The Show Goes on at The Chabot
PHOTO BY MICHAEL SINGER
The story of The Chabot movie theatre over the last two years could have been ripped from a Hollywood film script: a smalltown operation with big dreams is faced with impossible odds only to turn to their friends for help, think outside the box, and stage a successful comeback.
“We’re movie nerds, so this type of adversity is what we see all the time,” said Chabot’s Director of Programming. Jared Callahan. “The Chabot is the only remaining single-screen theater that is doing first-run movies in the Bay Area. Thankfully, we allowed ourselves to dream about how to serve the community and this is why we do what we do.”
In the winter of 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Callahan and The Chabot’s Program Coordinator, Alex Largusa, said they were excited about having a really great year in ticket sales. That the revenues would put them in the black for the first time since acquiring the theatre from the previous owner.
“We were showing Disney’s “Frozen 2,” and the new Star Wars “Rise of Skywalker” film and we looked at each other and thought that it might work that our holiday season would help us show a profit,” said Largusa. “We had just picked up the rights to show Pixar’s “Onward”—and that’s when the COVID guidelines came out.”
What happened next was a rollercoaster of hope for a quick recovery from COVID protocols to a series of disappointing drops when the lockdowns for indoor businesses extended past the summer movie season.
“The rest of 2020 we talked about, ‘When are we going to reopen? Will we reopen?’” Largusa told the Forum. “Just to make extra money, we even sold popcorn in front of the building for a bit. Things looked bad.”
Origin of the Live Riff Along
With the extra downtime, the theater invested in updating some of the technology such as the speakers and the bulbs in the projectors. The building was already converted to support a digital film format known as DCP or digital cinema package before Paul Keim, the founder of Smalltown Society, helped purchase the theater, saving The Chabot from being torn down. But, while the upgrades were going on, the theater still needed to make money. That’s when the idea of streaming B-movies and allowing patrons to a “live riff along” came into being.
“We were partnering with local radio personalities like Lord Bloodrock and looking at what the TV stations were doing, like DJ No Name did on KOFY TV-20 and we decided to build this community to come together on Facebook and watch these black and white science fiction films like, ‘The Haunted and the Hunted’ or ‘Atom Age Vampire,’—you know, movies starring Boris Karloff or Bela Legosi,” Callahan said. “People watch these shows, comment on how bad the acting is and how cheesy the special effects are and they build that community.”
Since the theater had already been converted to digital, The Chabot could upload these public domain movies to the internet and stream them live. During the shows, people could donate money to the theater to keep the shows alive along. Fans also started buying merchandise like t-shirts and stickers or gift cards for future shows. Additionally, The Chabot partnered with Smalltown Society and the Food Truck Mafia where they agreed to give 10 percent of a day’s profits to the film house to keep the lights on.
With the Live Riff Alongs in place, Callahan and Largusa opened themselves up to any and all new ideas.
“Suddenly, the staff who has taken this on and know nothing about running a theatre, are experts in talking with people and finding out what they like and how we can improve,” Largusa said.
Hollywood Ending
The staff ideas and public feedback directly resulted in the creation of things like a $1-a-month movie club, movie trivia nights and bingo nights inside the theater, live showings of sporting events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl, and exclusive screenings with opportunities to participate in a Q&A with the movie makers.
The Chabot recently screened several films from the Sundance Film Festival and is currently reviewing and whittling down a list of about 70 films to 12 films from Castro Valley filmmakers for its own local film contest.
Despite strict masking and distance restrictions, things are looking up for The Chabot, Callahan notes. The updated concessions stand in the redecorated lobby now serves adult beverages. The Chabot also partners with local restaurants to provide more than just popcorn and candy. Callahan and Largusa also say they see more people coming to Castro Valley for first-run films like the latest Spider-Man sequel instead of going to a multiplex.
“I have had a couple of people tell me that if the Chabot was like this in high school that they would be here every night,” Largusa said. “We want the youth and the fans in Castro Valley to know that there is a place to go hang out and engage in art and the community. I love when people feel proud of their town.”
For the upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend, the Chabot is showing a trio of 2000-era love and comedy stories including “The Notebook” (2004) with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.