Have you guys seen the news coverage on the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema?
It’s pretty intriguing.
Apparently, the theater chain was founded by a husband and wife who loved going to the movies, but had grown more and more frustrated with their overall movie-going experience.
From the CNN Online Article:
“What drew us to open a theater in the first place is that we were finding a trip to the multiplex to be, more often than not, a disappointing experience. Poor projection, bad sound and, worst of all, disrespectful patrons in the cinema were slowly eroding our fun, so we conceived of the idea of opening a cinema ourselves on our own terms.”
Thus, Alamo Drafthouse was born… as well as the Alamo Drafthouse rules:
1. We do not play ads before the film: “If I spend $9 or more to see a movie, I equate that to paying for premium cable. Paying for the movie means you get to skip the ads.”
2. We do not allow children under 6 (except for special children’s and “baby day” screenings): “If you want to take your 4-year-old to see "The Hangover 2" at 10 p.m., however, you'll have to go somewhere else.”
3. We do not allow unaccompanied minors: “There are of lots of great, well-behaved 12-year-old individual kids, but assemble them in pods of four or more and drop them unaccompanied in a darkened theater, and they will pave a swath of destruction akin to feral hogs.”
4. If you persist in talking or texting, we will throw you out: And that’s not just an idol threat. They really kick people out. Read on to find out more.
Personally, I LOTH going to the movies… for myself. Taking Grayson is a blast… but went it comes to seeing a movie for myself I hate it. However, I used to love going!
In high school I worked at movie theaters… as a young adult I would go to the movies at least once a week (to fill my addiction)… but now that I’ve gotten older, I can stand it… for the exact same reasons mapped out in the above rules. And texting during movies has become my biggest pet peeve… because it’s always some teenager in the first few rows directly in my line of sight… annoying!
Anyway, although I have never been to the Alamo Drafthouse… I am in love with them and I wish them all the best.
Now, you might be asking yourself. “Why in the world has the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema received national news coverage?”
Well… they recently posted an advertisement on YouTube. And the advertisement is merely a voice mail recording from an angry (foul mouthed) customer who had been kicked out for texting during a movie.
Seriously, the video says it all… and it’s gone viral. In just a week it’s racked up over 2 million hits.
In addition, the Alama Drafthouse Cinema started posting other No Talking ‘Public Service Announcements’ that they show before their movies instead of advertizing. Like this one starting Texas Governor Ann Richards:
However, it’s not just their rules setting them apart from their competitors. It’s also their cuisine and their commitment to their customers overall movie-going experience. Just check out this video profiling the Alamo’s “Lord of the Ring Trilogy 7-Course Feast”… and just try to tell me this place isn’t awesome! I dare you!
Link to the CNN Article: http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/10/alamo.drafthouse.league/index.html?iref=allsearch
No comments:
Post a Comment