So lucky to have one of the few indie theaters in the Bay Area, in San Jose. 3Below has excellent indie film curation. The customer service is superb. And the snack bar has reasonably priced goodies! The cherry on top? FREE VALIDATED PARKING FOR UP TO 3HRS!! I'll be seeing 3Below soon, again! read more

Full disclosure, my friend put this place on my radar. I am a bit of a setting snob, and by this I mean: give me leather seats, give me reclining chairs, and if my seat warmer isn't working, I'm going to be upset. But that's merely because life is uncomfortable and I am intentional about finding cozy pockets of joy. This theater is not updated with the fancy seats, but what it lacks in that it more than makes up in charm, service, and community cultivation. Visiting 3Below reminded me that venturing out of that corporate capitalist bubble of perceived coziness would put me in a vibrant hub of social awareness. This is where you go to see the Documentaries IG mentions, but no theaters seem to have times for. This is where you can catch live performances on the same stage that you'll watch a thought provoking film. And, as the manager/owner of the fiercest security dog I've encountered mentioned, THIS is where you could learn to tap dance. Now, I'm hoping this could be a location for some line dancing in the near future, because I think Sofa Streetfair could be the place for some of this, and 3Below seems the perfect hub for practicing. But, what a cute location, and I'm told it's locally owned, too. I didn't actually fact check that, so my apologies if I'm spreading misinformation here. I'm just doing my best to sell you on falling in love with this alternative theater as much as my friend has...I'm converted and I'll definitely be back. read more

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Decent cinema, but there's room for improvement. The movie quality is good, and the place is clean, but the seats could be more comfortable for long films. It was also a little cold inside. Staff was polite though. With a few changes, it could be much better. read more

Held two private corporate events here and the staff along with the venue is wonderful!

How can you not support a small family-owned theater?? Love this spot! I came to a movie as part of the film festival yesterday and it was a great experience. We got to hear from the director and the movie was good. 10 stars for the service. I had my hands full with everything that I bought from the food counter and the manager was super nice and friendly and walked with me to the seats and helped me with carrying everything. Never seen that at an AMC! read more

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The five stars are for the banana-caramel. It's a good dessert for older adults, especially because it doesn't overpower you with too much flavor or sweetness. Banana, caramel, and vanilla cream; mellow. This may sound weird, but it is also a good place for university students to study. It's actually a lot more cozy and secure than studying in the 8 story library. Finally there's the outside seating arranged around a crude stage. One of the most perfect places downtown to do busking, but it doesn't seem to ever get used for anything. read more

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Indie films, kind folks, great snacks, free parking. Who could ask for anything more?

What a fun place to go! 3Below Theater & Cafe at 288 S Second St, San Jose, CA 95113 Downtown. It has everything you would ever want! Fabulous movies, live plays, special events, acting training and a wonderful cafe serving great food. 3B used to be an old 3 screen movie theater that had been neglected. But since being taken over, a major transformation has taken place. Completely renovated and nicely decorated with themed rooms. Everything is clean and gives a welcoming appearance. The staff (most are volunteers) are friendly and have a focus on customer service. I was so impressed with the operation, I became a yearly member which offers lots of discounts and benefits. The location of 3B is right off the light rail, and even has a public parking garage. I plan to attend many events so hope to see you there. read more

I recently came here for the midnight showing of Rocky Horror with some friends and have to say it was a fun experience! I do know the owners so I can say I'm a tad biased, however, I can speak for my group as well that we had a blast. They gave us little goodie bags with props in it for the show. All the staff that I interacted with were really nice and friendly. The lobby is pretty cool too! It had a purple grand piano which was fun. The snack and drink selection was nice. They also offered alcohol (beer and wine). Parking I have to say was a bit of a hassle but that's not their fault, it's downtown so not much to expect from that. The movie was fun, could've been louder cause there was a lot of crowd interaction going on but nothing worth fussing over. I recommend this theater for their interactive shows, we had a great time! read more

3Below Theaters & Cafe - Performing Arts Near Me - San Jose, California

Watching a movie at the theater was fun. The theater was neat and the seats were comfy. The sound and video were excellent, and they had lots of snacks to choose from at the concession stand. read more

Great service and it was wonderful they provided a good selection of snacks and drinks. It was pleasant that one of the owners scanned my tickets. She was very sweet and helped with the parking validation. read more

This theater is awesome, and not just because I saw such a great movie there (Cruella!)... it has a nostalgic old school feel, a classic diner area, colorful quirky touches, ie. tables made of casette tapes or Rubik's cubes, and unique flavors of gelato! More importantly, the place is clean and the employees/management are super friendly and helpful. The auditoriums don't have reclining seats, but they were comfortable, and I love the feel of this place overall. Plus free parking in the 2nd/San Carlos garage downstairs if you get your ticket validated (3 and 1/2 hours)... but I recommend you enter on 2nd Street because my friend entered on 3rd St, and due to the covid no-touch system in place, there was no ticket to validate (just pay w/ credit card). They don't show a lot of movies here, but they do show some great classics and sometimes new releases. I believe they've done sing-alongs in the past too. Good times! read more

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We had a delightful experience watching Fly me to the Moon there tonight. We went out of our way to go there as they were the only theater in the Bay area still showing the movie. Parking was easy and free (they validated the ticket), the staff were helpful and friendly, and the apple pie gelato was great. In the theater the sound and picture were just right. We will definitely be back. read more

Just found out they have retro films on schedule, I spent my last day in 2022 here with one of my favorite movie, Marcel the shell. The theater room was quite small but the quality of the movie was pretty good, they also have a diner room, serving some hot food and snacks. The price of the ticket was pretty reasonable. read more

The 3Below Theatre offers select documentaries, old movies and comedic movies. There's 3 small movie theaters in one venue. Ticket prices are as follows: Adult $14.00, Senior/Student $12.00 and Children $11.00. You can purchase tickets either online or in the theatre. Came to see RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), an excellent documentary from the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to the movie, a woman named Shannon gave a talk about the 3Below Theatre and a summary of the RBG movie. Also, she gave away a free movie poster from "Pope Francis- A Man of his Word", if one audience member could guess the right answer to a question. There's a small theatre concession stand offering beer, wine, soda and candy. Also, there's a seating area to enjoy your refreshments. You can bring your drink and food into the theatre. Definitely would return to this theatre. read more

3Below Theaters & Cafe - Performing Arts Near Me - San Jose, California

A small movie theater with only a few small screens. Playing mostly artsy and independent films, some quite good with an impressive 'wow' factor. It used to be called Camera 3, which was part of the Camera Theaters company (now mostly defunct). The new renovations include serving beer, not much of a selection, which may change. Interesting food items at a theater like salad , taquitos and potstickers. Oh, it also hosts a comedy improv group that performs regularly. Park in the multi level garage above the theater and get a validation coupon - free parking! A cool spot in downtown San Jose. read more

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3 Below, also identified on the marquee as Camera 3, is a delightful theater. It is quite small, very clean and has excellent acoustics. The theater specializes in independent films, but not exclusively. The theater has a little cafe lobby for snacks with tables and chairs. Theater seats are comfortable and all provide a good view. Parking is convenient in the adjacent garage which can be entered from either 2nd or 3rd street. Have your parking ticket validated in the theater. read more

This is where magic happens. Brunch and supper theater too. Like get SOME culture, why don't ya! HAW! read more

3Below Theaters & Cafe - No Dipping! - Performing Arts Near Me - San Jose, California

A tribute to Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu- San Jose Playhouse (Professional musical theatre series - if you want to laugh and have the best time on a top roof in downtown San Jose this is the show you need to see! What a fantastic time Dennis Azevedo and I had tonight! The show will run until September 11th... you wanna seee it! read more

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I went to this theater to see a musical with my husband. We paid $150 for tickets. We went to purchase our tickets and there was a man going off on a young lady inside the box office. He kept accusing her of lying while she was crying . I want to complain to the manager about this extremely unprofessional man and found out he was the owner! Next time I am paying good money to see a musical , I won't waste my time and will go to a real performing arts theater where there is ambiance and professional and respectful behavior! read more

Awesome place! Along with independent films, they have live events, slapstick Sundays, film revival, and sing-along movies (Grease and Music Man were great; Schindler's List, a little weird). Best of all, the awesome, super-present workers seem happy to be here. Noah and Shy were attentive and fun, especially Victoria (aka Tiffany), whose infectious showcase of enthusiasm reminded me of a mix between an attention-starved improv student, a fourth Powerpuff Girl, that spectrum kid from Jerry Maguire after 13 Slurpees, and a bubblegum factory tour guide in a pile of puppies. In a good way, of course. read more

Had a great time last night at the San Jose Playhouse production of Man of La Mancha at the 3Below Theaters. The acting and vocal talent of individual cast members was top notch and resulted in impressive solo and ensemble performances. Hats off to Stephen Guggenheim who sang a particularly stirring Impossible Dream as Cervantes and Sandra Raquel Benoochea who sang beautifully and emotionally as Aldonza. Jeff Lagrega was hilarious as Sancho Panza and got better as a bugle player as the night went on. A particular shout-out to Emily Song, F. James Raasch, Jim Ambler, and Katya Roemer who blended beautifully in the ensemble We're Only Thinking of Him. This was a very authentic and charming rendition of a classic. It's good to know local theater is alive and well in San Jose. read more

I really enjoy this this movie theater ever since it was Camera 3, I used to frequent Camera 12 down the street as well. My main reason for this review is an email response I received from them. In a world where SPAM phone calls are endless, 3below thought it would be a good idea to SPAM call me. I don't need more SPAM calls, I get those everyday. Yes, I did call them FOOLS for SPAM calling me and the email was a little rough. My email to them: "There's enough spam calls going around, where I don't need you guys calling me. Please remove my number from your automated dialing system. I'm already a patron, but I do boycott when I feel it's necessary. Don't ever bother me again. Fools." Their clueless sarcastic response : "Thank you very much for your thoughtful email. I hope you feel better after speaking that way to us. I can only imagine the kind of irritation you must have felt after receiving a sixty second phone call from a mom-and-pop movie theater you claim to patronize; a call wishing you happy holidays and inviting you to check our website to see if there was anything running that you might enjoy. How incredibly thoughtless of us." Do they not know about the FCC, the FTC? The Do not call registry? I guess not... it really was "thoughtless" anonymity? I emailed you from my personal email, you got my name. I'm listed with address. It's obvious you really don't get it. You are the one spreading negativity with ROBOCALLS. For future reference, the proper professional business response would be " you have been removed from our caller list" I won't be back. I'll watch it on Netflix, Stanford or a dozen other theaters. Retro dome used to be my go to, I love old movies. read more

If I could give 3Below "10" stars, that would not be enough. VERY long story short, we had a very, very, very small issue when we went to the theater. Without even asking, the owners of the theaters jumped right in to offer not one, but 5 solutions to the issue. I have never in my many years seen Customer Service as good as we were lucky enough to have from 3Below. We will certainly be back as the theater is just outstanding, from the venue to the location to the variety of entertainment it offers. Amazing. Free parking, easy-to-get-to location, in a great part of town and on and on and on. From what we saw, the variety is enormous and it all looks of such good quality and fun. Back on the Customer Service. I cannot say enough about how we were treated. This venue is awesome. Thank you again and again to 3Below! read more

Saw Man of La Mancha on stage today and it was wonderful! This is an independent theatre group which has very talented singers and actors. The theatre itself is comfortable and the staff is welcoming and very service oriented. I wish more people would support this amazing theatre company! We always enjoy local theatre when we travel and this group deserves more community support! read more

Been a fan since the Retro Dome days. When I learned about the Retro Dome, it was right before they closed the theater, so I only got the chance to go to one movie, a quote-along for Indiana Jones. It was a lot of fun, so I've checked in from time to time. I hadn't heard anything for a while, so I looked them up and found out they were back as 3 Below! Went to the Wizard of Oz the other night and it was really lovely to go to a sing-along event. The atmosphere is fun and respectful, and it's very moving to hear everyone singing along. I look forward to going to more. Love that parking is very easy, with validation as well. As someone else brought up, the only downside is the seats. I dressed up in a poofy skirt and definitely felt very uncomfortable, not to mention the fact that you have a lot of props to juggle. I just never really felt relaxed. Luckily, no one was sitting next to me and I snuck a lot of my stuff there (including my purse, the aisle is very narrow and I didn't want someone to trip over it). I couldn't help but think of the fancy theaters we have now, with the moveable tray tables... BUT, these guys are doing what they love and are probably just renting the space, so it's not really their fault. If I come again, I probably won't dress up. I only bring this up so others can plan accordingly as well. The other thing that bothered me was the other guests' listening skills... Also not 3 Below's fault. We were told that we could leave our props on the table to be recycled if we didn't want them, yet people were full on throwing their prop bags directly in the trash as we were leaving. So wasteful! As we were heading to our car, I saw many people paying for parking even though the emcee told us that they validate. It wasn't anything that directly affected me, but it was still very weird. Just a reminder: Be a good guest. Listen. Pay attention. Be respectful. read more

I have been coming here for years. In it's first incarnation, as Camera 3 and now as 3Below Theaters & Lounge. It's a small theater with a great community vibe. They show a wide variety of films (supporting local new films and artists) and shows. Recently showing, La Boheme (The Royal Opera), ComedySportz, and the classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I have enjoyed the live shows that they have put on as well. The seats are comfortable, and the food is better than most standard theater food. Food & movies are reasonably priced. read more

This theatre is a gem! I've seen a few movies and several productions here and it has always been a wonderful experience. I love how 3Below collaborates with other groups too -- a few nights ago it was a collaboration with the San Jose Woman's group to donate bras. Top notch entertainment, local flavor feel. What could be better?! read more

Horrible place, horrible management. Outdated screens, seating and sound. Dirty. Food is disgusting.

Great place to see a live show!! The snack bar needs help with offering what they show online considering the fact that they are all we have while being there for 3+ hours. They were lacking in substantive food items because they were OUT OF PLENTY OF ITEMS they show that are offered online and on the menu. Shape it up!!!!!! read more

My boyfriend surprised me tonight with tickets to see a one woman show in Downtown San Jose called "Bette Davis Ain't For Sissies". This gal wrote, produced and stars as Bette in the show. What a line load! She is VERY talented! The show is only playing two nights, today and tomorrow (Saturday, August 24th). There are still some tickets available for Saturday night. If you're free ... please go support local theatre. read more

Saw a really really great play here yesterday produced by the san Jose playhouse called The Great Comet of 1812. The play was top notch, lots of very talented Bay Area actors and musicians, and the venue excellent. We will definitely be coming back for more. read more

I'm a giant movie buff. I go several times a week to both AMC and Cinemark. However, this theater easily beats both of those. Why? Shows lots of awesome independent movies that nobody else does. Innovative and tasty food options. Extremely friendly and welcoming staff. Very clean theaters and restrooms. Definitely a must go to! read more

I'm ecstatic that the old "Retro Dome" from Saratoga made its new home in downtown San Jose. 3Below is truly my happy place. Retro films, "film festival" movie/documentary screenings, sing alongs, Comedy Sportz and high quality live musical theater are presented all under one roof....uh, I mean, under a three story parking garage! This location is actually very convenient and cheap because it's easy to find parking and they validate! The theaters, lobby and restrooms have been updated with sleek modern style and the ambience adds to the fun/romance for a group get together or date night. Shows/movies I have seen have brought me to tears and to my feet. Thank you Guggenheim family for setting up shop downtown and thanks for offering subscriptions this year! I hope you'll be around for many years into the future! read more

My partner and I love 3 Below! It was great before, but they've really put a lot of effort into showing a great catalogue and creating a great space. I know it's really hard for places like this to stay open right now, so I hope more people will drop by for a movie or one of the other events they host now and then. I'm looking forward to dropping by more often now that things are opening up more. read more

Before 3 Below, there was Camera 3 and the new makeover this theatre got is amazing! I went to go check out the murder musical mystery, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" and it was a fantastic show! Picked up my tickets at box office and it went smoothly, went to the concession area to get parking validated and after was eager to find my seat at the play! Before you enter, the staff will scan your tickets and let you know where you go and all that jazz, the staff was super fun and you could really tell that they enjoyed working at this place. There are 3 theaters inside this place. The first one is reserved for improv fun, Comedy Sportz. The second theater is reserved for stuff like indie films/docs and all sorts of stuff. The third theater (which is where I was), showed stuff like live performances/plays. I think that's where they do Rocky Horror every month (but I could be wrong). The whole overall theater was pretty clean and the staff was super welcoming and nice. 5/5 stars for sure! Would come back again to check out their other performances and events. read more

3Below Theaters & Cafe - Went to go see "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Super fun! - Performing Arts Near Me - San Jose, California

We just saw The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a story by Charles Dickens that was never finished, because he died. The theater is a lovely, upgraded, small venue. The players are very talented and stood at the door to say goodbye to the audience at the end! It was personable and quaint. Parking is SO convenient, right next door is the Second St. Garage. This was a very good musical. Everyone was good on stage, I had no favorites. We all liked the venue. It has 3 stages: one for improv comedy, which is a much smaller room, the theater and another for old movies and documentaries. Snack food prices weren't bad. A good deal was 2 waters and a popcorn for $10 AND you can take your food into the theater! I look forward to seeing more shows there. read more

I love what the Guggenheims have done with the old Camera 3! Besides being a permanent space for Comedysportz and an art house theater showing limited releases, they turned one of the three theaters into what I think is called a jewel box theatre for live stage performances. It's our "Off-Broadway San Jose" to complement the big theater by the convention center. I saw "A Spoonful of Sherman" today and it was fantastic. This is the US premiere of the musical tribute to the Sherman Brothers, who brought us the original Mary Poppins songs. But it also includes their pop music careers and more. The lively staging in front of an elaborate set takes you back to those earlier periods. It's a great fit for the venue, with five singers dancing around the stage and one pianist. read more

Sweet little independent movie theater with amazing food and staff!! This place definitely deserves more love and support by San Jose! It's great they're now offering big Hollywood films along with hopefully more indie and lesser known films. read more

Had another great evening at 3Below! My family and I have been to several sing-a-longs and have had a great time, last night was a Quote-a-long to the movie Princess Bride!! The lady who is the MC (I think her name is Monica..?) is fun, engaging and is always prepared with information abut the show. I highly recommend this theatre for a night out! Also, they validate for 3.5 hours for FREE parking in the parking structure located in the same structure!! read more