The Temporary Closing of the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar: Harbinger of a Movie Theater Renaissance.

By Adam Ruhl
 

It was raining when I arrived at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar location for the last time in its original form. Its facade, still converted into a Frankenweenie ad from last year’s Fantastic Fest, bore a marquee that said it all, “Last night at the Alamo”. While it’s true that in nine months’ time, South Lamar will be back on its feet, newly renovated with a stunning lobby and three additional screens, at that moment I was sad to think of the original building going away. It had the character and charm of the early Alamo locations, when the company found abandoned movie theaters and occupied their shells like Cinephile hermit crabs. However, nothing lasts forever and Alamo Drafthouse is no exception. Their tremendous success has led to growth and Alamo is now moving into a new era. Renovation of a flagship location like South Lamar is an almost perfect metaphor for what is occurring to Alamo Drafthouse as a business.

All these thoughts went through my head as I stepped into that alien-invasion themed lobby on January 3^rdfor the closing night events. There was a crowd gathered for the sendoff celebration; a night of special movies that included, among others, premieres of Texas Chainsaw 3D, John Dies at the End, and Wrong. Founder Tim League was giving interviews to local news outlets in the center of the oddly long, hallway-like lobby of the current building. Lining the walls were tables with silent auction items and at the back of the lobby a costume photo op had been set up. It was a sendoff party in grand Alamo Drafthouse style but, if this is the first you’re hearing of the Alamo, you may be wondering why I’m so sentimental about a movie theater.

           Let me paint a picture that I’m sure will be familiar to a lot of you. You decide that you want to go to a movie. You arrive at the theater and a ticket costs you 10 to 15 dollars. Once you get inside, you find a massive line for your film. There’s no telling where you’re going to be seated and if you have a group it becomes even more complicated. The snack bar has put a massive price tag on popcorn and soda and again there are separate lines for food. Once in the theater, people around you talk, text, and answer their phones. During three consecutive visits to a multiplex I had someone nearby answer their phone and have a conversation. Maybe there’s a ‘please silence your cell phone’ ad attached the movie but who cares; good luck finding a manager and if you do, good luck in getting him to solve the problem. The pre-show 'entertainment' consists of commercials, that’s it, they may try to dress it up as movie news but make no mistake, they are ads for Coke and network television shows. This summarizes my night out at most theater chains over the last twenty years.

            Alamo Drafthouse is a 16-year-old theater chain founded by Tim and Karrie League and it is an entirely different creature. It started with a small location in Austin showing second-run movies and has grown to more than 11 locations in several states. The venue serves a full menu of food and liquor; and that’s wonderful. Trust me, many a sub-par movie came up a whole letter grade in my estimation thanks to beer (*I do not drink when reviewing films for articles). The menu is often crafted to the theme of the movie and the beer and wine selection is expansive, featuring a wide variety of local brewers. You have a table in front of your seat and can order as much as you like from a server using little cards so you don’t have to talk during the movie. Alamo Drafthouse also features all-reserve seating; no more lines ever.

Tim League introduces John Dies at the End on South Lamar Closing Night.

Director Don Coscarelli (Phantasm series, John Dies at the End) called Tim League the “Ultimate Showman”; showmanship is key to Alamo’s success and another way it is truly different from other cinemas. Here, the pre-show is tremendously entertaining; made up of old movie clips and offbeat videos themed by the feature you’ve come to see. In addition to new movies, all manner of old and rare films are screened, often with the director or other special guest in attendance. Different nights have themes with titles like, Girlie Night, Terror Tuesdays, and Action Pack. There’s even a group called Master Pancake that holds live MST3K style screenings.

Last and best of all is Alamo’s No Talking Zone policy. They have a constant rotation of new and amusing Public Service Announcement trailers stating that once the movie starts there is no talking or texting allowed. People who cause a disturbance during a showing can and will be ejected. One of Alamo’s no talking PSAs, ‘Angry Voicemail’, was recently a big hit on YouTube.

           So the Alamo Drafthouse is great, but why is South Lamar closing so important? Over much of the last decade and a half, Alamo has been a hotbed of innovation, but remained confined to Austin and Texas. There were four Austin locations, all preexisting venues that Alamo converted, and not much else. In the last few years word of mouth has grown and Alamo has begun to open locations in other cities and states. A year ago, they opened a new Austin location, Slaughter Lane (that’s the proper name of the road, not a clever subtitle), and it is distinct because it was the first Austin site to be built ground up as an Alamo Drafthouse. The Drafthouse is poised to go nationwide and start competing head to head against the other cinema chains. New buildings custom made to be Drafthouses represent a shift in the company identity from local small business to national corporate player.

          The conversion of South Lamar is a point of no return from one state of being to the other. It carries tremendous hope for providing many more people a superior film-going experience but comes with the fear of losing an Alamo Drafthouse that was familiar, local, and personal. Last year, myself and a couple of thousand other film fanatics all but moved in to South Lamar for eight days of genre films at Fantastic Fest. Sixteen hours a day for eight days, we ate every meal there and between every screening we huddled in the front, comparing and critiquing films we'd just seen.  It was a home away from home and this amazing, classic venue for the best cinema experience of my life. Its facade was a marvel, I will miss its style.

Till we meet again.

           So now, the party is over at the old South Lamar and it is closed for its metamorphosis.  It’s time for the next phase, Alamo Drafthouse is moving onto a much larger stage. They have nine locations across Texas, as well as locations in Missouri and Virginia. Additional locations are under construction in New York, Colorado, and California with more to come. Just today, Alamo Drafthouse was given permission by city planners in San Francisco to proceed with the renovation of the New Mission Theater. The New Mission was built in 1916 and Alamo will restore its main screen and add four additional screening areas. When the South Lamar location opens in nine months, just in time for Fantastic Fest 2013, it will be as a fully modernized showplace, with improved lobby and parking. I do look forward to this brave new cinema with all that is new and flashy but I hope that South Lamar will retain the Alamo Drafthouse style, love of film, and creativity that helped make going to the movies a truly great experience again.