Look, we're not going to pretend a celebrity saying nice things about our city isn't pleasant to hear — especially when half the national media treats SF like a cautionary tale. But let's use this moment to talk about what actually matters: the Castro Theatre itself.

The iconic venue has been at the center of a years-long saga over its renovation and future use, with debates about fixed seating, live events, and whether the soul of one of America's great movie palaces will survive its next chapter. The fact that it's still hosting film screenings and drawing talent like Wilde is genuinely good news. It means the building is alive and functioning as a cultural venue, which is more than some skeptics feared.

One local who attended the SF Film event had a bone to pick — not with Wilde, but with the programming around her. "Does anyone else feel the moderator for SF Film is… not great?" one SF resident vented afterward. "Every time she seems to talk over them. I walk away knowing more about the moderator's thoughts than the creator's."

Fair point. If you're going to book interesting filmmakers, maybe let them talk.

But here's the bigger picture: San Francisco's cultural institutions don't sustain themselves on celebrity goodwill. They need paying audiences, smart management, and — dare we say it — a city that doesn't make it miserable to go out at night. The Castro Theatre's survival depends less on whether Olivia Wilde thinks SF is great and more on whether the city can keep its historic venues economically viable without drowning them in red tape.

Wilde will fly home. The Castro has to stay. Let's make sure it's worth staying for.