After a pandemic-forced break of six months, Marin moviegoers are finally heading back to the theaters.
“Thank you for opening back up,” Scott Kempf said to the manager as he walked into the lobby of the Century Rowland Plaza theaters in Novato to scan his ticket for “Tenet.”
Kempf, a Novato resident, said he is nervous about the coronavirus, but he is confident Cinemark and other movie theater companies are taking safety protocols seriously.
“Yeah, I’m a bit worried, but people are making the effort to make it as safe as possible,” he said. “I believe in the mask, and movies look better on the big screen than on my TV.
“And if there is another weekend of 107-degree weather, it’s the place to be.”
On Sept. 15, the state elevated Marin to a “tier 2” risk status, allowing it to loosen restrictions on movie theaters and a range of other businesses.
Marin is one of the few counties in the Bay Area that has allowed movie theaters to reopen. Theaters in San Mateo and Sonoma counties were also allowed to reopen Friday.
Cinemark’s Rowland location and Century Regency on Smith Ranch Road opened this weekend with reduced ticket prices, joining the Northgate location that opened on Sept. 18. The Regency location, however, is only open to private watch parties that start at $99.
Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said the protocols are based on county health restrictions.
“We wanted to ensure the time was right before we opened our doors,” he said in a video statement.
Safety protocols include limiting theaters to 25% capacity with 6 feet of separation between seats; reserved seating; one-way traffic in and out of rooms; disinfecting high-touch areas every 30 minutes; disinfecting seats every morning and between shows; and upgrading ventilation with HEPA filters, for “high efficiency particulate air.”
Additional protocols include installing plexiglass barriers at concession stands; contactless purchases of concessions; mask and glove requirements for employees; and mask requirements for customers while in the lobby, restrooms and hallways.
Inside the Novato theater, signs say customers can remove their masks to eat and drink inside the auditorium and are encouraged to pay for discounted snacks using contactless payment options. Cash will only be accepted at the box office, but customers can purchase a gift card to buy snacks. Refills are not allowed.
Zoradi added that each theater will have a monitor to ensure health protocols are being followed, but he did not comment on whether employees are required to undergo COVID-19 testing.
As the first customers entered the Novato theater, employees were not doing temperature checks for customers.
Nicki Upson, a Petaluma resident, said she is nervous about going to the movies, but she wanted to get out of the house and trusts the safety protocols.
Paul Bauer, a Novato resident, said he’s just happy to be back.
“I’m just here to see a movie on the big screen and get out of the house,” Bauer said.
David Corkill, owner of the Cinema West chain, said his Fairfax theater opened on Sept. 18.
“We’re all working hard to get back on our feet and entertain our guests,” Corkill said. “The guests I talked to are happy to back and that we’re open.”
He added that September is notoriously slow due to few movie releases, schools reopening and sports starting back up. He said attendance during the first week is encouraging and anticipates that holiday releases will boost business enough to recover from the loss of revenue.
Corkhill owns movie theaters across the Bay Area. He said it’s unfair that some counties are not allowing theaters to reopen despite being authorized by the state.
“Alameda County was authorized by state to allow ‘tier 2’ movement, which allows movie theaters to reopen, but they decided to take another two weeks to evaluate if this can happen,” he said. “So I and Regal Cinemas are just livid that they are going to take another two weeks to evaluate something that we think is already a really safe plan.”
On Oct. 21, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center will resume limited operations with a special screening of “Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold The Concert.” It will also be following the same kind of safety protocols as other movie theaters.
