Alamo Drafthouse Finally Announces Opening Date For L.A. Location
People of Los Angeles, rejoice: the Alamo Drafthouse is coming to Downtown L.A.! No really, I'm serious this time – I know they've been promising that for years, but today the theater chain has finally, officially, definitively, concretely announced that the L.A. location will be opening in early July, just a couple of weeks from now. Get all the details below.
The Drafthouse was supposed to arrive in the City of Angels back in 2015. Then the opening was pushed to 2018, before finally settling on 2019 as the new target opening date for its location at The Bloc, the open-air property in Downtown L.A. But everything has finally fallen into place, and one of the coolest theater chains in the world will be executing a "soft launch" in early July. The theater will have "an opening slate of independent and blockbuster films, as well as a wealth of repertory titles featuring beloved classics and hard-to-find cult favorites."
Plus, they're bringing their own "movie a day" subscription plan with them:
Additionally, the cinema chain announced that it'll also expand its Alamo Season Pass subscription beta test in Los Angeles. Members of the subscription plan will be able to watch a movie a day and reserve their seats in advance for one low monthly fee. The beta test will roll out in Los Angeles during the soft launch period, beginning with a small group from a waitlist and then expanding the membership in the near future. Guests may add their name to the waitlist at drafthouse.com/victory/seasonpass.
Los Angeles is obviously a very movie-friendly city, and while there are several major repertory cinema locations and terrific theaters spread across the sprawling city, the Drafthouse could still be a game changer for movie fans in the area. The theater will feature twelve screens with 4K projectors and one 35mm projector, plus a full bar and kitchen, and its own branch of the bar and video store Video Vortex, where Blu-rays and DVDs will be available for free rental. The downtown area doesn't have very many venues like this (The Ace Hotel has become a hub for special screening opportunities lately, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head), so this centralized location could be a haven for cinephiles and a way to continue the revitalization of the downtown area.
The Drafthouse famously enforces a no talking/no texting policy, actually cares about theatrical presentation (unlike several of the major theater chains, which occasionally have problems even in L.A.), offers delicious food during its screenings in a non-obtrusive way, and plays rare and funny clips before each screening instead of the usual onslaught of advertising. (AMC Theaters ads can last up to twenty minutes before movies begin.)
Rachel Walker will serve as the Head of Creative and Programming, and I'm so excited to see what she and her team bring to the vibrant cinema scene here in L.A. One way they'll stand out from the pack: former Geek and Sundry producer Ash Minnick has been hired to "shape Drafthouse's flagship tabletop gaming community initiative," so expect some fun things on that front, too.