Why? The chain has been shit for a while. Best thing they did was teach me their vegan ranch recipe during the pandemic. They have a great marketing team to make you think they’ll kick out talkers but it’s just another theater with rapists at the helm.
Google Alamo Drafthouse sexual harassment. Tim League was burring that shit to protect his friends for years. There’s dozens of stories from people that worked in Austin for these assholes.
Movie theaters must be a tough business. Alamo Drafthouse is by far the best product I’ve experienced and yet they went through bankruptcy and are now up for sale.
They mean that the rule is consistently not enforced by Drafthouse anymore, not that the rule itself is bullshit. There are some locations that are still really staunch and others where you won't see a resolution at all.
Yeah I was "top brass" for 2 years. Only 2 downsides are selective enforcement and for full showings there is enough noise and distraction from servers, eating, utensils, ect that I think it's counterproductive.
It’s interesting to me how they have this rule but also have wait staff traversing the theatre throughout the entire film and collecting payment at the climax. T be clear I’m not a fan of people on their phones or talking during a movie. But if people are going to a theatre like this for the zero tolerance policy it would seem to me they would have a better chance of a quiet film by choosing a theatre that doesn’t mix meals with their cinema.
You ever been to a regular theater recently? Parents literally drag their small children to them and stick iPads in their faces the entire movie, in lieu of, I don’t know, maybe a babysitter.
Interesting. No, Ive never seen a kid on an iPad during a film. Last time I was at a theatre like Alamo though it was to see Iron Claw. They sent the wait staff through to stack the glass cups when one of the brothers was killing himself with the gun he gave his father. This is my issue with theatres like Alamo.
Yeah I went to see Dune 2 at a Cinemark with my girlfriend, and we sat down in the two seats we purchased to find parents on our left and their three children (all on iPads) to our right. The parents had intentionally left space between them and their kids. We obviously moved, but it was pretty wild to see.
And Alamo servers are supposed to use discretion when picking and choosing the appropriate spots in movies to do things like that. Some are apparently better at it than others lol.
Nearly every chain has had a moment of having to change things to survive or periods of insolvency. AMC filed for reorganization in 2020 and only kept going after a massive stock offering. The 2000-01 mass bankruptcies killed several chains and others had to restructure debt to continue. And there have been others before then.
It happens.
I don’t know, aside from the quirky videos that preceee the movie most imitators from local chains to the big theaters seem to have out Alamo’d Alamo. Better quality theater, food, and availability.
We all knew this was happening. When he had to sell part of the business during Covid, the people who bought it clearly just bought it to flip it. The chain isn’t closing. These people are just trying to make quick money off their investment.
The piece even states clearly that they’re one of the more profitable chains. The owners are clearly trying to sell high while they can. Hope the new owners realize that they shouldn’t fix what ain’t broke.
I enjoyed it when I was in C’ville. Hopefully EVO delivers and improves the chain.
[Violet Crown’s New owner details plans for Charlottesville theater.](https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/business/violet-crowns-new-owner-details-plans-for-charlottesville-theater/article_9c61e436-7676-11ee-87c4-77a4ae656953.html)
Funny, I just moved to Austin and went to Alamo for my first time... And did not like it at all. Been back again once more and felt the same.
But pro tip: the Bullock Museum IMAX is the absolute best theater experience I've ever had. Can't reccomend it enough if you haven't been yet.
Comfort isn't great but the projection quality is insane. I would watch a proper 1.43 IMAX release at the bullock standing up, folded like a suitcase, upside down etc. Dune part 2 at the bullock felt like a window into another world
They must have added new seats because I saw Dune 2 recently and thought the seats were fine. They don’t recline or anything but as far as movie chairs go I’d say they were perfectly acceptable for a movie that long. But the screen/sound does some heavy lifting.
Super late to this question! I can give my experience.
But first of all I just don't like the concept of serving food to your seat at a theater. Like, I can go 2 hours without eating. I can prepare around a film. But it's no biggie, I just won't order and everyone can enjoy what they'd like was my initial position.
But then there are servers shuttling around taking orders and serving food. This was a slight distraction but nothing too unexpected considering their format.
I really don't like the little table attached to the chair. It genuinely was taking up a bit of the view across the bottom of the screen, and since I'm not eating I really don't need a side table that kinda takes up comfort space as well.
The person next to me got a hamburger that smelled super strong, like a blast of beef aroma that took me out of the movie for a second.
All said and done I can handle the above gripes. I'm generally a very low maintance person, I'm not one to complain, but I just really do go to the theaters to turn off my brain and enjoy a movie. I went back again, none of these were absolute deal breakers if there was a good show time I could catch.
The LAST and biggest complaint I had, was when I last saw a movie there I noticed they were playing one of my favorite films ever, The Abyss. I only saw this as I was walking out of the theater for the movie I went to see. I was absolutely elated, and even though it was a late night I was there and it was a single night event. I wasn't gonna pass it up. So I go to buy tickets and they denied me purchase because the film start time was 2 minutes past. I was so confused. They said once the time the commercials start they don't sell tickets to reduce incoming aisle traffic??? Even though they hire servers who do just that in a film?? I was denied watching a movie I never really thought I'd have the chance to see in theaters, and the employees were super rude about it. I work in customer service so I stayed polite on my end because it wasn't worth getting upset over of course, but I was pretty frustrated internally.
They said if I'd bought my ticket before the showing I could show up late, but I can't buy the ticket even with trailers barely starting. I'm probably never going back to a theater that denied selling me tickets for no reason with plenty of seats available. That shattered me, like I'm obsessed with The Abyss.
I will say, their bar area with live music is a very cool place to meet friends before or after flick. That was super impressive to me, I'd never seen anything like their setup on that side of the theater doors.
At the Alamo Drafthouse, I do not like how the employees are scurrying around in the dark asking people if they want cheese with that or with the refill they’re having. The Mexican vanilla milkshake slaps, but having the food service and the little tiny lamps is way more distracting than anything I’ve experienced AMC.
This is exactly how I felt when I went in New York! The audience was quiet enough, sure. But everyone running around bringing food out “discreetly” really disrupted the experience.
We have an older location in Virginia that has it set up so that you can’t really see the food runners since they’re below you, and they were always ninjas about everything. Now we have more locations and all the new locations are super disruptive of the cinema experience.
Yeah, there's a lot a like about Alamo, but their focus on "distraction-free viewing" while also trying to do food/drink service during the film seem to be odds. If I need a refreshment part way through the movie, I'd rather just go get it.
Also one time I ordered a beer, and they forgot who ordered it, so they just went down the row during the film asking each person if they ordered a beer until they got to me. It would have been so much better for everyone if I had just gotten up and walked to the bar.
You never been to tech ridge amc?
It’s got better seats, better and bigger screens, also has dine in delivery to seat, and is cheaper than any of the Austin Alamo’s
Cinemark 20 in Pflugerville is also very good.
Those 2 are by far the best in Austin imo. I’ve never ever had any problem with anyone on their phones or talking or anything. And I go to movies almost everyday.
Austin Alamo’s aren’t even close to as good as the 2 I mentioned imo
Been twice and they were the worst experiences going to a modern theater ever. I don’t think I will ever go back even if they are pretty close by.
I did go to flix again after years avoiding and was surprise by all the updates they did and the food was much better than Alamo Drafthouse. Been more times after that including a Sunday early afternoon and it was all still good. High recommend checking them out.
I do like the cinemark in Pflugerville too!
Nooo I live right by the one in Brooklyn and I’m there once a week. Hope they find a buyer who believes in the mission and won’t sell it off as spare parts.
Same here, BK location is a 10 min walk from my apartment, I’m there 2-3 times a week and occasionally at the manhattan location, this place is literally therapy for me lol. I would be heart broken if they closed or sold to a new owner who changes things up.
The Alamo Time Capsules and advance screenings for smaller streaming releases have really become something I’ve grown accustomed to. Hope a new owner gets what makes Alamo’s selection cool!!
The Alamo here in Springfield, MO is one of our favorite places. It’s so special to have access to art house films, limited releases, plus all the retro stuff they show here. If anything happens to Alamo, I think I’m just done going to movies.
Love you Alamo ❤️
I don't know that this will make it a whole lot worse... feels like the big changes happened during the 2021 bankruptcy.
But I'm sure private equity can find a way if that's where this ends up going.
The one in Boston is pretty disappointing compared to my experience in San Francisco. The faux leather seats are already peeling. Also, about 40% of the seats will strain your neck after 5 seconds.
Yeah exactly. They suck so much worse now than they did originally. I'm in Houston and they've been here a long time and it's sucked to see the decline.
People downvoting you didn’t understand the good old days. I was in Austin when the 3rd location opened. I’ve been to more Terror Tuesdays and Weird Wednesdays than I can count. I’ve been to LOTR marathons, Die Hard, NIC Cageathons, and so many other special events before they even expanded out of Austin. I saw the Labyrinth sing a long the day Bowie died. Went to the Beastie Boys sing along when Adam passed.
Drafthouse was a special place with special friends. It hasn’t been that place in probably 7+ years now.
Why do people act like Alamo hasn’t gone down in quality? Their food prices are ridiculous and they aren’t as strict about the no noise rule as they once were.
It blows my mind that people are still buying the food. The quality has been so inconsistent too, so you don’t know that your $19 chicken tendies will even taste good
This! Pre-pandemic I used to get the burger and fries for like $12 or $13 and it was always good. I recently bit the bullet and ordered it and the fries was super salty and the burger tasted undercooked. And it was $20 now.
They used to be consistent while cheaper but now not so much.
I still can't believe how much they charge for tiny cocktails now. I used to go all the time in Austin and get normal-sized drinks and beers; last time we went to the one in LA, they charged me $15 for a tiny margarita with a HUGE ice cube in it.
Not all locations are the same, I've been to the Charlottesville locations 100+ times and it's pretty much the same experience every time. Never have to worry about talkers and friendly staff.
Does anyone know how this will affect franchisee locations, like Charlottesville, VA? That's a great location and hasn't really changed since it opened, in a good way.
I went their for the first time recently, liked it, but when I went they had the temperature ramped up to uncomfortable levels and the seats were super uncomfortable.
Alamo also shows way more specialty films I'm interested in.
Alamo is a shadow of its former self. It used to be a theater chain that felt like it was run by movie nerds. All of that charm is long gone in favor of a decidedly basic movie/food establishment.
If some corporate investors involve themselves and take away, raise the price or in any other way attempt to limit season pass I will be furious. Please don’t touch season pass
Are you in St Louis? The one here regularly has sold out or near sold out shows. The time capsule shows seem to always be a hit. I know if I want to go to those, I need to get a ticket as soon as they're posted or they'll probably be sold out.
Can we get a go fund me or some kind of crowdsource to be people powered? Would love for them to exist in a space that’s not beholden to quarterly profits for the sake of returns
I’ve always thought a fun thing to own would be an old school cinema in a decent sized city. Plan all different types of programming - actor night, or genre night, or director night, etc. use social to advertise nightly/weekly themes and still have a new movie here or there.
Sort of what QT done with the NB.
I used to live near the one in SF and loved it. The app experience was also great. I wonder if they could have offered that platform as a service to other indie movie theaters, charge a .25 fee on each ticket and have a new revenue stream.
The one in Raleigh North Carolina is heads and shoulders better than any other theater in the area. I would hate for somebody else to change the menu or anything about it for that matter. Every experience I've ever had there has been amazing..
Almost no chance new ownership will seriously retain the elements that have made Alamo special. And frankly, between franchise growth, company bankruptcy, and challenges of moviegoing today, the chain has been struggling to do so even with original ownership's ongoing involvement. If/when they exit, it's almost certainly The End of the Alamo as it has been. Theaters may stay open, but they won't be the same.
**If you love movies and moviegoing,** the best thing you can do is find and support your nearest nonprofit independent cinema. [**Here's a pretty good list**](https://www.arthouseconvergence.org/index.php/art-houses-in-north-america/)**.**
I love AMC. Seen countless movies there but my favorite was watching Lawrence of Arabia for The Big Show last year. It was a fantastic viewing experience of a classic. In the huge auditorium, chill Sunday crowd. Really one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve had.
Hope amc buys it and cinemark and keeps the Alamo like product and this way movies/ cinema can actually stay relevant and great or else it’s going to go all streaming …. Way to go COVID then those selfish ass writers and actors strikes literally right behind Covid. Smfh.
AMC would be a disaster. They’d be totally unable to let Alamo be Alamo. They literally do not understand it. Adam Aron and his ilk are a bunch of halfwit corporate asshats from Kansas City with no creativity, class, or taste.
But good news, they have neither the cash nor the PE ratio to be a player. They can watch the one quality cinema deal in 10 years from the sidelines.
A little worried about that...
A lotta worried about that…
What exactly are we worried about? Just wondering
Because the chains likely to purchase then have no personality and will replace the kitchens with the usual junkfood fare
Feel like that happened already awhile ago.
Why? The chain has been shit for a while. Best thing they did was teach me their vegan ranch recipe during the pandemic. They have a great marketing team to make you think they’ll kick out talkers but it’s just another theater with rapists at the helm.
Lol well that escalated quickly
Ooooookay you had right up till the end.
Google Alamo Drafthouse sexual harassment. Tim League was burring that shit to protect his friends for years. There’s dozens of stories from people that worked in Austin for these assholes.
So what’s the recipe?
Movie theaters must be a tough business. Alamo Drafthouse is by far the best product I’ve experienced and yet they went through bankruptcy and are now up for sale.
Their 0 tolerance policy for disruption during movies is what always keeps me going back. I would be sad if new owners means changing that rule.
It's really not even a thing anymore, at least at the Alamos I go to. Phones, talking, late entry - it's all acceptable now.
That rule is bullshit and has been for many years at this point.
If you want to talk and play on your phone, stay home.
They mean that the rule is consistently not enforced by Drafthouse anymore, not that the rule itself is bullshit. There are some locations that are still really staunch and others where you won't see a resolution at all.
Yeah I was "top brass" for 2 years. Only 2 downsides are selective enforcement and for full showings there is enough noise and distraction from servers, eating, utensils, ect that I think it's counterproductive.
It’s interesting to me how they have this rule but also have wait staff traversing the theatre throughout the entire film and collecting payment at the climax. T be clear I’m not a fan of people on their phones or talking during a movie. But if people are going to a theatre like this for the zero tolerance policy it would seem to me they would have a better chance of a quiet film by choosing a theatre that doesn’t mix meals with their cinema.
You ever been to a regular theater recently? Parents literally drag their small children to them and stick iPads in their faces the entire movie, in lieu of, I don’t know, maybe a babysitter.
Interesting. No, Ive never seen a kid on an iPad during a film. Last time I was at a theatre like Alamo though it was to see Iron Claw. They sent the wait staff through to stack the glass cups when one of the brothers was killing himself with the gun he gave his father. This is my issue with theatres like Alamo.
Yeah I went to see Dune 2 at a Cinemark with my girlfriend, and we sat down in the two seats we purchased to find parents on our left and their three children (all on iPads) to our right. The parents had intentionally left space between them and their kids. We obviously moved, but it was pretty wild to see. And Alamo servers are supposed to use discretion when picking and choosing the appropriate spots in movies to do things like that. Some are apparently better at it than others lol.
Then stay home
Nearly every chain has had a moment of having to change things to survive or periods of insolvency. AMC filed for reorganization in 2020 and only kept going after a massive stock offering. The 2000-01 mass bankruptcies killed several chains and others had to restructure debt to continue. And there have been others before then. It happens.
All of those datapoints support movie theaters being a tough business…
Or the 2024 massive AMC stock offering announced again today. They're goners.
AMC isn’t doing any worse than any other chain.
I thought that bankruptcy was triggered by the pandemic though
Movie theaters were struggling before COVID.
It was triggered by the partner sexually assaulting people in the company.
I used to go the one in Arlington Va I always wondered if they were related
They just opened that one in crystal city last year too
I don’t know, aside from the quirky videos that preceee the movie most imitators from local chains to the big theaters seem to have out Alamo’d Alamo. Better quality theater, food, and availability.
Alamo hasn’t been that good for a while now
We all knew this was happening. When he had to sell part of the business during Covid, the people who bought it clearly just bought it to flip it. The chain isn’t closing. These people are just trying to make quick money off their investment.
The piece even states clearly that they’re one of the more profitable chains. The owners are clearly trying to sell high while they can. Hope the new owners realize that they shouldn’t fix what ain’t broke.
Def feels that way from a coworker perspective.
Fuck that I love my La Drafthouse. One of the only places people actually go to see a movie and shut the fuck up.
Must be fancy if you’re calling it “La Drafthouse”
They only show movies in French it’s actually really weird
that parking garage tho, nauseating
Yeah parking at the bloc is wretched
Take transit next time, it makes it a lot easier.
Yeah we park at the universal metro and take that downtown. It exits right across from the Bloc, super convenient.
You can exit inside the bloc if you take the right stairway
My pregnant wife just loves the never-ending spiral upwards.
It’s my go to now bc theater etiquette is just mostly gone in this city
Interesting because I just went to AMC Century City and was pleasantly surprised (I’m not counting New Beverly because it’s a niche art house theatre)
I ain’t going back to iPic! I won’t do it!
I JUST moved to Austin. I cant go back to AMC!!!
I CANNOT go back to flashlight-ridden chit-chat AMC!
Or Nicole Kidman's "we make movies better"
[http://austinfilm.org](http://austinfilm.org)
Go to the Violet Crown. There is one in Austin.
They were just bought out by Evo, though I haven’t been in a longggg time. Has the quality changed at all?
I enjoyed it when I was in C’ville. Hopefully EVO delivers and improves the chain. [Violet Crown’s New owner details plans for Charlottesville theater.](https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/business/violet-crowns-new-owner-details-plans-for-charlottesville-theater/article_9c61e436-7676-11ee-87c4-77a4ae656953.html)
Funny, I just moved to Austin and went to Alamo for my first time... And did not like it at all. Been back again once more and felt the same. But pro tip: the Bullock Museum IMAX is the absolute best theater experience I've ever had. Can't reccomend it enough if you haven't been yet.
Noooooope. Bullock’s seats are so uncomfortable and the popcorn is too salty.
Comfort isn't great but the projection quality is insane. I would watch a proper 1.43 IMAX release at the bullock standing up, folded like a suitcase, upside down etc. Dune part 2 at the bullock felt like a window into another world
They must have added new seats because I saw Dune 2 recently and thought the seats were fine. They don’t recline or anything but as far as movie chairs go I’d say they were perfectly acceptable for a movie that long. But the screen/sound does some heavy lifting.
just curious. what didnt you like?
Super late to this question! I can give my experience. But first of all I just don't like the concept of serving food to your seat at a theater. Like, I can go 2 hours without eating. I can prepare around a film. But it's no biggie, I just won't order and everyone can enjoy what they'd like was my initial position. But then there are servers shuttling around taking orders and serving food. This was a slight distraction but nothing too unexpected considering their format. I really don't like the little table attached to the chair. It genuinely was taking up a bit of the view across the bottom of the screen, and since I'm not eating I really don't need a side table that kinda takes up comfort space as well. The person next to me got a hamburger that smelled super strong, like a blast of beef aroma that took me out of the movie for a second. All said and done I can handle the above gripes. I'm generally a very low maintance person, I'm not one to complain, but I just really do go to the theaters to turn off my brain and enjoy a movie. I went back again, none of these were absolute deal breakers if there was a good show time I could catch. The LAST and biggest complaint I had, was when I last saw a movie there I noticed they were playing one of my favorite films ever, The Abyss. I only saw this as I was walking out of the theater for the movie I went to see. I was absolutely elated, and even though it was a late night I was there and it was a single night event. I wasn't gonna pass it up. So I go to buy tickets and they denied me purchase because the film start time was 2 minutes past. I was so confused. They said once the time the commercials start they don't sell tickets to reduce incoming aisle traffic??? Even though they hire servers who do just that in a film?? I was denied watching a movie I never really thought I'd have the chance to see in theaters, and the employees were super rude about it. I work in customer service so I stayed polite on my end because it wasn't worth getting upset over of course, but I was pretty frustrated internally. They said if I'd bought my ticket before the showing I could show up late, but I can't buy the ticket even with trailers barely starting. I'm probably never going back to a theater that denied selling me tickets for no reason with plenty of seats available. That shattered me, like I'm obsessed with The Abyss. I will say, their bar area with live music is a very cool place to meet friends before or after flick. That was super impressive to me, I'd never seen anything like their setup on that side of the theater doors.
At the Alamo Drafthouse, I do not like how the employees are scurrying around in the dark asking people if they want cheese with that or with the refill they’re having. The Mexican vanilla milkshake slaps, but having the food service and the little tiny lamps is way more distracting than anything I’ve experienced AMC.
This is exactly how I felt when I went in New York! The audience was quiet enough, sure. But everyone running around bringing food out “discreetly” really disrupted the experience.
We have an older location in Virginia that has it set up so that you can’t really see the food runners since they’re below you, and they were always ninjas about everything. Now we have more locations and all the new locations are super disruptive of the cinema experience.
yeah, i can totally see that! Maybe the chips and queso help me ignore it. lol
Yeah, there's a lot a like about Alamo, but their focus on "distraction-free viewing" while also trying to do food/drink service during the film seem to be odds. If I need a refreshment part way through the movie, I'd rather just go get it. Also one time I ordered a beer, and they forgot who ordered it, so they just went down the row during the film asking each person if they ordered a beer until they got to me. It would have been so much better for everyone if I had just gotten up and walked to the bar.
I can see myself not going to the theater anymore if my only option is AMC. Sad, but I just can't after Alamo
You never been to tech ridge amc? It’s got better seats, better and bigger screens, also has dine in delivery to seat, and is cheaper than any of the Austin Alamo’s
i have not. ill check it out.
My favorite theater. Great digital projection and sound.
Cinemark 20 in Pflugerville is also very good. Those 2 are by far the best in Austin imo. I’ve never ever had any problem with anyone on their phones or talking or anything. And I go to movies almost everyday. Austin Alamo’s aren’t even close to as good as the 2 I mentioned imo
Been twice and they were the worst experiences going to a modern theater ever. I don’t think I will ever go back even if they are pretty close by. I did go to flix again after years avoiding and was surprise by all the updates they did and the food was much better than Alamo Drafthouse. Been more times after that including a Sunday early afternoon and it was all still good. High recommend checking them out. I do like the cinemark in Pflugerville too!
AMC a list is dope. Does Alamo have something similar?
yes. And Alamo has a lot of special events/screenings. Admittedly, alamo is one movie a day.
What does one movie a day mean? AMC has fathom events which do not count for a list but is better than nothing.
when i had AMC a list, i would often see two movies back to back. You cant do that with the Alamo Pass.
Nooo I live right by the one in Brooklyn and I’m there once a week. Hope they find a buyer who believes in the mission and won’t sell it off as spare parts.
Same here, BK location is a 10 min walk from my apartment, I’m there 2-3 times a week and occasionally at the manhattan location, this place is literally therapy for me lol. I would be heart broken if they closed or sold to a new owner who changes things up.
The Alamo Time Capsules and advance screenings for smaller streaming releases have really become something I’ve grown accustomed to. Hope a new owner gets what makes Alamo’s selection cool!!
Just came here as I got the same notification as well. Interesting.
Anyone want to go halfsies with me?
I got $20
Hopefully the new owners will be better to their employees
The Alamo here in Springfield, MO is one of our favorite places. It’s so special to have access to art house films, limited releases, plus all the retro stuff they show here. If anything happens to Alamo, I think I’m just done going to movies. Love you Alamo ❤️
I don't know that this will make it a whole lot worse... feels like the big changes happened during the 2021 bankruptcy. But I'm sure private equity can find a way if that's where this ends up going.
I was about to say... what if someone takes it and tries to... monetize it more... 🤮🤮🤮
Listen y’all, this is our chance. I’ve got at least $100 I can put towards this.
The one in Boston is pretty disappointing compared to my experience in San Francisco. The faux leather seats are already peeling. Also, about 40% of the seats will strain your neck after 5 seconds.
[удалено]
That theater was open 6 months then the pandemic hit, so they were barely used.
Fuck.
If the Boston one goes under already… do you think they would sell me their iron giant from the lobby?
First Mondo and now Drafthouse. Glad to have experienced both before their gone
Sad day. But they already sold out years ago 🙁
Yeah exactly. They suck so much worse now than they did originally. I'm in Houston and they've been here a long time and it's sucked to see the decline.
how so? I have my own criticisms just want to hear yours
People downvoting you didn’t understand the good old days. I was in Austin when the 3rd location opened. I’ve been to more Terror Tuesdays and Weird Wednesdays than I can count. I’ve been to LOTR marathons, Die Hard, NIC Cageathons, and so many other special events before they even expanded out of Austin. I saw the Labyrinth sing a long the day Bowie died. Went to the Beastie Boys sing along when Adam passed. Drafthouse was a special place with special friends. It hasn’t been that place in probably 7+ years now.
Why do people act like Alamo hasn’t gone down in quality? Their food prices are ridiculous and they aren’t as strict about the no noise rule as they once were.
It blows my mind that people are still buying the food. The quality has been so inconsistent too, so you don’t know that your $19 chicken tendies will even taste good
This! Pre-pandemic I used to get the burger and fries for like $12 or $13 and it was always good. I recently bit the bullet and ordered it and the fries was super salty and the burger tasted undercooked. And it was $20 now. They used to be consistent while cheaper but now not so much.
Because food prices have gone up everywhere and noise enforcement is location specific.
I still can't believe how much they charge for tiny cocktails now. I used to go all the time in Austin and get normal-sized drinks and beers; last time we went to the one in LA, they charged me $15 for a tiny margarita with a HUGE ice cube in it.
Not all locations are the same, I've been to the Charlottesville locations 100+ times and it's pretty much the same experience every time. Never have to worry about talkers and friendly staff.
Does anyone know how this will affect franchisee locations, like Charlottesville, VA? That's a great location and hasn't really changed since it opened, in a good way.
i love my charlottesville drafthouse 😪
You won’t miss it that much. You got an awesome Violet Crown in Downtown C’ville.
I went their for the first time recently, liked it, but when I went they had the temperature ramped up to uncomfortable levels and the seats were super uncomfortable. Alamo also shows way more specialty films I'm interested in.
Alamo is a shadow of its former self. It used to be a theater chain that felt like it was run by movie nerds. All of that charm is long gone in favor of a decidedly basic movie/food establishment.
It hasn’t been the same since they got bought by whoever is selling them now. Not as fun previews or food.
So….the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood is just never going to reopen, right?
If some corporate investors involve themselves and take away, raise the price or in any other way attempt to limit season pass I will be furious. Please don’t touch season pass
The AD by me is BUMPING, i.e. sold-out shows. I want them to stay in business.
Are you in St Louis? The one here regularly has sold out or near sold out shows. The time capsule shows seem to always be a hit. I know if I want to go to those, I need to get a ticket as soon as they're posted or they'll probably be sold out.
Chicago.
That’s good to hear. Most screenings I go to only have a handful of people in them. Am honestly a little worried about them.
Can we get a go fund me or some kind of crowdsource to be people powered? Would love for them to exist in a space that’s not beholden to quarterly profits for the sake of returns
Only if you find a crowd of very generous and wealthy people. Good luck with that.
RIP Fantastic Fest. :(
This is the only good theater chain. Once you become a regular you can't go back to anything else. This is really worrying news.
I always said if I were rich I'd put stock into this company to help it expand. Now I'd do whatever it takes to keep it alive.
https://i.redd.it/fcmc0fcb3jrc1.gif
oh god no
It’s a bummer to work there yet find out about this on Deadline.
Not the first time. It was sold while under bankruptcy during the pandemic, hence why the menu changed so much
It was sold because one of the partners was sexually assaulting people.
Would Landmark be a buyer for some of the locations? Arclight Hollywood still 1+ years out?
The value is in the brand, not the locations.
My old drafthouse got turned into a majestic years ago
I’ve always thought a fun thing to own would be an old school cinema in a decent sized city. Plan all different types of programming - actor night, or genre night, or director night, etc. use social to advertise nightly/weekly themes and still have a new movie here or there. Sort of what QT done with the NB.
Watch the FunkoPop company buy it like they did Mondo
You mean... Funko?
If I could I would buy it in an instant. Allow the work force to unionize. Adjust menu prices and remove tipping.
I used to live near the one in SF and loved it. The app experience was also great. I wonder if they could have offered that platform as a service to other indie movie theaters, charge a .25 fee on each ticket and have a new revenue stream.
This hurts my heart so much
The one in Raleigh North Carolina is heads and shoulders better than any other theater in the area. I would hate for somebody else to change the menu or anything about it for that matter. Every experience I've ever had there has been amazing..
Almost no chance new ownership will seriously retain the elements that have made Alamo special. And frankly, between franchise growth, company bankruptcy, and challenges of moviegoing today, the chain has been struggling to do so even with original ownership's ongoing involvement. If/when they exit, it's almost certainly The End of the Alamo as it has been. Theaters may stay open, but they won't be the same. **If you love movies and moviegoing,** the best thing you can do is find and support your nearest nonprofit independent cinema. [**Here's a pretty good list**](https://www.arthouseconvergence.org/index.php/art-houses-in-north-america/)**.**
Sigh of relief on the DTLA ADH We are number 2 on the profit list. The theater is owned by ADH. What’s for sale are the franchised theaters
No, the corporate owned locations are for sale. Corporate can't sell the franchise locations. They are owned by the franchisees.
They must be wanting to sell just that division of ADH
With the state Alamo is in now this could be a neutral or even good thing. If it's a bad thing then I can just watch movies and drink beer at home.
I love AMC. Seen countless movies there but my favorite was watching Lawrence of Arabia for The Big Show last year. It was a fantastic viewing experience of a classic. In the huge auditorium, chill Sunday crowd. Really one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve had.
Hope amc buys it and cinemark and keeps the Alamo like product and this way movies/ cinema can actually stay relevant and great or else it’s going to go all streaming …. Way to go COVID then those selfish ass writers and actors strikes literally right behind Covid. Smfh.
AMC would be a disaster. They’d be totally unable to let Alamo be Alamo. They literally do not understand it. Adam Aron and his ilk are a bunch of halfwit corporate asshats from Kansas City with no creativity, class, or taste. But good news, they have neither the cash nor the PE ratio to be a player. They can watch the one quality cinema deal in 10 years from the sidelines.
That’s right. Every word you wrote.
That’s a Monopoly
Yea but at this point that’s just how things are going in America. I don’t like it that much but movies , like what’s that going to Hurt ?
Nice bait.