Marin County moviegoers will have one less venue when health authorities allow theaters to reopen.
Cinemark announced that its Corte Madera theater is permanently closed. The Texas-based theater chain say the move is not related to a loss of revenue from the coronavirus outbreak.
The company said it had reached the end of its lease at the Tamal Vista Boulevard site and the closure is “normal course of business” from its ongoing review of its operations.
The property is owned by Scandinavian Design. Cinemark operated it as a theater until the county imposed coronavirus restrictions on businesses in mid-March.
Scandinavian Design had plans to redevelop the site, but Corte Madera’s planning department has not communicated with the home furnishings company since 2017.
“It’s so sad, man,” said Dan Zastrow, general manager for the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. “I’ve seen many movies there, but the writing has been on the wall.
“That was the place to go see ‘Star Wars’ when it opened. That’s where I went and I hear that’s where George Lucas would bring his staff for early screenings because it fit 600 or 700 on just one screen.”
The only other single-screen theater left in Marin is the Lark, which Zastrow said is a much more intimate venue.
Ellie Mednick, executive director of the Lark, said the theater in Corte Madera has been a fixture of the Marin film community for decades.
“As a theater manager as well a citizen of the county for over 50 years, I will miss it,” Mednick said. “We loved that Cinemark. We don’t figure other theaters as competition for us. They enhanced our movie going experience and for the general public. The loss of any theater in our community is loss for all of us.”
She said the theater industry in Marin is changing because of the coronavirus restrictions. The Lark, on top of providing online movie streaming subscriptions, recently partnered with the Bon Air Center in Greenbrae to host drive-in movie nights in the parking lot.
Mednick said the Lark, on Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, plans to reopen in late August. Meanwhile, it’s finding other ways to bring in revenue, such as a “drive-in operation.”
“I can’t reveal details, but we are looking at lots in Central Marin,” she said. “It looks very promising. We hope that will sustain us, and if the Bon Air ticket sales are any indication, we’ll be in good shape. They sold out in 29 minutes.”
She added that the Lark has only furloughed three part-time workers, while being able to retain six full-time employees through a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan. But the money will run out at the end of the month.
Like the Lark, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center tends to screen classic, foreign or independent films, Zastrow said. It plans to reopen its three theaters in August. Meanwhile, it is also offering subscriptions to stream movies online.
“We serve a different clientele base than Cinemark,” Zastrow said. “Mainly for folks who are looking for something other than a thrill ride or superhero film. But for folks on both sides of the cinema business, it’s rocky times right now.”
He said the safety protocols for staff and customers will change the cinema experience. These include limiting screening rooms to only 25% capacity; 6 feet of separation between viewers; reserved seating; one-way traffic in and out of rooms; increased disinfection of high-touch areas; barriers at concession stands; masks and gloves for employees; and mask requirements for customers.
The biggest challenge will be the capacity limits, Zastrow said.
“It comes down to the size of your space. How big is your lobby?” he said. “The Lark has a small lobby that goes into their single-screen auditorium. A single-screen theater like that, that’s going to be tough.
“There are two parts to the state mandate: 25% capacity or a max of 100 folks in a theater. So you’re obviously going to max out at 100. At that point you’re not generating enough money to even pay staff, so it gets really difficult.”
Marin plans to allow customers back into theaters as part of Phase 2i, according to the county’s reopening plan. The county is entering Phase 2h starting Monday, although it has pared the plan back because of rising coronavirus cases.
Cinemark representatives said when it is allowed to welcome back patrons, it will follow strict sanitation, personal protective equipment and social distancing guidelines. Cinemark locations in Marin include: Northgate and Century Regency in San Rafael, Rowland Plaza in Novato, Century Larkspur and CineArts Sequoia in Mill Valley.
Other theaters in Marin include the Tiburon Playhouse and the Fairfax Theatre.
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June 29, 2020 at 02:39AM
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