The Alamo Drafthouse Village Theater, Austin’s oldest continually operating first-run theater, turns 50 this year and is celebrating in grand style. Originally opened in 1974 by long-defunct Presidio Theatres and known as the “Village 4” is Austin’s oldest continually operating first-run cinema and the second-ever Alamo Drafthouse location after the cinema eatery purchased it in 2001. The theater has been heavily upgraded just in time for the summer movie season, which includes a Star Wars Celebration Only at Village.
Alamo Drafthouse Village will be screening all nine films of the Skywalker Saga, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Solo: A Star Wars Story throughout the summer during their Star Wars Celebration Only at Village. Dedicated fans can even experience the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies in three marathon screenings. Tickets for the entire Star Wars Celebration can be found at drafthouse.com/starwars. “In December 1977, the original Star Wars opened at the Village 4 in glorious Dolby Stereo,” says John Smith, Senior Film Programmer for Alamo Drafthouse. “Forty-seven years later, we’re finishing the story and sharing the complete saga with Austin audiences.”
The theater now has premium recliners, 4K laser projection, and the Vulcan Video Collection for the 50th anniversary. The lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse Village theater has been transformed into the premier destination for fans of physical media in Austin (and visitors to the city) – Video Vortex: Powered by Vulcan Video. Guests are now able to browse thousands upon thousands of DVDs and Blu-rays, all available to rent for free, from the legendary collection, with DVD and Blu-ray players available for rent as well. The collection features obscure titles from visionary directors, underseen gems never released on streaming, and unique genres rarely featured anywhere else.
“When we first opened the Alamo back in 1997, Karrie and I used to walk to the Elizabeth Street location on our days off. Their depth and breadth was astonishing. Vulcan was a community hub that every movie lover in the neighborhood cherished,” says Alamo founder Tim League. “We are honored to be the next stewards of Dian Donnell’s incredible archive.”
The upgrades come right at the onset of the summer movie season, with films like The Fall Guy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Deadpool & Wolverine playing in the newly enhanced auditoriums.
About Alamo Drafthouse: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin, TX. Twenty-seven years later, with 41 locations and counting, Alamo Drafthouse has been called “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired. Alamo Drafthouse has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining best-in-class food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star-studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse created Fantastic Fest, a world-renowned genre film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety featuring independents, international filmmakers, and major Hollywood studios. Alamo Drafthouse continues to expand its brand in new and exciting ways, including the American Genre Film Archive, a non-profit film archive dedicated to preserving, restoring, and sharing film, and with eight new theaters announced for this year and beyond. Website: drafthouse.com
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Photo credit: Roger Ho
Source: Alamo Drafthouse
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