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Alamo Drafthouse Midtown Theater At 2907 Louisiana St.


DrLan34

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"The existing building is to be restored and remodeled for retail uses on the ground floor and offices above. A green roof is being added. A new parking garage will be constructed on the eastern half of the block with a movie theater on the top floor. The garage will provide parking for the existing building as well as for the movie theater, which will operate only at nights and on weekends."

This is part of "the Mix @ Midtown" by Crosspoint

I am impressed. Baller.

Looks like it will be Alamo Drafthouse

http://drafthouse.co..._two_new_alamos

"The second new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, scheduled to open after Vintage Park, is a highly anticipated inner-loop location, which will be centrally accessible and located in Houston’s bustling Midtown area. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Midtown will be located at 2901 Louisiana Street as part of a mixed-use project developed by Crosspoint Properties and, like Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Vintage Park, will offer state-of-the-art auditoriums featuring 100 percent digital projection and sound as well as an expansive and inviting lobby bar which will be visible from Milam Street and boast panoramic views of Houston’s impressive downtown skyline. In addition, there will be a ground floor lobby entrance leading up to the theatre, which will be located on top of a three floor parking garage."

Edited by DrLan34
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How does the DT movie theater receive this news? Is it ready for the competition?

My personal opinion is that the Sundance and Alamo crowds are so very different. I would use the same analogy with Howl at the Moon and Pete's Dueling Piano Bar since they are about the same proximity as Sundance/Alamo will be. I think there is sure to be overlap, but the crowds are different.

Personally, if I am to go to a dueling piano bar it would be Howl over Pete's just like I would most likely go to Alamo over Sundance. Atmospheres are sure to be different as well as how they interact with the customers.

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Yeah, different crowds. When I see a film in the theater, it's because I'm excited about the content. I also really enjoy indie and foreign film. For theaters, I prefer something in an urban setting, without screaming kids and shameless marketing. So, I've been going to Angelika/Sundance for about 10 years as my "first pick theater".. it was already a great theater, and the Sundance renovations have made it into an exceptional theater. Edwards 24 is OK, but Sundance is an entirely different experience.

I've done "dinner and movie" concept before.. had a gift card to Studio Movie Grill. It wasn't something I enjoyed -- truly awful food and a bad atmosphere to watch a movie (although the movie, Hannah, was actually pretty good.. great soundtrack.) Anyway, it's hard to run a good restaurant and it's hard to run a good movie theater. It's too much to expect one establishment to excel at both simultaneously. I haven't been to Alamo, but I'm skeptical it can do much better.

I'm still excited about the development, though, even if I'll probably keep going to Sundance. These things draw good sized crowds. I always thought it was a shame that Edwards 24 had a great urban theater setup, draws huge crowds, but failed by not being part of a larger pedestrian area... alot of wasted potential.

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I've been to Alamo many times, both in Katy/West Oaks and in Austin, and I like it a lot. The food is just ok, but the real advantage is being able to get beer (and other drinks) while watching the movie. They have a pretty decent selection of draught and bottled beers, and a full bar in the lobby, which certainly elevates the movie-watching experience in my opinion. And their ticket prices actually tend to be a few dollars cheaper than AMC/Cinemark/Edwards/etc (not sure about Sundance as I haven't been there yet, but I heard that it was a bit more pricey), I guess because they recoup that money on food and drink.

EDIT: I'm a post office! Woohoo!

Edited by asubrt
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http://houston.cultu...-movie-options/

Great article:

The beloved movie theater chain known for offering dinner and drinks is opening up a location in the heart of Midtown. The new Alamo will be part of a new 60,000-square-foot mixed-use property at 2901 Louisiana St., not far from The Mix development and restaurants Artisans and Piola.

The Midtown location could be the real game changer though. Company officials note that there are more than 700,000 people living within 15 minutes of 2901 Louisiana and Alamo plans to pull out all the stops to make this a showcase multi-story cinema. An expansive lobby bar with views of the Houston skyline is already being promised.

And we have a timeline and colored rendering:

http://www.loopnet.c...ana-Houston-TX/

Major interior and exterior renovation to be completed by Q4, 2012. LEED certified, 60,000sf office building. On-site parking garage with 290 spaces. Easy access to all freeways, downtown, the museum district and within walking distance to the McGowen Metro light rail stop. 2nd floor accessible green roof.

Can someone who knows how please merge these threads?

http://www.houstonar...riance-request/

Edited by DrLan34
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I'm not a movie theater buff. What is the difference between this and Studio Movie Grill? I really don't visit these type of theaters because the waiters and food distract me from the movie.

There is a big movie theater down the road from Vintage Park that is really popular that I think allows alcohol, too.

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I read a while back that the West Oaks Alamo was going to shut down. Wish they would open one in Sugar Land.

Their burgers are okay but like asubrt said, the beer is what draws people. Bring your growler.

Plus because they serve liquor you don't get the loud obnoxious teenagers that are at all the other theaters.

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Topics merged!

This is awesome. I'm really looking forward to another alternative to the mainstream movie theaters, and I'll be very happy to have a theater I can walk/bike/rail to. Midtown is really rocking lately!

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Kylejack, how ar they so different? One serves alcohol and the other doesn't? I've never been to an Alamo.

Both serve alcohol and food.

Studio Theater has very poor beer selection, mostly macrobrewery pilsner and adjunct lager, aside from the albeit delicious Chimay Red. I did not care for the menu either. The closest thing I could compare it to is a Chili's. http://www.studiomov...u.aspx?m=3&s=93

I love the Alamo Drafthouse menu, however, and I always feel like I'm getting a really good deal. The ticket is a little bit cheaper than other theaters, and then I'm paying a very reasonable price for good food and good beer. It honestly surprises me that Alamo doesn't charge AMC style markup for the booze especially. Menu PDF http://cf.drafthouse..._v3-reduced.pdf

It isn't that the concept of the menus is that different, rather that I think Alamo is executing so much better on the vision.

Edited by kylejack
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One other thing, the pre-show stuff is usually pretty great. For Dark Knight, they were showing old episodes of Batman and other various Batman related stuff. It's not a bunch of ads, so you can show up early and have plenty of light to look over the menu and get your order in before the show starts and still be entertained.

Edited by kylejack
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yeah the HUGE difference is that Alamo has big events and has directors or stars sometimes come to screenings for q&a sessions etc...they show documentaries and show old classics or sing alongs etc and sometimes have a one night screening of all the movies that lead up to the sequel etc (ie. all the Superhero movies that lead up to The Avengers). Alamo is just a fun place with fun and cool events... Studio Movie Grill is just a cinema with food and drinks. and btw, i love the Sundance...there is never any kids, they serve great food although a small menu, liquor, beer and without a waiter walking in front of you during the movie...but one of the most important things is that they ONLY sell reserved seats which you choose online or there at the registers or kiosks they have...why is this so awesome? because you can go to a movie like The Avengers opening night and not stand in line for an hour waiting to get a good seat or get all your friends to sit together etc! You just show up right when the movie starts and sit in your reserved seat! all this and more is why the cost is a little more (Plus they validate/reimburse you for the underground parking so you never have to worry about where to park or how much it will cost etc). gosh, that was alot of information haha! anyway, love Sundance AND super excited about the new Alamo as well!

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