experience has been great. And! They have a great snack bar! Hot dogs, popcorn, candy, sodas, waters, and beer and wine and the last time I was there they had to specialty cocktails! Wow!!! All of the proceeds go into giving the community a very cool experience (seeing E.T.!, It's A wonder Life, Never Ending Story! and other classics) on a big screen) and most importantly to restoring this amazing vintage theater. This theatre is right on the corner of Fresno Street right behind and to the side of the ball park. It could house so many more cool events and be such a shining light into downtown Fresno for those coming off the 99 freeway and heading down Fresno Street. Take a detour off 99 and give this place a try--you will not be disappointed.

Full Disclaimer: This review is completely based on our experience seeing a movie put on by a non-profit that's attempting to raise funds to restore a historic theater that was (and still kind of is) falling apart and in danger of being lost. If you are expecting a modern theater with digital surround sound, recliner seats, and 4K ultra HD picture that's showing the newest blockbusters, you will be disappointed by your visit. However, if you are expecting to see a classic movie in a beautiful, historic, 70 year-old theater that was once owned by Mel Brooks, on a screen that uses technology only slightly more advanced than the theater had when it opened, paying very reasonable prices for both tickets and drinks/snacks, all to support the restoration effort that's current in process, then you will come away very happy at the end of the night. We really enjoyed seeing "The Never Ending Story" at the Crest. Tickets were a bargain at only $6, and so was beer (also $6) and popcorn ($3/$4/$5, depending on which size). They offer a lot of other snacks and soft drinks too. I'd never been in the Crest before, and the inside is absolutely *beautiful*, even if it needs a lot of work. We also felt good supporting the restoration effort (just to give you an idea, the neon sign alone will require $750,000 of work to repair). They offer movies almost every Friday and Saturday night, and this is an especially great place to visit if you live downtown or are staying at one of downtown's hotels. If you live in the Bay, the experience of seeing a movie here reminds me a bit of seeing one at The New Parkway in Oakland. Parking is mostly metered, but unless there is a huge festival going on downtown, it's easy to find a space. Bathrooms are really clean, but require going down a flight of stairs to visit.

I can't believe no one has given this place a review yet. All I can say is this place is gorgeous inside, the womens bathroom in particular is marvelous and evokes a sense of days gone by when theaters were more opulent. They have all the fixings of the snack bar and beer as well! If you're looking for a place to watch one your favorite movies I highly suggest the Crest. The only thing I wish they would do is light up the marquee and put the movie they are showing.

I had family in Fresno (my cousin managed the Tower Theater) and visited them when I was a teen-ager in the 1950s. I saw Marilyn in The Seven Year Itch at the Crest in the summer of 1955. (It remains one of my all-time favorites; thank heaven for DVD!) The Crest auditorium was stunning; the wall light fixtures reminded my mother of costume jewelry, of which she had quite a collection. The full screen was 38 feet wide, two feet more than the Tower but smaller than the Wilson, which measured 49 feet 10 inches (for advertising purposes the Wilson claimed it was "50 feet wide.")Please let me know if you sell t-shirts, mugs, etc. I'd love to have a souvenir. --David Felthous Seattle [email protected]

Beautiful theater, needs more business to fix up the inside and make it beautiful again!