TheAlamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 inAustin, Texas, which is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the film, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-goingetiquette.Sony Pictures Experiences acquired the chain in June 2024.[1]
Parts of this article (those related to the strike) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2025)
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded byRice University alumsTim and Karrie League at 409 Colorado St, in an Austin, Texaswarehouse district building on Colorado St. (between 4th and 5th) that was being used as aparking garage.[11] It was their second attempt at operating a movie theater; the Leagues had relocated to Austin after spending two years operating the Tejon Theater inBakersfield, California. The Tejon was unsuccessful, but the Leagues learned important lessons and tried their luck again in Austin.[12]
The company began as asecond-run movie theater. It 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.[citation needed] 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 waitstaff service. Customers write their orders on slips of paper, which black-clad servers pick up.
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 asLike Water for Chocolate served with a dinner matching the meals shown on screen, and retrospectives of various directors and stars.[citation needed] 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 infirst-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, movie mockery and audience participation shows.[citation needed]
In 2003, the Alamo Drafthouse, under the direction of CEO Terrell Braly, opened on 13729 Research Boulevard in northwest Austin. The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek had seven screens, all dedicated to new movies. In May of that year, the Alamo granted their first franchise, which opened in theWest Oaks Mall inHouston, Texas 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.[13]
In August 2004, the second largest Alamo (Westlakes) opened inSan Antonio,Texas, with eight screens.
In August 2005,Entertainment Weekly named the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema "The #1 movie theater in the country doing it right".[14]
Since February 2005, the new company has purchased the original franchise unit from Doss, opened a theater in theKaty Area and inSpring, Texas, and built a new-build multi-screen theater in theRio Grande Valley; though it was announced in 2006 to open, the building has remained unfinished since the original owner was foreclosed upon.[15]
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 historicRitz Theater on6th Street offered as an alternative location, the original Alamo was closed. The final event at the original site consisted of a special triple-feature event on the evening of June 27, 2007. The final movie shown wasNight Warning, with starSusan Tyrrell attending. After the movie, audience members were allowed to disassemble their seats and take them home as souvenirs of the theater.
A second San Antonio theater opened in 2009 (Park North), with six screens.[17] In June 2010, founder Tim League was brought back as CEO of the franchise operations.[18] A third San Antonio location (Stone Oak) opened on November 5, 2010, with six screens. In 2013, the Lake Creek location was closed upon the opening of the brand new, larger Lakeline location.[citation needed] In June 2017, the current largest Alamo opened inSpringfield, Missouri with 14 screens seating 1,050 people.
In late 2017, Alamo purchased the historicBaker Center fromAustin ISD. They had promised to convert the building into public housing for teachers, but have yet to do so. The Baker Center is now Alamo Drafthouse’s corporate headquarters and was added to theNRHP in 2023.[19][20]
In March 2019,Business Insider 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.[21]
In March 2020, Alamo Drafthouse announced that all locations were closed temporarily due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[22]
In May 2020, Alamo announced that former Starbucks executiveShelli 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.[23]
The company announced the launch of the "Alamo on Demand" video streaming service on May 7, 2020. With a video-on-demand platform provided byShift72, the streaming service will have films from Drafthouse Films, its film distribution arm, as well as partner with name-brand studios likeSony Pictures Classics andLionsgate.[24][25][26]
On March 3, 2021, Alamo Drafthouse filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of its restructuring, locations across the southern U.S. were closed, and plans to open an Orlando, Florida location were cancelled.[27][28] The debtors were represented byYoung Conaway Stargatt & Taylor as counsel andHoulihan Lokey as investment banker. With $100 million to $500 million in both assets and liabilities, Alamo entered into a restructuring support agreement to help guide them through their bankruptcy.[29] In June 2021, the company announced that they had emerged from bankruptcy.[30]
In June 2024, all Alamo Drafthouse locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were permanently shuttered, as well as the company's only Minnesota location in Woodbury, as the operator that franchised these locations filed forChapter 7 bankruptcy. The franchisor, Two is One, One is None, LLC, blamed high leasing rents as part of the decision.[31] On June 27, 2024, it was announced these locations would be acquired by Alamo Drafthouse and are set to resume operation in the summer.[32]
On June 12, 2024,Sony Pictures acquired Alamo Drafthouse for a sum which is yet to be disclosed. Sony Pictures had previously owned theLoews Theatres chain after the U.S. Department of Justice relaxed enforcement of theUnited States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. federal ruling orders in 1985.[33][34] Alamo Drafthouse will continue to operate their film festival,Fantastic Fest, which is included in the acquisition.[35] Not long after the purchase by Sony, Alamo Drafthouse was revealed as the replacement tenant for two shutteredShowplace Icon locations inSanta Clara andMountain View, California, expanding the company's Northern California presence to three locations.[36]
On January 14, 2025, Alamo Drafthouse carried out masslayoffs at all levels of the company, with corporate as well as hourly staff at venues being particularly affected. The layoffs came despite reports of strong performance in 2024 and plans to open additional venues. Though the layoffs came only seven months after Sony's acquisition of Alamo Drafthouse, the decision has been described as "an Alamo decision, not a mandate from Sony".[37][38] On February 3, 2025, more than one hundred Alamo Drafthouse employees were laid off at Manhattan, Brooklyn and Colorado locations.[39][40]
On February 14, 2025, employees at the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Colorado locations walked out in the middle of their shifts and went on strike in response to the layoffs.[41][42] The Colorado locations, represented by theCommunications Workers of America Local 7777 union, went back to work after four days.[43] The strike at the Manhattan and Brooklyn locations, represented by theUAW Local 2179 union, ended after 58 days, resulting in the reinstatement of laid off workers, their accrued paid time-off, and seniority.[44][45] Both unions have filedunfair labor practice charges with theNational Labor Relations Board citing bad faith bargaining during negotiations.[46]
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn –Brooklyn inCity Point (Originally 7 screens, opened October 28, 2016, expanded to 12 screens in 2024,[65] includesVideo Vortex video rental store)[66]
Alamo Drafthouse Village (4 screens; opened July 2001, includesVideo Vortex video rental store)[71]
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (6 screens; opened March 7, 2005, closed January 3, 2013, as the rest of the 1950s Lamar Plaza shopping center was demolished and rebuilt around the existing Alamo Drafthouse building. Reopened in the third quarter of 2014 with expanded space bringing screens to 9. In 2023, a 10th screen was added in what used to be the large lobby.)[72]
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 DrafthouseRichardson (7 screens; opened August 2013 as first Dallas–Fort Worth area location, closed June 2024, reopened August 2024)[61][74][75][63]
Alamo DrafthouseThe Cedars (8 screens; opened 2016, closed June 2024, reopened August 2024)[63][61][75]
Alamo DrafthouseLas Colinas (opened April 2018, closed June 2024, reopened August 2024)[63][61][75]
As of September 2021, all three locations were rebranded asMajestic Theaters.[80]
Alamo Drafthouse Phoenix –Chandler (Planned eight-screen location in downtown Chandler, AZ, abandoned due to construction issues, development taken over byHarkins Theatres. Alamo Holdings LLC later inked a $14.6 million lease on a location in south Chandler which opened on December 2, 2016)[81]
Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet –Kansas City (6 screens; took over operations from AMC Theatres June 21, 2012; closure announced as part of bankruptcy restructuring in March 2021)
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown – Austin (single screen; opened 1997, closed 2007 to move to the Ritz location)
Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek – Austin (7 screens; opened May 2003; closed July 2013)
Alamo DrafthouseWest Oaks Mall – Houston (6 screens; opened May 2003 as the first Houston area location, closed June 25, 2012)
Alamo Drafthouse Vintage Park –Spring (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 the LaCenterra location)
Alamo Drafthouse at theRitz – Austin (2 screens; opened November 2007; closure announced as part of the bankruptcy restructuring in March 2021) - Now the home ofJoe Rogan's comedy club Comedy Mothership[86]
Alamo Drafthouse Marketplace –New Braunfels (11 screens; opened December 20, 2013; closure announced as part of the bankruptcy restructuring in March 2021)
Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes –San Antonio (9 screens; opened August 2004 as the first San Antonio area location; closed mid-2021)
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 designated "Alamo For All", where parents are encouraged to bring young children, and rules around talking are relaxed.[97] 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 late, and basic tipping etiquette.[98]
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.[99] 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."[100]
In 2010, after the return of former co-founder Tim League as CEO, the company launchedDrafthouse Films, afilm distribution company named after, and inspired by, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain.
In 2017, then CEO Tim League founded another film distribution company with Tom Quinn in New York City calledNeon, which has earned a total of 12Academy Award nominations. As of 2019, Tim League was reportedly not involved in the daily operations of Neon.[101]
Birth.Movies.Death. was a film magazine and website formerly published by Alamo Drafthouse.[102] It was previously known asBadass Digest.[103]
The sale of Birth.Movies.Death toDallas Sonnier'sCinestate film studio was announced in May 2020 concurrently with the stepping down of founder Tim League as CEO of Alamo Drafthouse.[104]
In October 2016, Devin Faraci resigned fromBirth.Movies.Death. after allegations of sexual assault surfaced.[105] Less than a year later, Tim League re-hired Faraci to write film blurbs for the 2017 Fantastic Fest.[106] Upon discovery of Faraci's re-hiring, Todd Brown resigned as Fantastic Fest's director of international programming in early September 2017.[107] Faraci resigned from writing for Fantastic Fest, and League made several public apologies regarding the matter.[108]
Later in September 2017, several women accusedHarry Knowles of sexual harassment and sexual assault at events sponsored by Alamo Drafthouse or in professional workplace settings.[109][110] Subsequently, 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.[111]
Also in 2017, Alamo Drafthouse exhibitedTake It Out in Trade, a previously unreleased pornographic film byEd Wood, to a "surprise" audience who had not been told about the film or its subject ahead of time.[112]
