The New Parkway Theater

What The New Parkway Theater does

The New Parkway Theater is a community-centered independent cinema and pub operating since 2012 at 474 24th Street in Oakland, California, wholly owned by New Parkway Entertainment, LLC — an entity comprising 56 community investors. The venue operates two screening rooms (145 and 130 seats) equipped with HD digital projection and 7.1 surround sound, paired with a full commercial kitchen serving a diner-style comfort food menu (burgers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, desserts) and twelve rotating taps of locally-sourced beer, wine, and cider, with food and beverages delivered directly to theater seats. Differentiated physical features include non-traditional loveseat and reclaimed vintage-chair seating, ADA accessibility, and an in-café Mezzanine hosting free nightly community activities (Speed Meeting Mondays, Bingo & Beer Tuesdays, Drink & Draw, Team Trivia, Karaoke, Super Smash Bros. Melee).

The business model is multi-stream and transaction-based: movie ticket sales (new releases, cult classics, curated theme nights including Cereal Cinema, Cult Night, Doc Night, Baby Brigade, and Mystery Science Theater 3000), on-site café and bar sales, a tiered party-package program ($600–$1,250), private theater rentals including very-private dinner-and-a-movie screenings ($500–$750), nonprofit benefit events (free venue space with deposits retained), the Karma Cinema pay-what-you-can program donating 20% of Wednesday proceeds to local nonprofits (40+ partner organizations over five years), and the Parkway Meal Delivery Service extending the kitchen into regional CSA-style prepared-meal distribution across nine East Bay cities. World Cup 2026 broadcast programming with Group Stage and Full Pass ticketing adds live-sports revenue. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through walk-in box office and the Veezi online ticketing platform, supplemented by direct sales for rentals and group bookings.

The theater has 30–40 staff and acknowledges it is currently losing money at the 24th Street location due to the structural compression of the theatrical release window. Capital has historically come from community sources — 56 LLC investors plus a $138,291 Kickstarter raise in 2026 to fund ADA improvements and backup power — with no institutional venture or private equity backing disclosed. Management has announced an active search for a second Bay Area location, motivated by the belief that multi-unit operations would improve negotiating leverage with film studios for earlier and stronger programming access.

Name

The New Parkway Theater

Legal name

New Parkway Entertainment, LLC

Website

https://thenewparkway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New Parkway Theater is an independent, community-owned cinema and pub in Oakland operating two screens and a full-service kitchen, serving Bay Area consumers with themed film programming, seat-side dining, private rentals, and nonprofit benefit events through New Parkway Entertainment, LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema & Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF)

Keywords

• Independent cinema
• Movie theater
• Diner restaurant
• Event venue rentals
• Community cinema

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Movie Ticket Sales: Revenue from theatrical screenings of new releases, cult classics, and special programming. The shrinking theatrical window—where films now stream within a month of theatrical release—has made traditional theater business increasingly difficult since the venue opened in 2012.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: Café revenue from full menu including burgers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, desserts; twelve rotating taps of local wine, beer, and cider; delivered directly to theater seats. All beer and wine sourced from within 200 miles.
3. Party Packages: Pre-packaged group events including Picture Party ($600), Popcorn Picture Party ($900), Pizza Picture Party ($1000), Private Popcorn Party ($1000), and Popcorn Picture Plus ($1250). All include 50 tickets and various food packages.
4. Private Theater Rentals: Rental of screening rooms for corporate events, private screenings, and non-theatrical events. Rates based on day, time, duration, and renter type (nonprofit, individual, corporate).
5. Party at the Parkway: Affordable group event where host chooses a movie, theater provides cake, and event is open to the public. Host pre-pays for 40 people ($500).
6. Benefit Event Hosting: Free theater space provided to community groups and nonprofits. Revenue from security deposits and licensing deposits, with hosts keeping 100% of ticket sales.
7. Parkway Meal Delivery Service: Food crate delivery service (CSA-style) offering prepared meals in reusable containers. Full crates delivered, half crates for pickup.
8. Investment Capital: The theater is owned by New Parkway Entertainment, LLC with 56 investors. Seeking additional investment through direct investor outreach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The New Parkway Theater operates a two-screen community cinema and full-service café/pub at 474 24th Street in Oakland's Uptown district, showing new releases, cult classics, and themed programming across two auditoriums seating 145 and 130 guests respectively, equipped with HD digital projection and 7.1 surround sound. The venue combines movie exhibition with a diner-style restaurant, twelve rotating taps of local beer, wine, and cider, and seat-side food delivery, augmented by private event rentals, party packages, benefit events, themed nights, and a CSA-style prepared-meal delivery service across the Bay Area.

Product overview

The New Parkway Theater is a community-centered cinema and pub offering a combination of movie screenings, food service, and community programming. The venue operates two screening rooms (seating 145 and 130) with state-of-the-art HD digital projection and 7.1 surround sound, supplemented by a full-service café serving comfort food and locally-sourced drinks. The business model centers on diverse programming including themed nights (Cereal Cinema, Karma Cinema, Mystery Science Theater 3000), World Cup viewing events, virtual movie clubs (Thrillville Movie Club), and special events. Additional revenue streams include venue rentals, party packages (Picture Party, Pizza Picture Party), benefit events for nonprofits, and meal delivery services. The theater emphasizes community engagement through pay-what-you-want Karma Cinema nights and volunteer opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thrillville Movie Club: A movie club hosted by Will Viharo, programmer from the original Parkway, featuring curated film selections and discussions.
• Karma Cinema
• Parkway Meal Delivery Service

Products and services

• Movie Screenings Theatrical screenings of new releases, cult classics, and curated programming shown across two screening rooms (Auditorium #1 with 145 seats, Auditorium #2 with 130 seats) with HD digital projection and 7.1 surround sound, sold via walk-in box office and online ticketing.
• Café and Restaurant Services Full-service diner-style café offering burgers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and desserts made in a commercial kitchen, plus twelve rotating taps of locally sourced wine, beer, and cider (all sourced within 200 miles), with food delivered directly to theater seats.
• Karma Cinema Weekly Wednesday screening event where patrons pay what they want for movie tickets, with 20% of ticket proceeds donated to local East Bay nonprofits; beneficiaries have included over 40 community organizations.
• World Cup 2026 Viewing Events Live broadcast of World Cup 2026 matches on the venue's big screens and mezzanine, including Group Stage Pass and Full Pass ticket packages and limited Cereal Soccer matches with all-you-can-eat breakfast cereal.
• Thrillville Movie Club

Quantifiable outcome

• Worked with over 40 community nonprofits through Karma Cinema program over five years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Berkeley Free CliniccoreOthersCommunity nonprofit partner in Karma Cinema program. Mission to empower individuals and communities by providing accessible, client-centered health services and information. Has served thousands during its 50-year history.
• Oakland RisingcoreOthersCommunity nonprofit partner that educates and mobilizes voters in Oakland flatlands. Multilingual, multiracial collaborative with deep roots in East and West Oakland neighborhoods.
• The Oakland LGBTQ Community CentercoreOthersNonprofit dedicated to enhancing and sustaining well-being of LGBTQ individuals, families and allies through educational, social, and health related activities and programs.
• The Anti Police-Terror ProjectcoreOthersBlack-led, multi-racial coalition seeking to build sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color. Supports families surviving police terror, documents abuses, and connects impacted families with resources.
• East Bay Community Law CentercoreOthersNonprofit providing legal services and policy advocacy responsive to needs of low-income communities. Also provides law training for future attorneys.
• Street Level Health ProjectcoreOthersGrassroots organization dedicated to improving health of underserved urban immigrant communities. Provides basic medical and social service referrals, weekly hot meals, food bags, and nutritionist consultations.
• Sins InvalidcoreOthersPerformance project incubating and celebrating artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists. Develops cutting-edge work challenging normative paradigms.
• Phat Beets ProduceminorOthersFood justice organization creating equitable food system in North Oakland through affordable produce access, youth leadership programs, and urban farming initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Studio Movie Grill: In-theater dining cinema chain with full menus, premium seating, and event rentals for private screenings and parties. Directly comparable on the dine-in + private-events business model.
• IPIC Theaters: Premium dine-in theater concept featuring in-seat dining, luxury seating, and private rental options. Comparable high-end execution of the same dine-in / private-event playbook.
• Roxie Theater: Bay Area independent community cinema in San Francisco, operated as a nonprofit with themed repertory programming and grassroots community engagement. Closest geographic peer sharing the indie / community-cinema DNA.
• Coolidge Corner Theatre: Independent nonprofit art-house cinema in Brookline, MA with extensive community programming, themed screenings, educational events, and a café. Highly comparable as a community-embedded alternative cinema with diverse programming and nonprofit partnerships.
• Balboa Theatre: Historic San Francisco single-screen neighborhood theater with strong local identity and event programming. Comparable as a single-location Bay Area indie cinema emphasizing community over corporate multiplex model.
• CinéBistro: Dine-in movie theater concept pairing theatrical exhibition with full-service in-seat dining. Comparable on the food-service-in-cinema value proposition, though more upscale and less community-programming-focused.
• Nuart Theatre: Los Angeles independent repertory theater known for cult, midnight, and themed programming plus filmmaker events. Comparable as an indie art-house that monetizes niche/curated content rather than mainstream blockbusters.
• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: National dine-in cinema chain known for full food and beverage service delivered to seats, strict no-talking policies, and repertory/themed programming. Directly comparable to New Parkway's core 'theater + restaurant + curated content' model, but at national scale.

Broad incumbents

• AMC Theatres: Largest U.S. movie theater chain with dine-in formats (AMC Dine-In, MacGuffins Bar) at scale. Competes for the same food-and-movie occasion but lacks New Parkway's curated independent/community programming.
• Landmark Theatres: Largest U.S. art-house cinema chain operating repertory and independent film programming across multiple markets. Comparable in indie film curation, but operates at national chain scale without the integrated restaurant component.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thenewparkway
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNewParkway
• Instagraminstagram.com/thenewparkway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-new-parkway-theater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The New Parkway Theater