Alamo Drafthouse Launches 25th Anniversary Celebrations With Outdoor Summer Tour

Alamo Drafthouse Washington D.C.
Alamo Drafthouse D.C. Bryant Street (Photo Credit: Bryce Bernier/Omnidirectional LLC)

A quarter-century after Tim and Karrie League opened the first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas on May 24, 1997, the chain will launch a nationwide series of outdoor screenings to celebrate.

  • Austin: The first movie Alamo Drafthouse Cinema ever screened in 1997, Raising Arizona will play again at Live Oak Brewing Company in Del Valle, Texas on Friday, May 20. Admission is free, but attendees must RSVP here. Austin Mayor Steve Adler will also be in attendance, and a food truck will be on site.
  • Los Angeles: A select group of moviegoers will be selected to see Jordan Peele’s upcoming horror film Nope at an L.A.-area horse ranch, along with horseback riding and cowboy lessons. The exact July date and other details are forthcoming.
  • New York City: Alamo Drafthouse will host free outdoor screenings on Thursdays June 9, June 16, June 23, and June 30, at 28 Liberty Plaza. The exact films are yet to be announced.
  • Other outdoor screenings — with exact locations and films to be announced — will take place in Chicago in July, St. Louis in August, and Washington, D.C. in August. (Alamo’s first Chicago and St. Louis location are both scheduled to open this fall. It’s first D.C. location opened last December.)

All Alamo Drafthouse locations will be closed on Wednesday, June 8 for a “team appreciation day” as the company honors their employees.

“I remember quite vividly scrambling to finish everything and put on our very first show 25 years ago. We had a brand new staff of 20 people and had never trained or employed anyone before that day. It was tense,” Alamo Drafthouse Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Tim League said in a press release. “We’ve learned so much over the years, but the passion remains the same. We love movies and want to share that love with all of you.”

[Listen to a November episode of The Boxoffice Podcast in which Daniel Loria interviews Tim League, here.]

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema ranked #12 on Boxoffice PRO‘s Giants of Exhibition 2022 list of North America’s largest cinema circuits, with 301 screens at 37 locations.

Alamo Drafthouse Washington D.C.
Alamo Drafthouse D.C. Bryant Street (Photo Credit: Bryce Bernier/Omnidirectional LLC)

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