For movie lovers missing hot buttered popcorn and a little escapism, several Sonoma County movie theaters have a solution during the era of coronavirus- related social distancing. Stream a film, join a watch party and stop by for curbside concessions to create a virtual cinema adventure at home.
“You can have at least that experience,” said Melissa Hatheway, director of marketing and community relations at Sebastopol’s multi-screen Rialto Cinemas, where concessions include tubs of fresh-popped popcorn, packaged candy like Raisinets and Junior Mints and ice-cold sodas.
At the historic Sebastiani Theatre on the Sonoma Plaza, curbside offerings include wands of fluffy, fresh-spun cotton candy — vanilla or blue raspberry — while multi-complex Reading Cinemas in Rohnert Park serves up beef hot dogs and turkey club sandwiches along with snack items through its newly launched “Reading Cinemas Eats at Home.”
The Clover Theater in Cloverdale also offers to-go popcorn, candy and soda on Friday nights, so locals can have snacks for their at-home movies. The theater also has offered watch parties via Twitch, a live streaming platform.
The efforts are a way to keep local movie fans engaged, while also bringing in a trickle of revenue to shuttered movie theaters. Not everyone has at-home movie services like Netflix and Hulu. Others want more diverse offerings, or are looking for a way to support their favorite movie theaters.
The range of movies is considerable, too, with documentaries, limited releases and indie films available for streaming from $4 to $12. Popular selections include “The Booksellers” and “Military Wives.”
When Mike and Maureen Crumly want to catch a movie, they typically head to the one-screen Sebastiani Theatre. The Sonoma residents watch more movies at the downtown moviehouse than they do anywhere else.
While they prefer the big screen over their TV screen for movies, they don’t have that option while restrictions are in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Crumlys are among those who’ve been streaming films through “The Sebastiani at Home,” a virtual movie experience launched in response to the county’s shelter-in-place mandate.
The couple recently streamed an award-winning local documentary, “Call of the Valley,” that details the history of the Valley of the Moon, featuring interviews with longtime residents and Sonoma Valley historians.
“We loved it. It was great,” Maureen Crumly said. By following a tutorial on the theater’s website, they were able to hook the film to their TV, rather than stream directly to a computer. “We would do it again,” she said. “We love the Sebastiani.”
Sonoma Valley residents Gina Cuclis and Roy Tennant also have been supporting the theater during the quarantine. Like the Crumlys, they’re longtime fans of the venerable theater, which welcomed its first moviegoers in 1934 as a brand-new and much celebrated addition to the Plaza.
Tony Ginesi, the theater’s general manager, said there are plenty of people who miss coming in to watch movies and attend live performances. On weekends when the theater offers curbside concessions, customers often echo the same sentiment: “We can’t wait for you to open again.”
“We do have our hardcore fans,” Ginesi said.
It’s something heard at other theaters, too. “We’ve gotten a pretty steady stream of people asking if we’re open, or if we’re going to open soon,” said Taylor Green, general manager of the local Reading Cinemas. “We’re a fixture not just for the community but for families (looking for outings).”
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June 14, 2020 at 08:01AM
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