Alamo Drafthouse To Open First Boston Movie Theater In The Seaport
Popular movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is rolling out the red carpet for its first Boston location.
It reached a deal to replace the former ShowPlace Icon Theatre in the Seaport that closed in March 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic, the Boston Globe reports.
Alamo Drafthouse plans to open the 10-screen, 700-seat theater at 60 Seaport Blvd. early next year. It will use the same setup that ShowPlace operated, but it will add its own touches to bring the space under its brand, the chain's founder told the Globe.
The building, owned by WS Development, also features bowling at Kings Dining & Entertainment and social darts at Flight Club. WS Development's Ariel Foxman, who manages the developer's large Seaport portfolio, told the Globe it sees the Alamo opening as a "boon for movie lovers in Boston.”
Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1997, Alamo Drafthouse now has more than 40 locations open or under development across the country, according to its website. It is known for its full-service food and drink menu, which its employees quietly deliver to moviegoers during screenings. The Boston location will also feature an attached bar called the Press Room, part of a space that also includes a printing museum, according to the Globe.
Alamo Drafthouse faced pandemic-era challenges of its own, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2021. But it emerged from that bankruptcy in June 2021 by selling its assets to a group of investors that included its founder, and it has continued to expand with new theaters.
In October, it opened its third New York City location with a 14-screen theater in Manhattan, and in December it opened its first Washington, D.C., location with a nine-screen theater.
