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#51
2 minutes ago, EvilCaseMcCoy said:

Just went to Alamo last night. They encourage mobile ordering prior to the movie, but revert to pen and paper during the show. The app is sort of annoying but otherwise same as usual.

Doesn’t go into effect until February. You experienced the current system

#52
On 1/10/2026 at 11:20 AM, CumStainedJorts said:

Doesn't this go against THE rule of the Alamo Draft House, which is no distracting phones during movies?

Yea, WELL.

OKAY. you know WHAT?

I didn't KNOW I wasn't supposed to text not use paper and pen in your crappy little theater!

So EXCUSE me. For wanting to use paper and pen in the MUNITED SMATES OF AMERICA!

#53

On one hand, this is horrible on multiple levels and the Alamo in general has gone downhill. I used their app the other day before the movie started and it was shit. I couldn't order a glass of water. I couldn't find things on their menu that I normally order. And the quality of the food has gone to hell since they were bought out. The 18% auto gratuity pisses me off in general -- I usually tip more, but since they started auto-charging me? Yeah, you're getting that 18% and no mas.

On the other, I found the most frustrating part about my Alamo drafthouse experience in the past was trying to use one of their cheap ass bullshit fucking pens that never worked to sign the check. Checking out on the app was easier. I'll give them that.

#54
14 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Doesn’t go into effect until February. You experienced the current system

Bah! How am I supposed to get a second beer?

#55
46 minutes ago, EvilCaseMcCoy said:

Bah! How am I supposed to get a second beer?

It's easy. Just log into the app. You will then receive a confirmation code by text. Enter that in. Create a new password that is 10 characters, exactly 4 of which must be numbers. Then type in your mother's maiden name and your blood type. At that point, you'll need to update the app. Once that has been updated, you'll need to filter through five menus until you get to beer. After you have selected a beer, you will need to upload a picture of your driver's license (front and back) for age verification. After an employee has spent 30 minutes confirming your age, your beer will be delivered. See, piece of cake.

Speaking of, if you would like a piece of cake you will need to repeat these instructions.

#56
1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

On one hand, this is horrible on multiple levels and the Alamo in general has gone downhill. I used their app the other day before the movie started and it was shit. I couldn't order a glass of water. I couldn't find things on their menu that I normally order. And the quality of the food has gone to hell since they were bought out. The 18% auto gratuity pisses me off in general -- I usually tip more, but since they started auto-charging me? Yeah, you're getting that 18% and no mas.

TBH if it's """auto gratuity""" I would much rather them just price things on the menu honestly. If it's not optional, it's part of the price. Put the price on the menu.

#57
1 hour ago, Vegas64 said:

Yea, WELL.

OKAY. you know WHAT?

I didn't KNOW I wasn't supposed to text not use paper and pen in your crappy little theater!

So EXCUSE me. For wanting to use paper and pen in the MUNITED SMATES OF AMERICA!

."..shhhhhutttt he fuck up"

I need to see a Master Pancake soon

#58
3 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

On one hand, this is horrible on multiple levels and the Alamo in general has gone downhill. I used their app the other day before the movie started and it was shit. I couldn't order a glass of water. I couldn't find things on their menu that I normally order. And the quality of the food has gone to hell since they were bought out. The 18% auto gratuity pisses me off in general -- I usually tip more, but since they started auto-charging me? Yeah, you're getting that 18% and no mas.

On the other, I found the most frustrating part about my Alamo drafthouse experience in the past was trying to use one of their cheap ass bullshit fucking pens that never worked to sign the check. Checking out on the app was easier. I'll give them that.

Fuck Alamo Drafthouse.

The shitbag running the front desk at the South Lamar location fucked me over a few months ago. I had seen the pre-show message about the auto 18% "service charge" and so I didn't add a tip. On the way out of the theater I noticed I'd been charged for an item we never got. No big deal, I stop by the register up front to get it fixed. He looks at the bill and asks if I was planning to tip because if not he wouldn't be fixing the bill. That alone is fucked up, but it caught me off-guard and I thought I must have misunderstood the service charge. I asked him if it goes to the server and he said, "No, it goes straight to corporate." So, not wanting to fuck over the server, I added an 18% tip on top of the bullshit service charge and he fixed the bill. I get home and research it only to find out he was lying and the service charge goes to the servers (pooled or not, I don't give a shit). It does not go to corporate.

They used to be great when they were the only place in town to get food, beer, and a movie. But there are way too many other options now to put up with that bullshit. I drive past my neighborhood Alamo to go to Moviehouse Eatery now.

#59
10 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

He looks at the bill and asks if I was planning to tip because if not he wouldn't be fixing the bill.

Yeah, that's a chargeback then. Fuck them.

#60
On 1/10/2026 at 5:35 PM, hobbes2702 said:

repertory screenings.

This is why I go to the Alamo. I don't care about the food. Yeah, I might have something or maybe not, but it's the fact that I am going to see something that hasn't been in theaters my whole life that brings me back. Apps are shitty, but it's how things are trending. Maybe if sales start to dip because of a fucked up app/ general frustration they change course.

I don't want your stupid fucking app, now or ever. I only get one when I absolutely have to do it.

Edited by cactusflinthead

#61

Meanwhile, I go to fucking AMC in Barton Fucking Creek Mall, and theater #1, their 3D IMAX theater, looks worse than any discount cinema I've been to in 25 years. Seats falling apart, seat cushions literally split open, shit falling apart in that theater, seat dividers falling apart, etc. And the employees I bitched to were clearly ashamed about it but did nothing. I won't be going back there.

Meanwhile, Alamo, the best chain around, is just pissing away their reputation while other chains are pushing their customers there.

#62

dang 😕 well. i guess we're lucky, we've got that badass Harkins theater we absolutely love. no seat service but it's got a nice lobby with full bar, the food items are basic but actually pretty good, and the popcorn is so good my mate gets a giant sealed bag to go for his home theater lol (it's so arid here it lasts a long time without going stale).

anyways, in Austin... is the Galaxy theater at Highland still around? that was always our go to theater.

#63

I think you guys are realizing that the exhibitors are all really hurting for money. I bet the amount Sony paid for the Alamo matches up pretty well with the value of the real estate and it’s still not cash-flowing after the COVID decline in attendance.

I think they all need to pivot (I.e, quit chasing the same theater goer that sees tent pole films but nothing else), but some of that is on the studios to be able to make a $15m film that appeals to kids, or old people, or minority groups (black cinema, LGBT cinema). The only remaining studios willing to risk their money on that are the faith based ones.

#64
1 hour ago, LCHorn said:

I think they all need to pivot (I.e, quit chasing the same theater goer that sees tent pole films but nothing else), but some of that is on the studios to be able to make a $15m film that appeals to kids, or old people, or minority groups (black cinema, LGBT cinema). The only remaining studios willing to risk their money on that are the faith based ones.

One thing that I really think needs to be done more, and Alamo actually does this quite a bit, is bringing back older films. It should be much easier now that things have been digital for a while, it's not like they are shipping massive reels of film.

My oldest has never seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy - he's read all of the books, including the extended/history/whatever, and I have had him waiting for a while, knowing we would find them in theaters again, and they are coming out this weekend for the next few weeks, for the 25th anniversary. And the original theatrical cut of Star Wars is coming out next year. And we've seen the Indiana Jones movies at Alamo, and Alamo and Paramount here in Austin run their summer programs with older movies (Goonies, etc.).

Go after the Gen Xers and maybe slightly younger who have kids and who want their kids to see the movies of their youth in theaters. Give me Back to the Future and I'll bring my son.

Hell, throw the original Jurassic Park in theaters for a few weeks, a lot of us would bring our kids.

#65

Hell, one of the most fun times we had during COVID was renting out an Alamo theater to watch the first Jurassic Park - like a dozen of us spread out and watching a classic.

#66
15 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

One thing that I really think needs to be done more, and Alamo actually does this quite a bit, is bringing back older films.

FWIW, the exhibitors are all doing that. Experimenting with older films, concerts, showing Broadway productions, big TV finales.

I think there's a real reluctance to play with ticket pricing more than they do, but I'd be trying to experiment there, too. Buy one, get one free for Back to the Future night so you can bring your kid, for example (one of the exhibitor challenges they don't talk about is that ticket prices are so large that a night out at the movies has become a luxury item).

Something else I'd do is approach Netflix and ask to license their older catalogue.

Anyway, I'm sure Sony has played around with all sorts of concepts conceptually because a) no one likes losing money b) Alamo has a clientele with previous exposure to this and c) there's a relatively small number of Alamo theaters so the risk is low.

Main thing I'd be focusing on is butts in seats by any means necessary. There's an entire generation that isn't getting habituated to theatrical and that's a bleak future for theaters.

#67

Doing things like ordering and paying through apps doesn't bother me much anymore, except when the app is poorly designed and doesn't work right, which currently is often and the bigger problem, imo.

#68
On 1/9/2026 at 5:27 PM, hobbes2702 said:

In San Antonio you can digital order until the movie starts and after that it’s back to paper. That would be fine.

We went to see Frankenstein last month when they were rolling this out as a beta test (free admission to the film plus like a $5 or something food credit). That's how they handled it there--digital ordering until movie started and then paper during the film.

#69
39 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

We went to see Frankenstein last month when they were rolling this out as a beta test (free admission to the film plus like a $5 or something food credit). That's how they handled it there--digital ordering until movie started and then paper during the film.

I'm actually a little surprised that a streamer like Apple or Netflix that isn't tied down to existing theatrical relationships didn't purchase the Alamo Drafthouse, release films there (with exclusivity advantages) with free or nominal value tickets with the idea that food/bev covers the cost.

Netflix, in particularly, seems to have realized they've reached a subscription limit for their model, at least domestically, and adding more content isn't necessarily adding subscribers. You've got films like Frankenstein that have big viewership numbers but almost no penetration into a larger cultural conversation. Hell, Heated Rivalry has inspired more word of mouth and that's a super niche program.

#70

I'm going to give it a shot or two before I consider cancelling my season pass - it is literally 5 min from my house, it's almost too convenient not to see a movie there.

I'm eh on Regal and the closest AMC is a good 20-25 min of nothing but city traffic lights to get there.

#71

Things have been going downhill for awhile. That said, I'm a Season Pass holder cuz a) they finally did all-in, b) as mentioned, rad repertory screenings, c) the LA location is literally above a subway stop.

What this is going to do is discourage me from ordering *anything* during the movie, so joke's on them, I guess.

#72
6 hours ago, LCHorn said:

FWIW, the exhibitors are all doing that. Experimenting with older films, concerts, showing Broadway productions, big TV finales.

...

Something else I'd do is approach Netflix and ask to license their older catalogue.

Anyway, I'm sure Sony has played around with all sorts of concepts conceptually because a) no one likes losing money b) Alamo has a clientele with previous exposure to this and c) there's a relatively small number of Alamo theaters so the risk is low.

Main thing I'd be focusing on is butts in seats by any means necessary. There's an entire generation that isn't getting habituated to theatrical and that's a bleak future for theaters.

When we saw Avatar a few days after New Year's, there was quite a crowd for Stranger Things - people dressed up in Stranger Things gear (Hellfire Club) or as characters (Scoops Ahoy, etc.). If I had been caught up, I would have totally went to that - would have been fun to see it with people.

Sony owns Columbia/TriStar. That's a helluva back catalogue they could be pumping through Alamo theaters when movie sales are slow.

#73
On 1/12/2026 at 11:04 AM, HornOnTheBayou said:

It's easy. Just log into the app. You will then receive a confirmation code by text. Enter that in. Create a new password that is 10 characters, exactly 4 of which must be numbers. Then type in your mother's maiden name and your blood type. At that point, you'll need to update the app. Once that has been updated, you'll need to filter through five menus until you get to beer. After you have selected a beer, you will need to upload a picture of your driver's license (front and back) for age verification. After an employee has spent 30 minutes confirming your age, your beer will be delivered. See, piece of cake.

Speaking of, if you would like a piece of cake you will need to repeat these instructions.

Pedro Pascal Laughing GIF by Crafture

#74

We did the QR code ordering during the trial run last time. It sucked. Had to manually type in my name, my credit card number and info, then they had an off-menu specials board and nothing in the QR code menu had the specials. Wife also had a special request for her food and no way in the website it sent us to to do that. Then applying a gift card was a bitch, and despite me showing to my server, the 10% season pass also didn't get discounted, so I had to stand around for 15 minutes after the movie to get refunded eight goddamn dollars. 10/10, no notes.
Love also that they are like "hey guys it won't be distracting, the order screen is dark mode!" as if every slapdick isn't going to open their full bright home screen to get into the app to order. Also, super easy manually keying in credit card numbers in the dark, won't be an issue at all.

#76
1 hour ago, TXSooner518 said:

We did the QR code ordering during the trial run last time. It sucked. Had to manually type in my name, my credit card number and info, then they had an off-menu specials board and nothing in the QR code menu had the specials. Wife also had a special request for her food and no way in the website it sent us to to do that. Then applying a gift card was a bitch, and despite me showing to my server, the 10% season pass also didn't get discounted, so I had to stand around for 15 minutes after the movie to get refunded eight goddamn dollars. 10/10, no notes.
Love also that they are like "hey guys it won't be distracting, the order screen is dark mode!" as if every slapdick isn't going to open their full bright home screen to get into the app to order. Also, super easy manually keying in credit card numbers in the dark, won't be an issue at all.

Love that all of that - gift cards, 10% discount, Apple/Google pay, etc. - is "in the works for the future."

Or just fucking get it figured out FIRST and then roll out the only-app ordering system, you fucking idiots.

#77

I've only been to the Denton location, but in general I hate the full menu theatres. I think the food usually sucks, and if I want Chilis quality food I don't have a need to combine the two experiences. I would simply just go to whatever family food chain was closest prior or after the movie. Just give me snacks which I'm fine with buying beforehand. Beer sales proliferating to all theatres was a positive though.

#78
On 1/10/2026 at 2:16 PM, mdmost said:

I guess I'm guilty of this too since the article says they won't cut staff or lower wages.

I’ll bet that’s technically correct, in that they’ll still have the same headcount, and each individual job code will make the same wage it does today. They’re just gonna shift all of the headcount to lower-wage job codes….

Edited by Ignatius

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