Marin theater fully booked as Barbie fever hits Bay Area

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Barbie and Oppenheimer have movie theaters sold out across the Bay Area.

The two movies — despite their wildly different themes — are creating quite a buzz. In fact, a family-owned theater in Tiburon is fully booked for the next three days for Barbie showings.

Every showing of Barbie has been packed with people dressed up in pink.

The owners of Cinelounge at 40 Main St. say the Barbie buzz has been great for business. They haven’t seen this level of excitement since they bought it.

From Barbie-themed cocktails​ to Barbie swag, Cinelounge in Tiburon is decked out in pink. The theater is sold out three nights in a row for the movie’s opening week.

Oppenheimer will be playing there next week.

“The buzz between Barbie and Oppenheimer and the buzz to come back to the movie theater is really that sense of excitement that we haven’t had since pre-pandemic days,” said Cinelounge owner Christian Meoli.

Movie theaters have struggled to survive since the pandemic, but Meoli says this summer’s movies are giving the industry a chance to bounce back.

“Barbie is the pink jolt that movie theaters need this summer because a lot of the big ones, Indiana Jones, have underperformed. I feel like we are going to double or triple with Barbie. It’s the pink gift that keeps giving,” he said.

Meoli was an actor in Hollywood for several decades.

“I worked on the TV show Nash Bridges for four years. I was the role of Boz Bischop,” Meoli said.

He and his wife moved to the Bay Area about a year ago with their baby girl to renovate the former Playhouse Theater on Main Street in Tiburon.

“It had been closed for two years because of the pandemic. It took all of our savings and investment it’s a labor of love,” Meoli said.

Meoli says theaters have to get creative to make seeing a movie more of an experience.
They have lounge chairs, food and drinks.

“It’s like you’re coming into our movie mansion on Main Street — coming into our home to watch the best movies the best way you can in the entire Bay Area,” he continued.

He says business has been up and down, but he’s excited a movie like Barbie is packing the theater.

“I love the anticipation, the excitement, the energy, people want to see Barbie at the theater is off the charts,” Meoli said. “People are dressing up. They are bringing their families. It’s an anticipation movie that’s up there with Titanic.”

So far, it looks like Barbie is living up to the hype. The fun will continue as Cinelounge is hosting a Barbie party on Saturday for moviegoers.

“We have Margo who is a drag queen and is hosting the party. Barbie manicures, Barbie specialty drinks, Barbie giveaways, music from the soundtrack. People can dress up in pink, come together and have a great time,” Meoli said.

The movie is PG-13. A lot of people have been wondering if it’s appropriate to bring the kids. Parents who saw the movie say yes there’s something for everyone, but there are some witty jokes in there that only the parents will get, which is fun.