In 1997, Tim League redefined cinemagoing when he and wife Karrie League opened the original Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. Now he’s hoping lightning will strike twice with his newest venture, the Metro Private Cinema in New York, a gourmet update to the “dinner and a movie” experience.
Not to be confused with the historic (and currently under renovation) Metro Theater on the Upper West Side, the Metro Private Cinema is tucked away downtown in Chelsea at Eighth Avenue and 16th. When it opens on Sept. 1, it will be screening new releases including F1, Superman, and Eddington, as well as a selection of classics, and there will be accompanying menus. However, what you’re really paying for is to watch a movie on the big screen with friends, family – and no one else.
Guests will be able to book their own private screening room, from four to 20 seats, for a four-hour block (longer for films with longer run times). Food will be served family-style before the screening, and then dessert and drinks will be delivered to your seat during the film. There will be a seasonal menu, in addition to themed food specific to certain titles. For example, the Superman dinner includes nods to the new film, including Metropolis’ favorite street food, falafel; a riff on Clark’s favorite meal, breakfast for dinner; Hawkgirl duck wings; and a corn tart dessert like Ma Kent might make.
Luxury doesn’t come cheap: Screen bookings beginning at $200 for the smallest rooms, and food will cost between $100 and $125 per person. Screens will also be available for parties, gaming, business meetings and, importantly in a major movie town like New York, for filmmaker screenings.
Anyone who thought the Leagues might be enjoying a semi-retirement after selling the Alamo chain to Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2024 might be surprised by the announcement. Instead, they have been balancing their hands-on involvement with the Best of Austin-winning Baker Center in Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood with Tim rolling his sleeves up on this new cinema in New York.
If there’s one way that it’s like the Alamo, it’s in how hands-on League has been in the construction. He has said that it’s the closest he’s felt to the experience of the very early days of the Drafthouse chain when he was often doing the construction work himself.
With its high-end approach and higher cost, the Metro definitely isn’t being set up as a rival to the Alamo. Indeed, League’s still involved with his old company in an advisory capacity, and the idea of the Metro has been brewing since pre-pandemic.
Real planning started in 2021, when League and Alamo Chief Brand Officer Mikey Trafton started working on the project in earnest (Trafton, sadly, passed away earlier this year before construction was completed). However, they were not the only familiar faces from the Alamo involved with Metro: also aboard are Creative Director, Digital Experience Roger Tinch and Director of Product Management Matthew Jeanes, who both joined the team in 2022. So far, there’s no word on whether there are any plans to expand the Metro into any other markets, as the team are concentrating on this first experiment.
For more info and reservations, visit metrocinema.com.
This article appears in July 4 • 2025.