Alamo Drafthouse has added five new auditoriums to its Downtown Brooklyn cinema in a major upgrade of the chain’s first NYC location and highest grossing theater since opening in 2016.
The eat-in, art house, first run and repertory chain, acquired by Sony in June, has also just purchased six theaters in Dallas-Forth Worth and Woodbury, New Mexico that were shuttered suddenly by a franchisee and will be reopening them one by one this month.
The Brooklyn upgrade, which will catch the second weekend of Deadpool & Wolverine, includes new recliner seats and projection throughout. The five auditoriums add 256 seats (for a total of 978), all leather recliners with eat-in swivel tables. Each has Laser projectors, RealD 3D, 70mm, and 35mm capabilities on select screens.
The renovation was phased in so the theater never closed. And it comes amid a bit of an upbeat moment for movie theaters with CEOs of big chains form AMC Entertainment to Cinemark to Marcus all recently noting a jump in attendance in June after a first half dimmed by the impact of Hollywood strikes in 2023 that halted much production.
“I’m thrilled to say that Downtown Brooklyn is now the state-of-the-art theater that our inspiring and passionate NYC community deserves,” says Alamo CEO Michael Kustermann. “This theater means a great deal to our company, and I know it means a lot to our guests. These upgrades allow us to do more of what we love, which is playing awesome movies for the coolest fans in the world.”
Originally opened in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point complex with seven screens, the location has consistently ranked number one in the nation for many indie films. It has the standalone bar and lounge House of Wax, a dining area and a performance and event space that regularly hosts comedy shows and trivia nights.
The Austin-based chain, which also owns Fantastic Fest, now has 41 locations.
SPE acquired Alamo from owners Altamont Capital Partners, Fortress Investment Group and founder Tim League for a price tag said to be about $200 million. It’s managed within SPE under a new division, Sony Pictures Experiences, headed by Kustermann.
Speaking of the deal at CineEurope, Sony President of International Theatrical Distribution, Steven O’Dell said SPE “couldn’t be more excited about it.”
“If anybody wants to doubt that we believe in our future, to invest in cinema is the biggest statement we could make. And we don’t do it to make a statement, we do it to make money, so we’re doing it because we believe in the industry,” he said.
