Nearly 10 years after Alamo Drafthouse took over San Francisco’s derelict New Mission Theatre and transformed it into a hot spot for cult films, craft cocktails, and bottomless bowls of truffle-herb popcorn, the Austin-based chain announced Tuesday that it will open two more Bay Area locations in 2025.
Alamo Drafthouse said it will expand to the South Bay cities of Mountain View and Santa Clara. The Mountain View location will be a new, 64,500-square-foot space at the Village at San Antonio Center, while the Santa Clara theater will take over the ShowPlace ICON in the Westfield Valley Fair mall. With 10 auditoriums each, both locations will be larger than the New Mission Theater, featuring recliner seats, 4K digital projection, and immersive Dolby Atmos sound systems. Variety was first to report the news.
While San Francisco has seen a number of independent and single-screen theaters shutter in recent years — along with the multiscreen Century Theater in downtown’s former Westfield mall — Alamo has thrived in the streaming service era, transforming the traditional movie-going experience into audience-centered live events at more than 40 theaters around the country. The chain has won plaudits for its commitment to fan service, staging ambitious, prop-filled cinematic spectacles such as a 21-hour “May the Fourth Be With You” marathon of all three “Star Wars” trilogies and a planned screening of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
John Smith, Alamo’s director of West Coast marketing, cited the “Star Wars” extravaganza as one of his favorites, along with “Dismember the Alamo,” the chain’s parade of horror flicks. “It’s a bonding experience,” he said of these popular, hours-long programming endeavors. “It’s something people feel like they’re all in on.”
Asked if the forthcoming South Bay locations would house standalone bars like the Mission’s Bear Vs. Bull, Smith confirmed that that was the plan, although some details have yet to be worked out. Food-and-beverage tie-ins like the chain’s “Wicked” brunch menu are what keep people coming back.
“We want to be the place where people see ‘Wicked’ but also come for smaller films — and some of the greatest films ever made,” Smith said.
Both theaters are expected to open by next summer.
This story has been updated with additional information from Alamo Drafthouse.