Berkeley Cinema Closing Down

When moviegoers watch “C.S.A.:

The Confederate States of America”

Sunday night at Act 1 & 2 Theatre, a

Berkeley institution since 1971, they

will be witnessing the theater’s final

film screening.

The theater’s lease expires April 1

and will not be renewed because

Landmark Theatres, which owns the

two-screen theater in Downtown Berkeley, could not come to an agreement

with the building’s landlord, said

a theater employee. The employee

requested her name not be disclosed

because managers had told employees

not to discuss the closing.

“There could have been anyone who

came in this theater years ago and met

their wife here, or went on a date here,”

the employee said. “There’s a lot of

memories held within these doors.”

A representative from Landmark

Theatres confirmed the closing of Act

1 & 2, but refused to comment further.

Landmark Theatres, a national

chain which specializes in first-run

independent and foreign films, has

operated the Act 1 & 2 Theatre since

1994. Landmark Theatres also owns

Berkeley’s California Theatre and

Shattuck Cinemas.

The employee, who has worked at

various cinemas owned by Landmark

Theatres for several years, said the

general lack of customers caused a

large financial strain.

The employee attributed low attendance

to a dearth of well-known movies

shown at the theater, a one-week limit

for each screening and the increasing

tendency of independent film companies

to release DVDs at the same time

their films are being screened.

The theater was forced to raise ticket

and concession prices since it made

only a 2 percent profit on box office

sales, the employee said. Its only

steady source of income was its Friday

and Saturday midnight screenings of

classic cult films, the employee said.

“I think it’s a shame because

Berkeley is known for having a wide

range of movies and independent

films,” said a manager at United

Artists Berkeley 7 who wished only to

be referred to as Jessica due to concerns

about company policy.

The news of the theater’s closing

came as a surprise to Tim Barnard, coowner

of nearby restaurant Pie in the

Sky.

“I think it’s pretty sad,” Barnard

said. “We love Landmark Theatres

because they don’t show the blockbusters,

they show more interesting

films than the other Berkeley chains. I

don’t really know how to react.”

Barnard said the theater was “good

for the street” by attracting more people

and making it feel safer at night for

the local business owners. He said

that though the area will probably not

lose too much patronage, the restaurant

got a few additional customers on

nights when films were screening.

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