Italian
Alamo Drafthouse is expanding its presence in the Bay Area.
The cinema chain will open two new San Francisco theaters, Alamo Drafthouse Mountain View and Alamo Drafthouse Westfield Valley Fair, in the next year. The Austin-based circuit is taking over spaces from ShowPlace Icon and plans to have the theaters fully converted and operating by summer 2025. These venues will join the existing nearby location, Alamo Drafthouse New Mission.
“By 2025 we’ll have been in San Francisco for 10 years, and this feels like the perfect way to celebrate the decade of support and enthusiasm we’ve received from Bay Area film fans,” says Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kusterman. “It’s an area we love that has shown us a lot of love back, and we’re thrilled to be able to expand and provide our unique experience to more people.”
The new Alamo Drafthouse Mountain View will set up shop in a 64,500 square-foot space in the Village at San Antonio Center, a luxury mixed-use retail center. It will feature 10 auditoriums that will be retrofitted with approximately 1,100 plush recliner seats.
Popular on Variety “We couldn’t be more excited to roll out the red carpet for Alamo Drafthouse at the Village at San Antonio Center,” said David Sternberg, west region head of Brookfield Properties. “Their creative approach to both film and food is sure to be a hit with our community in Mountain View, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to their grand opening next spring.”
Alamo Drafthouse Westfield Valley Fair will be located in a 62,228 square-foot space at Westfield Valley Fair, an upscale shopping center in Silicon Valley. It will have 10 auditoriums with about 1,500 luxury recliner seats.
“Alamo Drafthouse’s innovative cinema experience perfectly complements Westfield Valley Fair’s commitment to providing an array of premium, diverse offerings for our guests,” said Colin Shaughnessy, executive VP and director of US leasing at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. “As we continue to elevate our guest experience and reinforce our status as a premier Northern California destination, we look forward to bringing this best-in-class movie-going experience to our visitors.”
Both locations will feature state-of-the-art 4K digital projection and immersive Dolby Atmos sound systems. As part of the Bay Area expansion, Alamo Drafthouse is giving away five free, yearlong, two-person subscriptions to Alamo Season Pass, its monthly subscription service which allows patrons to watch one free movie per day.
Alamo Drafthouse, which currently operates 44 locations nationwide, was acquired earlier this year by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Alamo’s corporate ownership had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 as theater chains were struggling to rebound from prolonged COVID-related closures and a lack of new releases. It emerged a few months later after completing a sale to Altamont Capital Partners, with funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League. The circuit, a favorite among cinephiles, is known for in-theater dining options, themed events tied to new and classic movies, as well as its strict “no talking, no texting” policy.
