25 Years of Alamo Drafthouse: How a Local Movie Theater Became One of the Worlds Most Influential Cinemas

Table Of Content

• Texas
• History Declassified: Screenwriter Arash Amel Enlists the Daring Misfits of THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE
• Zendaya & Luca Guadagnino Movie ‘Challengers’ Topspinning To $15M Opening – Box Office
• Years of Alamo Drafthouse: How a Local Movie Theater Became One of the World’s Most Influential Cinemas

Guests order all food and drinks from servers who quietly attend to them throughout the movie from inside the theater. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy the pre-show entertainment. Instead of a barrage of advertising, Alamo Drafthouse shows a curated collection of rare and humorous clips themed to each feature. Austin, TX — June 1, 2021 — Theaters are coming back and Alamo Drafthouse is primed to meet the demand. This also marks the end of the company’s Chapter 11 filing with the completion of the sale to Altamont Capital Partners, funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League. Founded in 1997, Alamo Drafthouse has been heralded for unique programming events, great food and drinks, and high exhibition standards, earning accolades including “Best Theater Ever” by Time Magazine and “The Coolest Theater in the World” by Wired.

Texas

The round booths adjacent to the bar feel like those once boasted by commercial flights only seen nowadays in classic movies and each booth feature mementos from famous films taking place in each of their domestic destination themes. Crystal City has been a long time home of aviation companies and air travel innovation and an elevated outdoor patio provides views up and down Crystal Drive with the sights and sounds of nearby airplanes departing in the distance. Alamo Drafthouse is known not just for its menu with craft beer and locally sourced food, but also themed events tied to new and beloved movies. Rosenthal helped to elevate some of those tailored in-theater experiences, like a “Barbie” “dress up and slumber party” screening and an “Asteroid City” pop-up in the lobby of Alamo Drafthouse Manhattan. She recently spearheaded the Time Capsule Series, which brought back classic and cult films from particular years as a way to keep theaters full in between blockbusters. The Leagues accepted an offer to implement a franchise model in 2004, whereby ownership would be split between the Leagues, who retained control of the Austin locations, and franchisees.

History Declassified: Screenwriter Arash Amel Enlists the Daring Misfits of THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE

September through November 2024 marks movies from 1979, with “Apocalypse Now,” “The Deer Hunter,” and “Stalker” screening. The program closes out with films from 1974 like “The Godfather Part II” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” from October through December. Additionally, Alamo Drafthouse protects the theatrical experience with a zero tolerance policy for people who disrupt the film with talking or texting. Alamo Drafthouse’s “Don’t Talk” PSAs have frequently received national attention, and have featured former Texas Governor Ann Richards, Jeff Goldblum and a velociraptor, Georgie from IT, THE ROOM director and star Tommy Wiseau, and one very angry voicemail. Located on the second floor and featuring an outdoor patio, Departures will offer a curated mix of local and national craft beer, wine, and a special drink menu of signature aviation-themed cocktails.

Zendaya & Luca Guadagnino Movie ‘Challengers’ Topspinning To $15M Opening – Box Office

“Unsung Hero” follows a predictable narrative path of struggles and salvation, but it’s not a traditional music biopic — it doesn’t start with a record deal, it ends with one. The focus is on their hardships to get to that record deal, which is clearly what matters to filmmaker Joel Smallbone. It’s not the success, the Grammys, the stadium concerts, but the ways they stuck together, eked it out, allowed themselves to dream, all thanks to their mother, who never let David’s challenges get in the way of her kids’ imaginations.

Film

The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Past co-stars Scott Cohen (Gilmore Girls), Babak Tafti (Billions), Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), and Michael Cyril Creighton (Only Murders In the Building). It opens at the IFC Center and Film at Lincoln Center (Q&As all weekend) with a limited rollout to follow. “We’ve been running a year-long capstone series called Time Capsules, where we focus on a few anniversary years from 1974 to 1999. We’ll reach 1989 this summer, which was a seminal year for pop, indie and international filmmaking. “Batman,” “Do the Right Thing,” “UHF,” “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” “Tie Me Up!

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin, TX. Twenty-five years later, with 37 locations and counting, Alamo Drafthouse has been called “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired. Alamo Drafthouse has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star-studded special events.

Mondo, which began as an iron-on T-shirt side gig run out of a former Alamo ticket booth, was sold to the pop culture collectibles brand Funko in June. Cannibalism gags aside, Alamo’s attention to the dine-in element of its identity began around that time. In fact, the Leagues’ first theater in Bakersfield had experimented with dinner-and-a-movie nights—The Bicycle Thief paired with dinner catered by an Italian restaurant, for example—and they had come to Austin ready to expand on the concept. During their honeymoon, which Tim describes as “a working honeymoon,” the couple stopped by the cinema-pub McMenamins, in Portland, Oregon, and drew inspiration from the model ahead of opening the first Alamo in Austin. The Leagues tweaked the dine-in concept in a unique way to fit their new cinema, even if their combined experience in the food service sector consisted of stints waiting tables and working at a pizza restaurant. In 1994, a 24-year-old Tim League, then an engineer at Shell Oil in Bakersfield, California, was driving to work when he noticed the words “For Lease” on the marquee of the Tejon Theatre, a cinema dating back to the 1940s that had fallen on hard times.

Fire Country: Did Luke’s Bombshell Blow Up [Spoiler]’s Future? Michael Trucco Teases What’s Ahead

Without that self-reflection, it can slip into murky, confusing territory. This space is where the new film “Unsung Hero,” which is billed as a “For King & Country Film,” exists. Mother’s Day is better with our lineup of mom-approved movies, a refreshingly floral new mug, gift cards, and a fabulous Mother’s Day Feast.

Years of Alamo Drafthouse: How a Local Movie Theater Became One of the World’s Most Influential Cinemas

Alamo Drafthouse opens new location in Naples next week - Naples Daily News

Alamo Drafthouse opens new location in Naples next week.

Posted: Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:09:17 GMT [source]

Alamo Drafthouse’s evolution from a community movie theater to one of the country’s 20 largest cinema circuits has come with its share of operational crises. In the years preceding the pandemic, the company faced criticism from former employees claiming it minimized reports of sexual harassment and that several locations fostered a hostile work environment. Allegations of workplace misconduct continued into 2020, and the organization was soon struggling to cope with another crisis—the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic. A large portion of its staff was let go in the ensuing months as the chain downsized on the heels of the pandemic’s cinema closures. Trish Eichelberg recalls learning about the public’s regional tastes as the circuit added sites in different parts of the country. The pizza sauce, for example, proved too spicy for diners in Yonkers, New York.

Recently we had the chance to chat with Isgar about his love for film and his programming work at Alamo (drafthouse.com). Since he was a teenager, Shane Pollock knew he wanted to be an exhibitor. He finally fulfilled his long-standing ambition by acquiring his local cinema a few years after the Covid-19 pandemic. Now in theaters from Lionsgate, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare tells the true story of the very first special forces organization. Formed during World War II by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials‚ including future... It’s a humble story, one with the capacity to inspire in its simple message of perseverance.

Norton is a single, working-class father of an adored four-year-old, Michael, BIFA-nominated Daniel Lamont. When John is given only a few months left to live, he starts a search for a new, perfect family for his son. Initially certain of what he is looking for, John gradually abandons his early convictions, overwhelmed by doubts. As he struggles for answers, he accepts the help of a young social worker, opening himself to solutions he would never have considered. She’s worked at the company since 2017 and previously served as VP of marketing. Rosenthal has 20 years of marketing experience, including stops at Fandango and its parent company NBCUniversal before joining Drafthouse.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato - Wink News

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema prepares for opening at Mercato.

Posted: Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:39:46 GMT [source]

Alamo Drafthouse Crystal City features the company’s next-generation Premium Large Format standard, The Big Show. IFC Films presents Caitlin Cronenberg’s directorial debut, sci-fi  environmental mystery thriller Humane, in 56 theaters including Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan and Alamo Drafthouse Downtown LA. The film unspools over a single day, months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population.

In August 2004, the second largest Alamo (Westlakes) opened in San Antonio, Texas, with eight screens.

Alamo Drafthouse is also headed to the Gateway City with Alamo Drafthouse’s first theater in St. Louis. Located at the upcoming City Foundry STL development in St. Louis’ Midtown district, Alamo Drafthouse St. Louis is a 10-screen theater from franchise partner St. Louis Alamo Movies, LLC and is expected to open in Spring 2022. Additionally, the previously announced Staten Island theater is still in development with the Flying Guillotine, a martial arts-inspired bar in partnership with Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA.

Joanna Arnow’s micro-budget comedy The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. It follows a thirtysomething New York woman as time passes in her long-term casual BDSM relationship, low-level corporate job, and quarrelsome Jewish family. And that’s BDSM, as in bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism. There’s a nice trio of specialty films to highlight this weekend from Joanna Arnow, Uberto Pasolini and Caitlin Cronenberg‘s feature directorial debut. Rosenthal’s promotion comes as the Texas-based chain, popular for its in-theater dining and fan-forward approach to moviegoing, is reportedly exploring a sale. Several Hollywood studios were approached to assess their interest in buying the company, according to two sources.

Like in all the company’s nearly 40 locations, Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan, D.C., National Landing, and St. Louis will feature a diverse mix of blockbusters, indies, documentaries, foreign language films, repertory classics, and unique special events. All four theaters will feature 4K Barco laser projection, immersive surround sound, and luxury recliners in all auditoriums. Continuing the company’s commitment to preserving 35mm, Lower Manhattan and St. Louis will feature 35mm changeover projection, so that both classic films and new releases can be experienced in glorious celluloid. And National Landing will each feature “The Big Show”, Alamo Drafthouse’s next-generation Premium Large Format theater optimized for the enormous 66’ wide x 28’ tall curved screen and transformative Dolby Atmos audio technology for a truly immersive experience. Each of the new locations will also include separate full-service bars featuring craft cocktails, wine, and local craft beers on tap. Alamo Drafthouse provides a unique combination of theater and restaurant, showing first-run movies, independent films and special events with an extensive menu made from scratch.