On Sunday March 14, Sonoma County for the first time since entering the pandemic over a year ago has moved into the red tier and out of the previously occupied purple tier. This shift has allowed for many sites across Sonoma County to reopen for the first time, including movie theatres. Students for the first time since last March will be able to go to the movies across Sonoma County and experience the joy of the theatre once again.
After facing a devastating year, cinemas are finally gaining a glimmer of hope as their reopening’s have begun. 2020 resulted in nearly all of the revenue of these theatres being gone and subsequently being forced to implement virtual showings and experiences to maintain any income, which was not even possible for each theatre. In Oct. 2020 Sonoma County lost Sonoma 9 Cinema in the Fiesta Plaza after 8 months of no revenue, they had to close permanently.
Rohnert Park’s own Reading Cinemas has reopened and are currently having showings of 7 different movies. Godzilla v. Kong and The Unholy are two of the most blockbuster movies currently being shown in Rohnert Park.
Reading Cinemas is located on Rohnert Park Expressway W conveniently next to the Target. Students are also given a discount on tickets when they present their Sonoma State ID.
Sonoma County’s Sebastiani Theatre has also reopened for select viewings. Sebastiani caters to a different audience then your typical movie theatre like Reading Cinemas. Students will be able to view films like Minari, the typically only show in art house theatres like Sebastiani. Several Santa Rosa theatres opened up this past week as well, showing various titles including some with Oscar buzz.
According to the websites of these theatres and CDC guidelines, strict precautions and restrictions are being put in place to ensure safety of both movie goers as well as staff. Movie theaters are allowed to open indoors with 25 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
Social distancing will be required and enforced through assigned seating. Masks will also be mandatory except when consuming food or drink similar to as students may be doing at outdoor restaurants this past year.
The North Bay Business Journal explained, “Now that the county is in the red tier of the state’s four-stage community reopening plan, theaters are joining restaurants, gyms and other venues to reinstate indoor activities that were barred when the county was in the purple tier, the most restrictive stage.” Other theatres like Rialto Cinemas have opted to not reopen this month. They have decided due to the fear of a 4th wave of increased COVID-19 cases to begin reopening once things have settled more permanently.
As Sonoma County continues to fight COVID-19 and progressively reopen our community, art and cinema returning to our city can be a bright spot this spring. Students as they need to destress and take a break from finals can revisit the theatres and relax in a form of escapism that we have not had access to for the past 12 months.