The movies have returned to Larkspur Landing.

“This is going to be really great for the city,” said Audrey Shapiro, vice president of the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce.

The former Century Larkspur Landing reopened Thursday under new ownership. Renamed Larkspur Landing Cinema, the venue has undergone a renovation to offer what the owner is calling a luxury movie experience.

“The amenities previously offered at this location were definitely lacking,” said David Corkill, owner of Cinema West Inc., the Petaluma company that operates the theater. “Patrons in southern Marin County would like and deserve a nice movie theater to attend that is properly improved, and that’s what we intended to deliver.”

The movie house is at 500 Larkspur Landing Circle, tucked in a major transit hub along Highway 101 and across from the Marin Country Mart shopping center.

For a short time, it was looking as if the 1.57-acre site could be redeveloped into housing.

Cinemark, the Texas-based parent company of the Century theater chain, closed the venue in September. At the time, city planners were sizing up the property as an opportunity to help meet the state-mandated housing quota.

In January, Corkill announced he had signed a long-term lease with property owners Syufy Enterprises, a San Rafael company, to revitalize the theater.

“A lot of people were really disappointed when the theater closed,” Shapiro said. “Movie theaters bring people out. It’s nice to have it in that location where restaurants are going to benefit, shops are going to benefit, which make it a key movie-going experience. It’s great news.”

The interior space has been overhauled to accommodate five screens instead of four. Each auditorium is outfitted with electric reclining seats. Films are shown via laser projection paired with Dolby Surround 7.1, a system that establishes four sound zones in the theater for an enhanced experience.

The lobby and exterior have been updated. Cinema West also obtained a liquor license and is serving a selection of beer and wine.

“It’s been well over 20 years since this theater has since any renovation,” said James Howard, executive director of Cinema West. “We’re excited to bring the theater back to life.”

In the past, the Larkspur Landing theater has been a venue for the Mill Valley Film Festival, an annual event that brings a bit of Hollywood to Marin.

Mark Fishkin, executive director and founder of the festival and the California Film Institute, said he was delighted to hear Corkill had taken over the theater.

Corkill’s Cinema West operates several movie houses, including the Fairfax Theater, and previously ran the Tiburon Playhouse. Corkill operated the Tiburon theater for 30 years before it became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020, he said.

The three-screen Tiburon theater at 40 Main St. has since reopened under the management of Cinelounge.

Fishkin said he is interested in the possibility of having the festival return to the Larkspur venue.

“His decision to reopen the theater with a new renovation is a commitment to the theatrical movie-going experience: people seated together in a dark theater, experiencing varied emotions together with great sound and a large screen presentation,” Fishkin said. “There’s nothing like it. We at the California Film Institute share Dave’s vision.”

Movie times are available at cinemawest.com.