It’s been a challenging year for people who analyze the differences between movies and television. On top of, you know, the pandemic that’s ravaged the planet, movie fans have had to sit in their living rooms and watch titles like Mortal Kombat and Tom & Jerry at home and pretend it’s as good as the real thing. Who knows what the reaction to Godzilla vs. Kong would have been if viewers couldn’t look at their phone every time Alexander Skarsgård was on screen. Well, pretend no longer.
The Alamo Drafthouse, the beloved theater chain known for serving you a double cheeseburger and an IPA as you watch If Beale Street Could Talk, is coming back. In a statement released Thursday, the company announced that Drafthouses in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Austin would reopen in May. Additionally, at least 15 Drafthouses would be re-opening over the summer, including Dallas, Omaha, San Francisco, and more.
“In August of 2020, our teams began slowly and methodically reopening theaters all over the country—and I do mean slowwwwly,” the announcement reads. “It’s a lot of (expensive) work to wake one of these babies up—considerably more than a little bit of dusting—so that’s why we’ve been slow to reopen locations in 2021. That’s about to change.”
Of course, this is coming with some restrictions because of the aforementioned pandemic, such as wearing your mask, maintaining distance, hand washing, and, oh yeah, staying home if you’re feeling sick. Don’t worry; they’re offering refunds if you bought a ticket and need to skip the show.
This is great news for the Drafthouse, and movie fans, in general. This past March, the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed three theaters, including the company’s oldest location, the Ritz, in Austin, Texas. The reopening began yesterday, April 28, in Springfield, Illinois, with New York following next week, on May 7. Los Angeles and Austin round out the month on May 28.