Sony Footage Leisure immediately that it has acquired Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a beloved impartial theater enterprise. Alamo Drafthouse gained scores of loyal followers through the years for its well-enforced coverage of no speaking and no texting throughout showings, in addition to its dine-in expertise with meals and beverage menus.
No less than for now, the Alamo expertise for viewers might not really feel totally different beneath the brand new administration. Alamo Drafthouse will proceed to function its 35 cinemas and run its Unbelievable Fest movie pageant. And present CEO Michael Kustermann will stay on the helm and report back to the pinnacle of a brand new Sony Footage Experiences division.
It is the top of an period for the indie theater chain, which was based in 1997 by Tim and Karrie League. However given how laborious the COVID-19 pandemic crushed the movie-going expertise, at the very least this is not the top of the Alamo Drafthouse story. The enterprise made a valiant effort to maintain viewers’ assist with in 2020, however the Texas-based firm filed for Chapter 11 chapter in 2021 and started in March of this yr.
There isn’t any greenback determine connected to the announcement, however Sony’s press launch notes that Alamo Drafthouse is the seventh-largest theater chain in North America. Even with their struggles, the corporate attracts an annual viewers of 10 million and posted a 30 % improve in field workplace income final yr. Possibly this units the Alamo theaters as much as host within the close to future.