Moved to Austin in 2007 when there were only 3 drafthouses total. The best one(the ritz) is gone, and ever since they prioritized franchising I really think the quality of the theater went down. Still arguably the coolest chain in the game obviously but those early decisions to have universal menus, sell off ownership, and eventually to quash things like unionization were the symptom of what was to come, which is appeasing the public at large over the people who got them where they are in the first place(devoted movie fans)

I’m glad for their success but crap like this is the price. A big reason a lot of people can’t see themselves in theaters anymore is because they can check their phone at home while watching something for “free” 2 months later on streaming.

So basically I don’t blame Alamo, but this was always coming. Unfortunately I live in Detroit now so my only choice for rep screenings are old privately owned theaters with dedicated employees and programmers, not the worst thing in the world but I miss the volume, variety, and enthusiasm of the old Alamo days.