‘Matrix Resurrections’: San Francisco premiere brings the stars to Castro Theatre

San Francisco went “green” in a lavish way Saturday night as Warner Bros. hosted a flashy, celebrity-drenched national premiere of “The Matrix Resurrections” at the venerable Castro Theatre.

It was a fitting locale for the U.S. premiere of the fourth installment in the iconic sci-fi action “Matrix” series, since much of it was filmed in the Bay Area. Plus, it’s directed and co-written by Lana Wachowski, who lives in San Francisco (and her film “Bound,” which she co-wrote and co-directed with her sister Lilly, premiered at the Castro 27 years ago).

Inside the Castro, Wachowski, who is transgender, received a standing ovation when she was introduced to the crowd by Keanu Reeves, the film’s star. She thanked the city for allowing the event to take place in the midst of a new COVID outbreak, and for providing a dazzling backdrop to the movie itself.

“I want to say thank you to this beautiful city where I fell in love with my wife 20 years ago,” she said, adding that it was important for her to get to see films in theaters.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. – DEC. 18: Producer James McTeigue hugs director Lana Wachowski while on the green carpet for the U.S. premiere screening of the movie Matrix Resurrections at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

The City by the Bay has rarely seen such an epic and splashy film premiere as this one.

With a green, pill-like tent outside the theater and green carpet inside (the color is a major theme in the Matrix films) and a fleet of sleek black motorcycles zipping up and down the street nearby, a cordoned-off block in front of the Castro became Hollywood North.

Attendees included most of the film’s massive cast — Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (a former San Francisco city planner and a UC Berkeley grad), Neil Patrick Harris, Jada Pinkett Smith (wearing an elaborate red gown), Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jessica Henwick, and many others. Fans and celebrity watchers congregated, gawked and captured images and video of it all.

The cast of “Matrix Resurrections” pose for photographers and fans on the stage of the Castro Theatre in San Francisco Saturday night, during the film’s U.S. premiere. Much of the movie was filmed in the Bay Area. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Even Karl the Fog behaved on Saturday, stepping back so there could be a crystalline skyline for an elaborate fireworks display that boomed during a massive after party held at two of San Francisco’s most high-profile restaurants on the Embarcadero, Waterbar and Epic Steak. The drinks flowed and the celebrities floated about, with Reeves and Moss holding court outside the while Harris swept in with his husband, David Burtka.

During the screening, cheers erupted when San Francisco scenes and/or Bay Area actors and personalities flickered onscreen. San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who has a small role in the film, commented during the event that the film business continues to be an important source of income and jobs for the city. The decision to hold the premiere at the Castro had drawn complaints from some residents and business owners in the stories neighborhood.

COVID safety protocols were strictly enforced, with proof of vaccination and negative COVID test required of anyone attending the event. Warner Bros. set up testing both in front of the theater as well as at the Ritz Carlton Hotel to aid the efforts.

“The Matrix Resurrections,” a sci-fi romance that will particularly resonate with LGBTQ audiences, is a reboot to the franchise that began with “The Matrix” in 1999. It opens Wednesday, Dec. 22, in theaters and on HBO as well.