Castro Theatre, Movie palace in The Castro, San Francisco, US.

The Castro Theatre is a movie house in San Francisco with an ornate California Churrigueresque facade displaying Spanish Colonial Revival details. The building holds 1,400 seats arranged across a main floor and balcony, with a Wurlitzer organ that plays before each screening.

The first Castro Theatre opened at 479 Castro Street in 1910; after the larger house was built at 429 Castro Street, that original space became a retail store, occupied by Cliff's Variety since 1971. The new theatre opened on 22 June 1922 with an invitation-only screening of Across the Continent, attended by Mayor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, and opened to the public the next day. It was designated San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976.

The Castro has long hosted repertory screenings, film festivals and events with an LGBT and multicultural focus, and has held gala tributes to Hollywood stars such as Tony Curtis, Ann-Margret, Debbie Reynolds, Mitzi Gaynor, Ann Miller, Kim Novak, Jane Russell and Sandra Dee. The marquee letterboard still announces themed weekends and premieres, as it did for Gus Van Sant's Milk in November 2008.

The main floor now has flat terraces for standing-room shows, with temporary chairs added for films; balcony seating was kept. The entrance is at 429 Castro Street, opposite the Castro Street Muni station near Market and 17th. The marquee letterboard lists the day's programs, so check it on arrival.

The Wurlitzer organ that performs before each screening is not just background music but a core part of the theater experience itself. Many visitors come specifically for this tradition, which has become rare in modern cinemas.