Rialto Cinema is for cinephiles, art film nerds, hopeless romantics, comedy nuts, thrill seekers, and anyone else looking to find entertainment in a dark room surrounded by strangers as a movie is beamed onto the big screen. Special thought is put into what plays at each of the theater group’s three locations, the Elmwood Theater in Berkeley, Cerrito Theater in El Cerrito and Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol. It’s a large reason why the independently owned and operated theater group has been able to survive in an environment where competitors have fallen to skyrocketing rents and competitive streaming services, said Rialto Cinema Director Ky J. Boyd. “You open your doors and hope people come and like what you have to show,” Boyd said. “The world has changed and there are new ways of viewing movies, but I live in hope that people understand the artform that is cinema and the value of watching in the cinema.” Boyd has been in the movie theater industry for decades, but his love for the silver screen can be traced to when he first saw the 1970 Disney animated film “The Aristocats” as a young boy in Montana. In the years that followed, Boyd developed a deep love for independent films, documentaries, foreign language pictures and other interesting works outside the mainstream Hollywood catalog. By 2000, Boyd was able to share that appreciation with others and actualize a long-time dream by opening an arthouse in Santa Rosa called the Rialto Cinemas Lakeside. People had their doubts an arthouse would find a following in the area, Boyd said, but the theater went on strong for more than a decade before being forced to close when their lease was up. During the Lakeside Theater’s operation, Rialto Cinema acquired the Elmwood Theater in 2007 and the Cerrito Theater in 2009. The Sebastopol location opened in 2012, rounding out the small company’s footprint at three. “I am an extremely lucky and fortunate man. I get to earn a living doing what I love,” Boyd said. The company isn’t a chain, Boyd said, it’s a collection of unique movie houses with offerings curated for the communities they serve. Those catching a seat at the Cerrito Theater are likely to see familiar titles like 2023’s hit film “Barbie” or the beloved two-part musical adaptations of “Wicked” displayed on the Marquee. Meanwhile, offerings at the Elmwood are often of the independent or foreign film variety like “The Last Class,” a documentary focusing on former U. S. Department of Labor Secretary Robert Reich, an academic and current professor at the University of California, Berkeley. It’s hard to know which films will be a hit, Boyd said, but Reich brought sold out crowds to two first showings that included question-and-answer sessions with the film’s star. Several more viewings also sold out without Reich being present, Boyd said. Adding to the charm of the Elmwood and Cerrito theaters are their dazzling signs and historic architecture, having been built in 1919 and 1937, respectively. Art deco style murals of dancing figures, original woodwork and ornate chandeliers and glass decorate the Cerrito. Patrons can also have a warm meal delivered from the kitchen to their seat, from decked out nachos and cheese quesadillas to burgers and pizzas. The layback options are all meant to be edible in the dark, Boyd noted. Creating and maintaining enjoyable spaces where viewers can watch a variety of films, not just Hollywood blockbusters, is vital, Boyd said. His staff, many of whom self-identify as film nerds or movie geeks, agree. “Even if it’s not a sold-out showing, people showing up matters,” said Victoria Carton, who began working as a concession clerk at the Elmwood Theater a year ago. “Cinema nerds want to make movies and cinema nerds want to watch movies. We have to make art. That’s how you get your cult classics.” Smaller theaters like Rialto Cinemas, which have two screens in El Cerrito and three at the Berkeley venue, are more intimate than their larger competitors, Cerrito Theater’s co-General Manager Paola Jimenez said. She and her team take a lot of pride in their work, knowing that they contribute to each customer’s overall experience, she said. Having grown up going to the Cerrito Theaters, the self-professed movie buff said the space is special to her and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. Philippe Matheus, co-general manager of the Elmwood Theater who has worked at the location for five years, said theaters also serve as important hubs where people get to participate in the centuries old practice of storytelling. “Being in the dark with strangers, all experiencing the same thing, hearing those laughs, or those gasps, you feel connected to something larger,” Matheus said. With a small bag of popcorn in hand, April Hamilton was spending her Thursday afternoon catching a double feature starting with “Blue Moon,” a romantic dramedy starring Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley, followed by “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” a biographical film about musical icon Bruce Springsteen and the making of his 1982 album “Nebraska.” The Albany resident said she often finds herself at either the Elmwood or the Cerrito because “it’s local, close and they always have something good showing.” After the closing of the Albany Twin in 2023, there is no longer a theater in the city where Hamilton lives. Landmark Theatres, the national movie theater chain that ultimately closed the Albany Twin, also operated and shuttered two theaters in Berkeley, the California Theater and Shattuck Cinemas in 2021 and 2022, respectively. By 2023, Berkeley’s last downtown movie house, the 90-year-old United Artists Theater shuttered its doors for good as part of a series of closures by Cineworld, a company with theaters across the world. New multi-story housing had been proposed in place of each of the three sites, but developers pulled out of the California Theater project in July. The necessary city approvals were granted to the projects, despite community efforts to save the arthouses. Housing is vital, Boyd said. But he also shared worries about beloved spaces and much needed attractions being forced out without thoughtful considerations. Proposals to increase the amount of housing permitted in three zones in Berkeley near North Shattuck, College and Solano avenues add to Boyd’s concerns for the future of small businesses in those neighborhoods, he said. The more valuable the land gets, the more likely it is that landlords will hike up rents, pushing mom-and-pop shops out of town, he argued. “The Elmwood District and College Avenue are special. It’s walkable and has a personality that the community has spent a long time developing,” Boyd said. “You can’t just knock down buildings and build taller. We’ll lose the soul and lose what makes it special. Yes, we need housing but at what cost?” Rialto Cinema owns the Cerrito Theater building, having purchased it from the now defunct El Cerrito Development Agency. The Elmwood Theater Foundation saved the Berkeley site from demolition in the 1980s and is still the theater’s landlord today. That arrangement and the foundation’s interest in preserving the historic site provides a safety net for the theater, Boyd said while noting the foundation could change their mind. The years haven’t been without challenges. The Elmwood Theater survived a fire in the 1980s, a flood in the 1990s and being struck by a vehicle in 2023. Both venues also managed to make it through a world altering global pandemic that forced many small businesses to close their doors for good and paused film production, resulting in limited movie releases. But community support and a dedicated audience has helped Rialto Cinema push forward. Change is inevitable, but a love for the work, the crowds, the creation of third places, keeps Boyd in the game. “It’s always a gamble,” Boyd said. “Believe me, there are parts I don’t love, but at the end of the day the positives outweigh the negatives.”.
https://www.marinij.com/2025/11/23/as-others-disappear-this-independent-theater-still-thrives-in-the-bay/
As others disappear, this independent theater still thrives in the Bay
