Alamo Drafthouse Launches 'Big Show' Theater to Take On IMAX

Screen Rant

By Danny Salemme

Published Jun 4, 2018

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is planning to rival IMAX in some of their locations with a new theater-going experience called The Big Show.

Alamo Drafthouse is launching a theater-going experience to take on IMAX, aptly called The Big Show. Already promising "the best cinematic experience in the world," this new style of theaters aims to be a game-changer for audiences with regards to ideal picture and sound quality.

Founded in Austin, TX, in 1997, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a movie theater chain that wholly embraces passionate moviegoers. Putting as much weight into mainstream releases as they do independent and foreign titles, Alamo Drafthouse celebrates the moviegoing experience with movie-themed food and drink menu options, reserved (and relicable) seating, and strict standards so as to preserve a quality theater-going experience. Now, having already committed themselves to exceptional quality, they are creating a new theater experience to rival IMAX called The Big Show.

Accompanied by a vintage Hollywood marketing campaign to promote the the "eye popping" and "howling loud" picture and sound quality, Alamo Drafthouse expressed on their official website that the purpose of The Big Show format is to "harness the cutting edge of Premium Large Format technology." By implementing Dolby Atmos' 3-dimensional audio technology, 66-inch-wide high-gain, premium quality curved screens, and 100 percent reclinable seats (with even more legroom), they stand by The Big Show as the "purest" way to see a movie. As of now, Alamo Drafthouse will only be updating two locations with the Big Show theaters (in Woodbridge, VA and Denton, TX), but they plan on eventually incorporating the new theater experience into new and existing locations across the United States.

Alamo Drafthouse has always stood by the promise to deliver a theater-going experience that rivals the competition. For example, they maintain zero tolerance policies for cell phone use, harassment of any kind, and admittance of anyone under the age of 18 who isn't accompanied by a parent or guardian. In fact, in order to limit distractions, they don't typically allow infants or young children into theaters (though they do offer special screenings during the day for families with young children or people with special needs as part of a program called "Alamo For All").

For film aficionados, Alamo Drafthouse is a treasure. In fact, seeing as the modernized movie-watching industry has sent businesses like Blockbuster to the grave, Alamo Drafthouse has even gone so far as to revive the movie rental experience, creating a free video rental store called Video Vortex. Though there is currently only a single location in Raleigh, NC, customers are welcome to rent any of their 75,000 titles. It's just another way that the company has proven their love of cinema, as well as their disposition towards old-school techniques and aesthetics.