North Austin film lovers and Fantastic Fest fans rejoice! The Alamo Drafthouse has confirmed that Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline will open in July. The 944-seat, 10-screen, purpose-built cinema will be the biggest theater in the locally based chain.
That’s good news for anyone making plans to attend Fantastic Fest, the Drafthouse’s annual celebration of all things weird and wonderful. The September gathering had been relocated from Alamo South Lamar while that site is being renovated. The July opening means plenty of times to work out any kinks and issues.
By the numbers:
– 944 seats
– 10 screens
– Each screen will have Sony 4K Digital Projection and Dolby digital surround
– Two screens with RealD 3-D projection
– One screen set up for 35mm
– 3,000 square foot kitchen upstairs
– 32 beers on tap at the Glass Half Full Taproom. This will be the beer-centric equivalent to Alamo Slaughter Lane’s tequila-tinged 400 Rabbits (there are already Glasses Half Full at their sites in Littleton, Col., and Loudon, Virginia.)
And the big number: Zero, as in no front row. As part of the Drafthouse’s ‘no bad seats’ commitment, there’s no neck-cricking seats right under the screen.
The big question, of course, is what exactly this means for the nearby Alamo Lake Creek. The official Drafthouse line is that there will be no changes, and the older site already has screenings booked through to July 10.
No word on the exact date or programming details for Lakeline yet, but the Drafthouse is hiring kitchen staff, bartenders and servers now. Go to www.drafthouse.com/careers for details and job openings.
This article appears in June 21 • 2013.
