Jacob Trevino’s heart is in craft cocktails—he works at Japp’s—but his other passion is movies. About six months ago, he started trying to find a way to combine his passions.
Trevino has been to movie theaters that serve beer, but he wants to improve upon that idea. His venture,
Gorilla Cinema, will feature food and beverages that tie in with the movies being shown.
“Gorilla Cinema will be a truly immersive experience that celebrates the films that I love,” he says.
Trevino plans to show mostly classic movies that everyone has seen at least once. And Gorilla Cinema’s menu, which was designed by Chef Martha Tiffany of
The Precinct, will feature upscale pub food that will change for special events. It will also reflect what movie is being shown.
“There’s something about watching a movie in a theater that you can’t get when you watch it at home,” Trevino says. “There’s something magical about going to the theater and seeing your favorite movie on the big screen. It invokes a kind of nostalgia that our generation really didn’t get to experience.”
Trevino is currently looking for a space in
Bellevue or
Pleasant Ridge to renovate and is seeking investors, but until then, he’s hosting popup events around the city to help build the company. The ideal permanent location for Gorilla Cinema will be in an old movie theater, with seats for 124 people, with space for a front bar and lounge area.
“Gorilla Cinema will celebrate the memories that movies bring back, and help recapture some of those memories,” Trevino says. “People talk about having their first kiss in the movie theater. I remember seeing
Jaws for the first time. Movies are a weird art form that people remember when they saw something—they’re engrained in our culture.”
If you’re interested in a popup movie, Gorilla Cinema is hosting a horror movie double feature, with the original
Dracula and
House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price, on Oct. 26 in a parking lot at the corner of Montgomery Road and Ridge Avenue in Pleasant Ridge. Keep tabs on its
Facebook page for event information.
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