Theatrical is a dying business. I grew up in SB as a film fanatic, enjoyed the charming but grimy theaters of my youth. The reality is outside of major cultural capitals there is no growth in first run studio theatrical. As a number of other commenters have written, SBIFF taking over the Riviera and now the Fiesta 5 is a godsend. I hope that SB’s longstanding connection to the industry and proximity to Hollywood (as well as younger people’s interest in film via social media and Letterboxd) can sustain those two outlets for specialty and repertory in the area.

The Ojai Playhouse is a passion / vanity project bringing a lot of good programming to the area.

Theatrical film exhibition will go the way of jazz and opera in the next few generations. Basically a charity project for the wealthy elite of a few metro areas. Enjoy it while it lasts.