franchises, but the cinema upstart has now branched into new markets, and seems to announce a new location in development with nearly every passing week. The monster is on the move, soon to add more locations in Houston, explore a new market with a location in Dallas and venture into the Big Apple in a big way, with two locations now in development. The brand continues to evolve, even consuming the competition, having now taken over operations for a cinema giant’s mainstay in Kansas City, Missouri. All the while, the madmen (and women) behind the madness continue to adhere to the simple roots that built the unstoppable juggernaut. “Our goal with each new theater is to never lose sight of the vision my wife and I had fifteen years ago: to be
Y
a neighborhood theater for movie lovers run by movie lovers,” League proclaims. ou've heard this story before, in countless horror movies and classic
“Wherever we go, we will be trying to find the most obsessive local movie nerds
thrillers. A small, quirky creature is born or found in relative obscurity.
who can curate programming that works in each neighborhood."
Few people know its origin, but it is nurtured and embraced by the locals
and it grows at a considerable rate, but not one that raises too much alarm.
Add this to the successful distribution of almost ten films, two of which have earned global acclaim, and the path of the giant seems clear and ripped from the
Until.
plot of many a film shown on Alamo Drafthouse screens—global domination. And,
Something happens, whether it is a radioactive accident, an improper (or late
no matter how big this colossus should become, Austinites will still be able to look
night) feeding or a sudden anger. Regardless, the creature, once small and easily
at the beast with love in our hearts and claim the Leagues’ creation as “our little
subdued, now grows by leaps and bounds, with its footfalls thundering throughout
baby.” It all makes for great cinema and moviegoers everywhere can’t wait to see
the land. Other creatures which once battled for supremacy, tremble with fear at
how it all plays out. ALM
the approach of this rough beast. And, no matter what, nothing appears to be able to stop the behemoth. A monster is born. Far from a movie plot, this scenario accurately describes the rapid growth of one of Austin’s own beloved creatures, the celebrated Alamo Drafthouse. In the past year and a half since we last checked on Austin’s native species, Tim League and his team have been fostering the exponential growth of the Alamo empire. They’ve opened new locations, announced even more development in other states, and begun the distribution of critically acclaimed independent films that are garnering attention on the national stage. They’ve also managed to make waves in the national culture with their open and honest embrace of a strict no-talking policy at all of their theaters. All of this while continuing to maintain the high level of execution and eccentric programming that made the Alamo Drafthouse what it is today. In short, they have created the aforementioned monster and continue to fuel its growth. Originally, Alamo Drafthouse, the dream of Tim and his wife, Karrie, was a simple idea that caught fire within our fine city. In 1997, the original location began
FUTURE LOCATION OF THE ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE-KANSAS CITY
the odd programming and unshakable devotion to preserving the movie-going experience that we’ve all come to know and love; and Austin had itself a new landmark. It became an integral part of any visitor’s guide, and soon after, spawned two other locations. The increase in popularity prompted not only requests for franchises in other cities and states, but also copycat executions from major cinema companies. The brand was franchised for a few other cities, but an increasing dilution of the brand led the Leagues and their team to explore a radical solution. The catalyst for the waking of the ‘sleeping giant’ was the reclaiming of the Alamo Drafthouse franchises. The team decided to bring everything back under their watchful eye, moved their founding location from Colorado to the Ritz and began pouring themselves into the enterprise anew. They did it creatively. They did it passionately. But, most of all, they did it intentionally. Consider them the mad scientists of the monster movie metaphor. "Over the years, we’ve gotten requests to open up Alamo Drafthouse locations all over the country,” League states. “We’ve been building an operations team that can manage opening up multiple locations in cities outside of Texas. We now feel we are ready to face the challenge.“
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE-SLAUGHTER LANE
And face the challenge they have. Not only have they reclaimed and improved
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