Petaluma Boulevard 14 Cinemas gets OK to sell beer, wine

With a unanimous vote by the Petaluma Planning Commission, Cinema West jumped its final hurdle toward officially turning Boulevard 14 Cinemas into a brew and view theater.

Building permits for the renovation and improvements are being sent off today, and by Thanksgiving theatergoers will have the option of a chardonnay to go with their popcorn, owner Dave Corkill said.

Petaluma-based Cinema West runs 10 California theaters and two in Idaho, and many of them have already gone through the upgrades planned for the Petaluma location. A few are still in the planning stages - the company’s Sonoma theater got the go-ahead on beer and wine sales just last month, Corkill said, although construction upgrades are pending.

“I’m happy that we’re able to go on to the next step (in Petaluma),” Corkill said. “Obviously there’s construction involved and new seats to be installed.”

New seats are just the beginning. The final overhaul to the 11-year-old theater will feature larger screens, electric reclining seats with tables for food and drink, and a box office inside the theater rather than outside.

“It’s a much nicer experience to stand across the counter from someone rather than to talk to them through glass,” Corkill said.

The upgraded auditoriums will also feature a new, immersive sound system called Dolby Atmos, which will require the theater to install about 40 extra speakers in each auditorium.

“It’s really an incredible experience because the sound completely surrounds you and all of the different elements of the sound - one speaker would have the sound of the rock hitting the surface and one would have another sound,” Corkill said.

Expect a new ticketing system, too. When the auditorium remodels are completed, patrons will be able to purchase a ticket online and reserve their seat.

“Lines for Star Wars will be a thing of the past,” he said.

Corkill said he’s aiming to have the entire overhaul completed by Jan. 1, but customers will start experiencing it before then, as they will be renovating theater auditoriums one by one.

He’s also bringing in some kitchen gear to provide revamped food offerings - think bistro fare, he said.

No word yet on what the new beverage list will include, but Corkill said at other theaters he’s renovated, he’s noticed one thing people lean toward in particular. “People like to buy local,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.