Alamo Drafthouse wants to bring the feeling of independent movie rental stores to people in their homes, launching a video-on-demand service completely curated by Alamo Drafthouse employees. Alamo on Demand will include a library of films available to both rent and purchase, with titles selected and curated by the company’s programming team. The goal is to “champion innovative and exciting films” beyond the 41 locations its theaters exist in around the country.
The theater chain partnered with Vista Cinema, a cinema management software company, to launch the service. Alamo Drafthouse is also partnering with studios like Sony Pictures Classics in the coming weeks to bring more films to the service on a consistent basis, and it’s “in discussions with all the other major studios,” according to a press release. Alamo on Demand will include tentpole studio releases, independent films, and “rare gems.”
Alamo hopes to usher in new movies while also adhering to the programming staples that have established Alamo Drafthouse as an independent chain, including Weird Wednesdays or Champagne Cinema and Afternoon Tea. As major tentpole releases start to hit theaters, like Mulan, which is currently scheduled to open in July, Alamo Drafthouse will augment “their in-theater marketing with video rental packages of a director’s past films, for example, or a collection of films that specifically influenced the upcoming movie.”
“Many of us learned about movies thanks to the staff picks at our local video stores. That’s the spirit of what we’re trying to do with Alamo On Demand,” Henri Mazza, Alamo Drafthouse’s vice president of content, sponsorship, and events, said. “Even though we can’t gather in theaters right now, our programmers will still be curating new and classic films for our nationwide community of fellow movie lovers, and hosting conversations online as well.”
It’s a smart move for Alamo; theaters are closed right now, and more people are renting films while stuck at home. By partnering with Vista Cinema to launch their own service, which will continue even when theaters reopen, Alamo can remain a constant in people’s living rooms and hopefully generate some revenue right now. A list of titles that are currently available to rent and purchase is available on the company’s website.
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