A man bought a ticket at a Richmond District movie theater and then robbed an employee of $3,600 at gunpoint early yesterday before fleeing, police said.

The robber apparently paid to see "Sleepers" late Sunday at the Coronet Theater on Geary Boulevard.

Shortly after midnight, he donned a mask and, while producing a weapon, accosted an employee who was counting the day's receipts in the theater office.

The assailant took off his mask at one point during the robbery, and a security video camera captured an image of his face.

Police had employees stop the movie while they searched the premises for the robber. They did not find the man but did discover a pile of clothes he apparently wore, doused with gasoline in the back of the theater.