The backbone of resistance to the plan is a nonprofit formed to preserve the Castro Theatre as primarily a movie house, which has been endorsed by a long list of Hollywood luminaries and prominent San Francisco figures. More than 11,500 people signed a petition started by the nonprofit that urges the city to include the existing seat configuration as part of the theater’s historic landmark status. Critics spoke out at a community meeting in August, some holding signs and wearing shirts that spelled out “Save the Seats.”

“Ripping out the seats is like ripping out the heart of that place and pissing on the ghost,” said Marc Huestis, a filmmaker who has organized more than 50 events at the theater, which he called a “sacred place.”

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