The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, which is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the movie, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-going

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

. It has multiple locations across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, including eighteen (with several more being built) across Texas. Outside of Texas, it has five locations in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

(

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...

, Woodbridge, Crystal City and Ashburn).Alamo Drafthouse expands to D.C.
"

Bizjournals.com American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

Retrieved on April 5, 2012. There are three locations in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

(

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

and Littleton) and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

( Yonkers,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

" brooklynvegan.com Retrieved on October 7, 2022. and

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

), as well as two locations in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

(

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

and

La Vista La Vista may refer to: * La Vista, Nebraska, a city in Nebraska * La Vista (Spotsylvania County, Virginia), an historic house in Spotsylvania County, Virginia * La Vista Correctional Facility, prison in Pueblo County, Colorado * La Vista High Sch ...

Coming to La Vista: a movie theater, bar and restaurant – all in one
" omaha.com Retrieved on June 23, 2014.),

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

( St. Louis and Springfield), and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

(

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

). There are individual locations in Washington, D.C., Woodbury, Minnesota and

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...

. Others are planned to be built in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

;

Glendale, Colorado The City of Glendale is a home rule municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 4,613 at the 2020 United States Census. Glendale is an enclave of the City and County of Denver and is ...

;

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

; and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. In March 2021, Alamo Drafthouse filed for bankruptcy but emerged from the situation three months later.

History

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded by

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

alumni Tim and Karrie League at 409 Colorado St, in an

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

warehouse district building on Colorado St. (between 4th and 5th) that was being used as a

parking garage A multistorey car park ( British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a bui ...

. The company began as a second-run movie theater, and distinguished itself by the food and drink service offered inside the theater, including cold beers, which continues to set Alamo Drafthouse apart from many other cinemas. The seating is arranged with rows of cabaret style tables in front of each row of seats, with an aisle between each row to accommodate waiter service. Customers write their orders on slips of paper, which are picked up by black-clad waiters. Soon after opening, the original downtown theater began offering occasional unique programming such as silent movies scored by local bands playing live accompaniment, food-themed films such as '' Like Water for Chocolate'' served with a dinner matching the meals shown on screen, and retrospectives of various directors and stars. This includes location-based food options depending on the film setting. In 2001, the Leagues renovated a four-screen art-house theater at 2700 Anderson Lane in North Austin, called Village Cinema, which had recently closed, and opened it as an Alamo Drafthouse which specialized in first-run movies. With this new Alamo Drafthouse Village, the downtown location ceased showing second-run movies and began to concentrate almost exclusively on unusual programming including classics, cult classics, independents, documentaries, special guest appearances, and audience participation shows. In 2003, the Alamo Drafthouse opened on 13729 Research Boulevard in northwest Austin. The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek had seven screens, all dedicated to new movies. Almost simultaneously, the Alamo granted their first franchise, which opened in the West Oaks Mall in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

. In May 2003, Travis Doss opened the first Alamo franchise location ( West Oaks Mall) in

with six screens. In July 2004, Tim and Karrie League sold the brand, including the brand name, intellectual property and rights to all future Alamo Drafthouse expansion to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas CEO Terrell Braly, John Martin, and David Kennedy, but retained an irrevocable license for the Austin locations (Village, Lamar, Downtown), which includes their Rolling Roadshow. In August 2004, the second largest Alamo (Westlakes) opened in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

with eight screens. In August 2005, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' named the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema "The #1 movie theater in the country doing it right". Since February 2005, the new company has purchased the original franchise unit from Doss, opened a theater in the Katy Area and in Spring, Texas and built a new-build multi-screen theater in the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. ...

; though it was announced in 2006 to open, the building has remained unfinished since the original owner was foreclosed upon.Sean Gaffney
"Alamo Drafthouse expected to be sold, completed,"
''The Monitor'' (McAllen, Texas), May 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-02. In 2006, due to rising rent in downtown Austin, theater owners took steps to hand the theater over to a non-profit group called the "Heroes of the Alamo" foundation, operating the theater as a cultural arts center. However, with the historic Ritz Theater on 6th Street offered as an alternative location, the original Alamo was closed. The final event at the original location consisted of a special triple-feature event the evening of June 27, 2007. The final movie shown was Night Warning, with star Susan Tyrrell attending. At the conclusion of the movie, audience members were allowed to disassemble their seats and take them home as mementos of the theater. Of the first seven theaters, the downtown Austin theater was unique for being the host of many important film events in Austin, such as the Quentin Tarantino Film Festival and Harry Knowles's annual

Butt-numb-a-thon The Butt-Numb-A-Thon (also known as BNAT) was a film marathon held in Austin, Texas every December from 1999 to 2016. It was hosted by Harry Knowles of the Ain't It Cool News website in celebration of his birthday. The festival showed 24 hours o ...

. After six months of construction, the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz opened on November 2, 2007 with a triple feature of '' Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People'', with a five course mushroom feast; a sneak preview of '' No Country For Old Men''; and a Terror Thursday screening of ''

War of the Gargantuas is a 1966 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Referred by film historian Stuart Galbraith IV as a "quasi–sequel" to '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', the film was a Japanese-American co-production; it ...

'', introduced by

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

who flew out from

for the night to attend the opening. In 2009, the first outside of Texas was opened in Winchester, Virginia. Alamo Drafthouse

A second San Antonio theater opened in 2009 (Park North), with six screens. In June 2010, founder Tim League was brought back in as CEO of the franchise operations. A third San Antonio location (Stone Oak) opened November 5, 2010, with six screens. In 2013, the Lake Creek location was closed upon the opening of the brand new, larger, Lakeline location. In June 2017, the current largest Alamo opened in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...

with 14 screens seating 1,050 people. In March 2019, ''

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'' reported that Alamo Drafthouse's movie-ticket subscription service, Alamo Season Pass, will launch nationwide at all Drafthouse theaters by the end of the year with the unlimited plan costing $20 a month in most regions of the country. In March 2020, Alamo Drafthouse announced that all locations were closed temporarily due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. In May 2020, Alamo announced that former Starbucks Exec Shelli Taylor would become the new CEO of Alamo Drafthouse and that founder Tim League would transfer from his current role as CEO to become the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The company announced the launch of "Alamo on Demand" video streaming service on May 7, 2020. The streaming service will have films from Drafthouse Films, its film distribution arm, as well as partner with name-brand studios like

Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produce ...

and

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

. On March 3, 2021, Alamo Drafthouse filed

chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

. Among closing cinemas across the southern U.S., the plans to open the Orlando, Florida location was cancelled. The debtors are being represented by

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP (YCST) is an American law practice based in Wilmington, Delaware. YCST is the second largest law firm in the state of Delaware, and provides legal services to a number of local and international clients. In 2 ...

as counsel and

Houlihan Lokey Houlihan Lokey, Inc., is an American multinational independent investment bank and financial services company. Houlihan Lokey was founded in 1972 and is headquartered at Constellation Place in Century City, Los Angeles, California. The firm adv ...

as investment banker. With $100 million to $500 million in both assets and liabilities, Alamo is entering into a restructuring support agreement to help guide them through their bankruptcy. In June 2021, the company announced that they had emerged from bankruptcy.

Locations

''Italics indicate location has not officially opened yet''

Alabama

*''Alamo Drafthouse Birmingham -

(9 screens, opening spring 2024)''

California

* New Mission Theater –

(opened December 17, 2015, includes Video Vortex video rental store) *The Bloc –

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

(opened July 19, 2019, includes Video Vortex video rental store)

Colorado

*Alamo Drafthouse at Aspen Grove – Littleton (7 screens, opened March 2013) *Alamo Drafthouse Sloan Lake –

(8 screens, opened May 2017) *Alamo Drafthouse Westminster –

(9 screens, opened Spring 2019) *''Alamo Drafthouse Glendale -

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia *Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre * Glendale, Queensland, ...

(opening late 2023)''

District of Columbia

*Alamo Drafthouse D.C. Bryant Street (9 screens, opened December 2021)

Illinois

*''Alamo Drafthouse Chicago (

Wrigleyville Lakeview, also spelled Lake View, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. Lakeview is located in the city's North Side. It is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road on the north, North Ravenswood A ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 6 screens, opening fall 2022)''

Massachusetts

*''Alamo Drafthouse Boston (Seaport, Boston, Massachusetts, 10 screens, opening early 2023)''

Missouri

*Alamo Drafthouse Springfield (14 screens; opened June 2017) *Alamo Drafthouse City Foundry –

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

(10 screens; opened December 2022)''

Minnesota

*Alamo Drafthouse Twin Cities – Woodbury (9 screens; opened summer 2018)

Nebraska

*Alamo Drafthouse Omaha –

(8 screens; opened October 31, 2015) *Alamo Drafthouse Midtown –

(5 screens; opened Winter 2018)

New York

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

* Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn –

in City Point (7 screens, opened October 28, 2016, includes Video Vortex video rental store) * Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan – Financial District of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

(14 screens, opened October 18, 2021, includes Kim's Video Underground video rental store) * Alamo Drafthouse

(9 screens, opened July 22, 2022)

Other New York cities

*Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers (6 screens; opened August 5, 2013 includes Video Vortex video store)

North Carolina

* Alamo Drafthouse

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

(11 screens, opened early 2018, includes Video Vortex video rental store)

Texas

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

* Alamo Drafthouse Village (4 screens; opened July 2001) * Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (6 screens; opened March 7, 2005, closed January 3, 2013 as the 1950s era Lamar Plaza shopping center is demolished and rebuilt. Reopened in third quarter 2014 in new building with 9 screens on the same site.) * Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane (8 screens; opened on March 8, 2012) * Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline (10 screens; opened July 2013) * Alamo Drafthouse at Mueller (6 screens; opened March 2017) * ''Alamo Drafthouse Cedar Park – Cedar Park (10 screens; opening TBA)''

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

* Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra (8 screens, replacing previous Mason Park location, July 2018) * ''Alamo Drafthouse

Sugar Land Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around ...

(opening 2022)'' * ''Alamo Drafthouse

League City League City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Galveston County, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 112,129. The city of League City has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris ...

(opening 2022)'' * ''An additional location also being planned for the Houston area.''

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

*Alamo Drafthouse Park North (6 screens; opened November 2009) *Alamo Drafthouse Stone Oak (6 screens; opened on or after November 5, 2010)

Dallas–Fort Worth

*Alamo Drafthouse

Richardson Richardson may refer to: People * Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname * Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s * Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962) Places Australia * Richardson, Australian Capi ...

(7 screens; opened August 2013 as first Dallas–Fort Worth area location) *Alamo Drafthouse The Cedars (8 screens; opened 2016) *Alamo Drafthouse

Las Colinas Las Colinas is a mixed-use planned community development in Irving, Texas, part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, governed by The Las Colinas Association, a Texas non-profit corporation. Due to its central location between Dallas and Fort W ...

(opened April 2018) *Alamo Drafthouse

Lake Highlands Lake Highlands is a neighborhood constituting most of Northeast Dallas. The neighborhood is a collection of dozens of subdivisions served by Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD public schools, as well as an array of private schools. Geography Overview ...

(opened March 2018) *Alamo Drafthouse Denton (opened June 2018) *''Alamo Drafthouse

Grand Prairie Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it ...

(10 screens, opening early 2024)'' *''Alamo Drafthouse Frisco (TBA, will include Video Vortex video rental store)''

El Paso

*Alamo Drafthouse Montecillo Town Center (8 screens; opened May 6, 2016) *Alamo Drafthouse East El Paso (10 screens; opened March 24, 2021)

Other Texas cities

*Alamo Drafthouse

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

(8 screens; opened April 25, 2014) *Alamo Drafthouse Laredo (7 screens; opened September 4, 2015) *Alamo Drafthouse Corpus Christi (7 screens; opened February 2017)

Virginia

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

*Alamo Drafthouse One Loudoun – Ashburn (9 screens; opened April 2013) *Alamo Drafthouse Woodbridge (8 screens, opened June 2018) *Alamo Drafthouse Crystal City – Crystal City (9 screens, opened October 2022)

Other Virginia cities

* Alamo Drafthouse Winchester – Kernstown (8 screens; opened October 2009) * Alamo Drafthouse

(7 screens, opened July 2017)'

Worldwide

*Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow – Mobile unit operates worldwide

Former locations

Arizona

*As of September 2021, all three locations were rebranded as ''Majestic Theaters''. *Alamo Drafthouse Phoenix – Chandler (Planned 8 screen location in downtown Chandler, AZ abandoned due to construction issues, development taken over by Harkins Theatres. Alamo Holdings LLC later inked a $14.6 million lease on a location in south Chandler which opened on December 2, 2016) *Alamo Drafthouse Tempe (opened early 2018) *Alamo Drafthouse

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

(8 screens, opened November 2019)

Missouri

*Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet –

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

(6 screens; took over operations from AMC Theatres June 21, 2012; closure announced as part of bankruptcy restructuring in March 2021)

Michigan

*Alamo Drafthouse

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropo ...

(10 screens; closed April 2017)

Texas

*Alamo Drafthouse Downtown – Austin (single screen; opened 1997, closed 2007 to move to Ritz location) *Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek – Austin (7 screens; opened May 2003; closed July 2013) *Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks Mall – Houston (6 screens; opened May 2003 as first Houston area location, closed June 25, 2012) *Alamo Drafthouse Vintage Park –

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

(7 screens; opened February 2013; sold December 6, 2016) *Alamo Drafthouse Mason Park – Katy Area (7 screens; opened February 2006, closed June 2018, replaced by LaCenterra location) *Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz – Austin (2 screens; opened November 2007; closure announced as part of bankruptcy restructuring in March 2021) *Alamo Drafthouse Marketplace –

New Braunfels New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just north ...

(11 screens; opened December 20, 2013; closure announced as part of bankruptcy restructuring in March 2021) *Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes –

(9 screens; opened August 2004 as first San Antonio area location; closed mid 2021) *Alamo Drafthouse

North Richland Hills North Richland Hills, commonly known as NRH, is a city inside Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a mid-to-high end suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 69,917 at the 2020 census, making it the third largest city in Tarrant County. In ...

(8 screens, opened April 2019; closed February 2021)

Cancelled expansions

Texas

*Alamo Drafthouse

Little Elm Little Elm is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, and a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is an extended suburb of Denton; its population was 46,453 as of the 2020 census. In 2000, the census population was at 3,646. By the ...

(8 screens; planned expansion abandoned in February 2016) *Alamo Drafthouse La Cantera

La Cantera, San Antonio La Cantera is a master-planned development and district of the City of San Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas, on the city's Northwest Side. "La Cantera" is Spanish for "the quarry", in reference to what the district was before USAA turned it to a ...

(sold the land for the expansion in fall 2021)

Michigan

* Alamo Drafthouse Midtown

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

(9 screens; planned for 2020, cancelled late 2019)

Florida

*Alamo Drafthouse

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

(cancelled March 2021)

Etiquette

Alamo Drafthouse is famous for enforcing a strict policy on behavior while in the theater. Children under the age of two are not allowed, except for showings on specific days which are designated "Alamo For All" showings where parents are encouraged to bring young children, and rules around talking are relaxed. Unaccompanied minors are not allowed in showings, except for members of the Alamo Drafthouse's Victory Vanguard rewards program, which allows 15–17 year-olds to attend showings unattended after their application to the rewards program has been submitted and reviewed. The application involves demonstrating an understanding of the theater's policies around talking, texting, arriving to the theater late, and basic tipping etiquette. The cinema also prohibits talking and texting during the film. Anyone who violates this policy is subject to warning and potential removal from the premises. Alamo made national headlines in 2011 when the rantings of one angry customer who was ejected for texting were included in its "Don't Talk or Text" PSA shown before films. "When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997, we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons," Tim League posted on the cinema's website. "That was the plan. If you can't change your behavior and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don't want you at our venue."

Fantastic Fest

Every year in September, the Alamo South Lamar location in Austin hosts a week-long film festival called

Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of ''The Iron Giant'' and ''Secondhand ...

dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, fantasy, Asian and "cult" film genres. Alamo Lake Creek holds the annual Zombie Film Festival (Dismember the Alamo) and the Off-centered Film Festival. The Ritz and South Lamar locations also participate in the

SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...

in March. Other events include: *Action Pack – patrons are armed with cap guns in order to shoot at the screen during fun action films (often in-house pyrotechnics are performed as well) *Austin Air Guitar – each competitor has 60 seconds to perform air guitar to a song of one's own choosing *Austin Air Sex – same as the above except for sexual acts *Big Screen Classics – classic movies shown on a

Cinemascope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

screen *

Butt-Numb-A-Thon The Butt-Numb-A-Thon (also known as BNAT) was a film marathon held in Austin, Texas every December from 1999 to 2016. It was hosted by Harry Knowles of the Ain't It Cool News website in celebration of his birthday. The festival showed 24 hours o ...

("BNAT"), an annual 24-hour film marathon in honor of Harry Knowles's birthday in December, held from 1999 to 2016 at Drafthouse locations. Following sexual assault allegations against Knowles in September 2017, League said the Alamo had severed all ties with Knowles. *Celebrity Guests – special event where a famed film industry person or

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

speaks *Cinema Cocktails – bar service with at-seat waitered service during movies at the Ritz location *The Dionysium – monthly arts variety show including debate panels, lectures, forums, and socializing *Filmmaking Frenzy – ongoing

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...

competition with annual awards *Food & Film Events – special

meal A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. Although they c ...

service for certain movies *Foleyvision – films which replace original audio with live commentary; formerly "Buzz Moran's Kung Fu Masterpiece Theater" *Kid's Club – free children's movie screenings last Saturday each month *Master Pancake Theater – live movie mockery; a panel of comedians, led by "Head Dude" John Erler, mock a movie as it is shown with live comedy voice-overs, real-time commentary, and some pre-selected movie editing; a successor to the former special event "Christmas Show"; content frequently Rated R. Previously called "Mister Sinus Theater", until a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not disc ...

court order filed by

Best Brains Best Brains, Inc. (first known as ''Hair Brain Productions'') is an entertainment company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is best known for the creation and production of the comedy/sci-fi television program ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', a ...

, holder of the

Mystery Science Theater ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988 ...

copyright, brought about the name-change. * MondoCon – Taking place the first weekend of Fantastic Fest, it focuses on the art and artists behind Mondo's posters and other collectibles. It also offers exclusive items, panels and screenings with filmmakers and artists. *Mondo Mystery Movie – infrequent event where the movie is unknown until it's played. Typically admission includes a poster. *Music Monday – weekly Monday music-related film showing *Open Screen Night – weekly; patrons show their own videos *Quote-Alongs – patrons can sing, quote, and perform along with a movie, typically a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

*Rocky Horror Picture Show – weekly live performance tribute to the movie of the same name *Rolling Roadshow Tour – somewhat annual 35mm movie screenings of famous movies in famous film-related locations across the United States *Sing-Alongs – patrons sing along to musical films or a collection of music videos *Terror Tuesdays – weekly

horror movie Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

showing *Weird Wednesday – weekly eclectic movie showing for $1 at midnight

Rolling Roadshow

Alamo Drafthouse hosts 35mm screenings of famous movies in famous places all over the world with their traveling portable projection system and a blow-up screen. Past events include: ''

Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, al ...

'' at Cortijo el Sotillo, Spain, ''

A Christmas Story ''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book '' In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash'', with some elements from his 1971 book ''Wanda Hickey's ...

'' in Cleveland, OH, ''

The Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jerem ...

'' in Santa Cruz, CA, '' It Came From Outer Space'' 3D in Roswell, NM, ''

The Goonies ''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astor ...

'' in Astoria, OR, ''

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

'' at Devil's Tower, WY, '' The Warriors'' in Coney Island, NY,

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...

in Red Bank, NJ, ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'' at Martha's Vineyard, MA, ''

Field of Dreams ''Field of Dreams'' is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel ''Shoeless Joe''. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a ...

'' at the Field of Dreams, IA, '' The Shining'' at the Stanley Hotel, CO, '' Poseidon Adventure'' on the Queen Mary, CA, '' Escape from Alcatraz'' on Alcatraz, CA, "

Bottle Rocket ''Bottle Rocket'' is a 1996 American crime comedy film directed by Wes Anderson in his feature film directorial debut. The film is written by Anderson and Owen Wilson and is based on Anderson's 1994 short film of the same name. ''Bottle Rocket ...

" in Hillsboro, TX, just to name a few.

Drafthouse Films

In 2010, after the return of former co-founder Tim League as CEO, the company launched

Drafthouse Films Drafthouse Films is a film distribution company based in Austin, Texas which releases "provocative, visionary and artfully unusual films new and old from around the world". It was founded in 2010 by Tim League, who had previously founded the Alamo ...

, a

film distribution Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marke ...

company named after, and inspired by, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain.

Neon

In 2017, then CEO Tim League founded another film distribution company with Tom Quinn in New York City called

Neon Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with krypt ...

, which has earned a total of 12

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations. As of 2019, Tim League was reportedly not involved in the daily operations of Neon.

Birth.Movies.Death.

''Birth.Movies.Death.'' is a magazine and website formerly published by Alamo Drafthouse. The magazine and website provide news and commentary about films and the entertainment industry. The sale of ''Birth.Movies.Death'' to Dallas Sonier's

Cinestate Cinestate was a Dallas-based movie studio founded in 2016 by Dallas Sonnier. The company produced ten films under a variety of production labels, in addition to retroactively claiming the 2014 film ''Bone Tomahawk,'' produced independently by So ...

film studio was announced in May 2020 concurrently with the stepping down of founder Tim League as CEO of Alamo Drafthouse.

Hostile workplace allegations

In October 2016, Devin Faraci resigned from ''Birth.Movies.Death.'' after allegations of sexual assault surfaced. Less than a year later, Tim League re-hired Faraci to write film blurbs for the 2017 Fantastic Fest. Upon discovery of Faraci's re-hiring, Todd Brown resigned as Fantastic Fest's director of international programming in early September 2017. Faraci resigned from writing for Fantastic Fest, and League made several public apologies regarding the matter. Later in September 2017, several women accused Harry Knowles of sexual harassment and sexual assault at events sponsored by Alamo Drafthouse or in professional workplace settings. Subsequent to these revelations, Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest severed business ties with Knowles. League did not attend Fantastic Fest, opting instead to visit Alamo Drafthouse locations around the country to discuss workplace environment issues with employees. Despite these events, Alamo Drafthouse proceeded with plans to show a previously-unreleased pornographic film by

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Culture of Austin, Texas Privately held companies based in Texas Cinemas and movie theaters in Texas American companies established in 1997 Entertainment companies established in 1997 Companies based in Austin, Texas Movie theatre chains in the United States 1997 establishments in Texas Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021

History

Locations

Alabama

California

Colorado

District of Columbia

Illinois

Massachusetts

Missouri

Minnesota

Nebraska

New York

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Other New York cities

North Carolina

Texas

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

Dallas–Fort Worth

El Paso

Other Texas cities

Virginia

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

Other Virginia cities

Worldwide

Former locations

Arizona

Missouri

Michigan

Texas

Cancelled expansions

Texas

Michigan

Florida

Etiquette

Fantastic Fest

Rolling Roadshow

Drafthouse Films

Neon

Birth.Movies.Death.

Hostile workplace allegations

See also

References

External links