Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired the popular movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the two companies announced on Wednesday.
Sony, which will oversee the theaters under a new Sony Pictures Experiences division, says it “will preserve Alamo Drafthouse’s distinctive movie-dining experience,”
Sony is acquiring Alamo Drafthouse from Altamont Capital Partners, Fortress Investment Group, and Alamo founder Tim League — a group that took ownership of Alamo after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021.
Their no talking policy is the most distinct part of their theater experience when compared to traditional theaters, so I am cautiously optimistic to read this
I imagine not much will change at first, but I’m dreading the potential enshittification that could creep in, even if it’s months or years down the line.
Unfortunately it seems the Alamo experience was not making enough money, so corporate will have to find some way to turn profits, and I doubt those plans will all be in line with the Alamo vibe. See HBO/Max/Discovery.