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A view of\u00a0the concessions area at the New Parkway Theater on 24th Street in Oakland. The movie venue and community space is known for its comfortable couches and diner-style comfort food.<\/p>\n
Scott Strazzante\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
The New Parkway Theater on 24th Street in Oakland has been open since 2012.<\/p>\n
Scott Strazzante\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
Just months after launching a fundraising campaign to \u201crebuild a sturdy foundation,\u201d the New Parkway Theater<\/a> is looking to expand.<\/p>\n The Oakland movie venue and community space<\/a>, located at 474 24th St. and known for its comfortable couches and diner-style comfort food, said in a Facebook post<\/a> that it is seeking help finding a suitable second location.<\/p>\n The theater\u2019s Kickstarter campaign and the desire to expand seem incongruous, but general manager J. Moses Caesar<\/a> told the Chronicle on Tuesday, March 24, the day after posting on social media, that the two are linked because the changing landscape of the movie theater business demands growth.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe are still struggling,\u201d Caesar said. \u201cThe business in Oakland is still losing some money and we certainly hope to turn that around. But our expansion (goal) is not because we are making money hand over fist. In the long run, having more locations will help us with distributors.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we have several locations, we will be taken more seriously by some of the studios. We will get films earlier and get better films and that’s a huge key to success.\u201d<\/p>\n The New Parkway Theater on 24th Street in Oakland is planning to expand and asking for help in finding a suitable second location.<\/p>\n Scott Strazzante\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n Caesar noted that when he opened the current iteration of the New Parkway in December 2012 that the theatrical window \u2014 the time between when a movie first opens in theaters and when it is available to stream at home \u2014 has shrunk dramatically. Films now can begin on streaming around a month after their theatrical debut \u2014 and some even debut online the same day as theatrical.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n In the previous decade, the venue not only was able to enjoy a long first run with popular titles, but a robust second-run based on word of mouth. That has become increasingly difficult, especially since the pandemic.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Caesar highlighted last weekend\u2019s success with \u201cProject Hail Mary<\/a>\u201d as an example of how a popular film can drive business. When more people come to the New Parkway, success is not measured in just ticket sales but also in food and alcohol sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cObviously people are excited to see it, but (moviegoers) are also learning about the New Parkway and saying, \u2018Wow, we didn’t know this existed, this is a great place to see films.\u2019 So it helps from a marketing standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n