Alamo Drafthouse
Have you ever wished you could go to the theater and watch a movie every single day? If you live near one of the 41 Alamo Drafthouse theaters across the US, that’s now a dream within your reach. Starting today, Alamo Drafthouse has rolled out a monthly subscription program that lets you go to the movies as often as you like (well, no more than daily) for $15 (in New Braunfels, Texas), $20 (in cities like Denver, Austin, Phoenix and San Antonio) or $30 (in LA, New York City or San Francisco).
If your first thought was, “hey, this sounds a lot like MoviePass, and that didn’t go too well for those guys,” well, you’re not wrong — Alamo is definitely going where few have succeeded before, with notable failures like MoviePass and Sinemia in the rear view. But Alamo’s model is more akin to AMC’s Stubs A-List — there’s no need for Alamo to buy tickets at full price the way MoviePass did since they own their own theaters. So this is exciting — especially if you’re already a fan of Alamo’s awesome mash-up of theater, restaurant and bar.
You can sign up and start using your Alamo Drafthouse subscription immediately in a dozen locations including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Antonio, Kansas City, Yonkers, Springfield, and New Braunfels. The Drafthouse warns that there might be a waiting list in some locales, but within a few months, memberships should be readily available for anyone who wants one. Personally, I tried to sign up for all the plans and didn’t run into any snags, but then again, I didn’t get as far as charging my credit card, because I don’t need a dozen season passes to every Drafthouse in the US.
Your membership buys you up to one movie a day, and you can make reservations up to a week in advance. All movie formats are fair game, though you’ll need to pay a $2 surcharge for any films you see in 3D, 70mm, Dolby Atmos or The Big Show premium large format. There are other details, including the option to buy a second seat as part of your subscription for a slightly reduced rate. Be sure to check out the site for all the details.
With ticket prices routinely clocking between $10 and $18 per seat, it doesn’t take a degree in accounting to see that this is a great deal, especially if you see a movie every week or so. Here’s to cheap movies and hoping all-you-can-eat movie subscriptions works out for the Drafthouse.