SLO’s Palm Theatre is reopening: ‘Hopefully the end of the pandemic is in sight’
The Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo is reopening after being closed for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic — and fans are thrilled.
Supporters shared their feelings on the downtown movie theater’s Facebook page, writing, “Exciting news!! Way too long without the Palm Theater,” “Soooo happy to see this!” and “Terrific news! A warm welcome back. We’ve really missed you!”
Palm Theatre owner Jim Dee, who first opened the theater at 817 Palm St. in 1988, said film showings will resume Friday.
The first three movies to be screened at the Palm Theatre following its lengthy hiatus will be “The Burnt Orange Heresy,” “Dream Horse,” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
Movie theaters are allowed to operate at 50% indoor capacity or 200 guests, whichever is fewer, in counties in the orange tier of coronavirus restrictions under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. San Luis Obispo County entered the orange tier in late April.
Out of caution, the Palm Theatre decided to open later than other local movie theaters that restarted in March and April.
The Palm Theatre normally seats up to 248 moviegoers but will allow about 110 to 120 people in the building for now, Dee said.
“We’ll have social distancing and masks will be required,” Dee said. “Sitting in an enclosed room for two hours is still a little scary. Hopefully the end of the pandemic is in sight.“
The theater’s staff is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, he said.
Dee said that the Palm Theatre, which was previously open daily, will close Tuesdays but remain open all other days, including bargain Mondays. Concession prices will increase slightly to help make up for the costs of the closure; popcorn will be $2 instead of $1.
Dee said the family-owned business was able to weather the pandemic financially in part because it owns its building. And the Palm Theatre got a boost from local grants through the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.
Dee, who personally selects Palm Theatre films for screening, said that he usually goes to the Toronto Film Festival to get a feel for some of the movies he’ll play at the Palm over the course of the following year. But he called off his trip in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Now Dee is scouting for independent, foreign and studio films that he believes will be as well-received as past hits such as “The Shape of Water” and “Parasite.”
For example, he’s planning to screen the upcoming Wes Anderson film, “The French Dispatch.”
“I’m just glad that people are getting to watch films on the big screen again,” Dee said. “It’s really not the same streaming at home.”
Dee said he considered retirement, but feels invigorated to start showing movies to the public again.
“We had so many wonderful comments on social media,” Dee said. “People wished us the best and told us how much they missed us.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "SLO’s Palm Theatre is reopening: ‘Hopefully the end of the pandemic is in sight’."
%20Cropped.jpg)