Projectors are hot again at Metropolitan Theatres in Santa Barbara, Goleta
GOLETA, Calif. - For the first time in 2021, the Metropolitan Theatres will be showing movies in Santa Barbara and Goleta.
The Camino Real Marketplace Cinemas in Goleta opened Friday and the Fiesta Five in Santa Barbara opens Wednesday. No other theaters in the area system have films posted so far.
Movie fans can see Tom and Jerry, Nobody and Raya and the Last Dragon.
After many months of waiting, Metropolitan Theatres manager Sal Garcia is thrilled to have people back in the building.
“Even though it’s only 25% capacity, it’s still a good amount of people,” he said. “I’m just glad that people are coming out and watching films again after the year that we’ve endured through.”
Metropolitan Theatres said the following screens are open in their system:
- MetroLux 14 Theatres and MetroLux Dine-In Theatres in Loveland, CO
- Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, CA
- Calexico 10 Theatres in Calexico, CA
- Redstone Cinemas in Park City, UT
- Big Wood Cinemas in Hailey, ID
For those attending, face masks are required except when eating and drinking in auditoriums.
“I really like movie theaters because you can just sit back and relax,” she said. “Watch the movie from a bigger screen with finer details.”
Upcoming next week is the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
The remaining theaters, however will not be in use for the special annual event due to ongoing COVID rules. There will, however, be 80 outside films during the SBIFF.
For the Spring movie releases, film lovers will be able to see Godzilla vs Kong on March 31, Peter Rabbit 2 coming in May for families, and the highly anticipated Quiet Place 2 opening Memorial Day weekend.
Tickets can be purchased at MetroTheatres.com or on the Metropolitan Theatres mobile app.
Private Rentals of new theatrical releases will be available at both theatres for up to 20 guests and can be booked online.
Metropolitan says all theatres will reopen with enhanced cleanliness, sanitizing and safety measures.
Employees were trained prior to reopening on proper safety protocols and will wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) while working, in addition to completing a wellness check-in prior to each shift.
Safety information is on the theatres' website and that includes:
- Auditoriums will be disinfected between showtimes.
- Theatres will have reduced capacities to maximize physical distancing.
- All showtimes offer reserved seating with social distancing technology that will automatically block seats adjacent to a party upon ticket purchase.
- Face masks will be mandatory for all guests within the theatre and may only be removed for eating and drinking while in the auditoriums. Face masks and gloves will be required for all employees.
- All public and high-contact touch points will be disinfected frequently.
- Sanitization stations are placed throughout the theatre for customer use.
- Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets online or on our new Metropolitan Theatres mobile app allowing for contactless payment methods to provide a more contact-free experience.
For more information, visit Metropolitan Theatres or The Santa Barbara International Film Festival online.
