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).”
While movie fans wait for theater doors to open and projectors to roll, they can go online to watch trailers and select films to stream. It’s not quite the same experience, theater staff agree, but with some familiar snacks, it’s a decent substitute.
Several local nonprofits also are providing film streams, watch parties, drive-in movies and other resources. They include the Alexander Valley Film Society (avfilmsociety.org/event-guide); Jewish Community Center of Sonoma County (jccsoco.org/filmfestival); Sebastopol Center for the Arts (sebarts.org/digital-?offerings); and Sonoma International Film Festival (sonomafilmfest.org). In Mendocino County, the Mendocino Film Festival Virtual Cinema Series runs through July 31, with details at mendocinofilmfestival.org/virtual-cinema-series.
In addition, the Sebastiani Theatre also has free original programming including behind-the-scenes tours of the moviehouse and “Magical Mystical Theatre” shows featuring Roger “The Magic Man” Rhoten, executive director of the Sebastiani Theatre Foundation and a popular Sonoma Valley magician.
Viewers also can watch a showcase of student films created by teens enrolled in Sonoma Valley High School’s esteemed media arts program.
Ginesi said films like “Call of the Valley” have been popular streaming options. Other local independent film offerings include “Haunted Wine Country,” a documentary tour of reportedly haunted Sonoma County locales; “Seeing Brave,” a documentary series detailing the lives of three women transforming lives around the globe in response to crises; and “Tiny Vineyards,” which follows the efforts of amateur oenophiles operating hobby vineyards in Sonoma Valley.
Green said the streaming services provide distributors with audiences for limited run films like “Fantastic Fungi,” a documentary hailed as an entertaining exploration of the world of fungi and their powers for planetary survival.
Creative marketing is something Hatheway considers a win-win. The “Popcorn Pick-up” program at Rialto offers popcorn at a discounted rate, with an even better deal available through its “Popcorn Pass” that will be valid once the theater reopens. Customers can buy advance-purchase 10-week popcorn passes for $49, or 20-week passes for $99, as part of the Rialto’s 20th anniversary celebration.
“Come on down,” she said. “It’s a way to support us while we’re closed.”