July 22, 2004

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to Expand Nationally

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, an extremely popular Austin, TX-based alternative cinema chain, announced the sale of their franchising operations to their current CEO. Plans call for expanding the business to more than 200 locations throughout the United States.

For those of you unfamiliar with the company, the Alamo is a beer joint/restaurant/movie theater that features an eclectic programming mix of new releases, shock and cult cinema, live film-based events and more. This makes for a movie going experience quite unlike anything you've probable experienced before, which has resulted in an almost "rabid" fan base. Here's a few examples of the kind of programming they do:

Mr. Sinus Theater - a live comedy show in the vein of "Mystery Science Theater 3000"

Foleyvision/Smellovision -- Live Sound Effects/smell effects accompany movies

Open Screen Night -- like an open mic night at a comedy club, only with video.

Movie-oke -- Karaoke to movies.

Celebrity Guests -- Big and small -- everyone from Lloyd Kaufman to Quentin Tarantino.

You should also look at the trailers section to get a feel for thee vibe in their theaters.

If you're guessing I'm a booster -- I definitely am -- I went to an Alamo during a trip to SXSW a while back, and I, like so many others, fell in love with the concept.

So what implications will this have for movie marketers? The biggest is the 600+ new screens available nationwide with audiences craving alternative and indie entertainment. If the Alamo does indeed do a national roll-out, it will become the place for indie filmmakers to get their projects seen. Landmark used to be the place to go for filmmakers looking to four-wall their projects and get a theatrical release, but after reading this article in the NY Times, that may be an uncertain future.

Alamo Drafthouse's franchising arm sold to president, CEO - 2004-07-21 - Austin Business Journal