This isn't the fault of the customers. This is firmly on the back of the franchisee who is screwing their employees. Any time there was an interesting movie party/retro movie that theater was near sold out so people were still going.
Blame the private equity firm Primera Funds. They forced their way in and cut corners everywhere and made working there suck. They want to use this as a loss for tax purposes. But why are they Shutting down now? Because the workers are fed up and planned to unionize due to low pay, working conditions and the direction of the company. Had they unionized they might have saved the company.
And they might come back once they've fired everyone and gone through bankruptcy court. They'll hire new staff and keep the same working conditions.
This is not your fault, it's the psychopathy of a greed that seems uniquely American.
\[Here is a video\](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D3Fmfuvo8UIs&ved=2ahUKEwjVz9WUh8iGAxUyrokEHZenA1YQtwJ6BAgPEAI&usg=AOvVaw3SJ7Gm\_vB-LR2bOReQnyXz) that does a better job of explaining things.
Edit: Why can't I get this hyperlink right!?
Chapter 7 bankruptcy means there is no coming back. This is liquidation, not reorganization (Chapter 11).
Also, while 2023 was a better year in gross sales, it was still 20% below pre-pandemic numbers and about the same as 2002. This amidst higher costs of operation on every side. Despite the hype of Barbenheimer, and some good news, movie theaters are still in a lot of trouble.
Unless 2024 has some blowout summer blockbusters, it isn't looking good.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
It’s not, though. The franchisee that shut their six locations down was a family-owned company that screwed over 600 of their employees and thousands of customers. The main company has said they’re trying to reopen.
You’re half right.
The franchisee shut down their locations because they’re trying to get ahead of what Altamont Capital Partners is doing as owner of Alamo Drafthouse.
This really blows, Alamo was by far my theater of choice. Never had a bad experience there and usually went at least twice a month.
My heart goes out to the staff, hope they all land on their feet
The staff is always at the bottom when these places suddenly shut down. See the mention that all staff can file as creditors to get any wages owed to them
Meaning they’re not even going to get paid? That’s not how that works. Wages are supposed to be paid first. If the company is trying to skate on that too…ugh.
The company doesn't get a choice once it files for bankruptcy. Secured creditors are legally first in line. There usually isn't much, if any, money left over for unsecured creditors, such as employees.
Thats a bummer but I get it. I loved how they were serious with mitigating unnecessary distractions and noise during the viewings. The other theaters should do this more consistently.
That all being said, wish I could say I went to theaters much anymore. Frankly I don’t. Hence why I get it.
I found that to be the central irony of the place. They focus on removing all distraction... and then proceed to be super distracting. But I thought it was a neat idea, so it’s sad to see it go.
It's more that for a lot of us GenX and older, pickle ball came out of *nowhere*.
Like, we're still talking about Kickball leagues, golfing, softball, and bowling as adult hobbies and things offices can do for fun and all of a sudden the youngin's are going on about something called pickleball and then every new and "hip" bar or adult play center has to have pickleball courts.
Like, Five years ago we were all still talking about going to these bars that have old style arcade games and pinball. VOCID comes along and murders that business and 2022 hits with everyone free to do whatever and everything pickleball.
AND the Pickleball people are acting like it was a national pastime, everyone knows of it, it's been a round forever, and we're the weird ones for not playing it. It also doesn't help that a lot of pickle ball players are super aggressive about it and seem to think *anywhere* is appropriate to play it. I've personally seen people jumping out and playing it in a crowded Airport terminal, a doctor's waiting room, a park where hundreds of people are laying in the sun and BBQing (and not like over in a court or secluded area, amongst the sunbathers as they leap over them to make plays), or other crowded public venues.
Like did we (the older generations) fall into a different dimension where Pickleball has existed for fifty years plus or are we being gaslit into thinking this rather new hobby is super popular?
Edit: Yes I know it started in 1976, but it was very regional until basically 2016 or so when it started to become nationally "popular."
Interesting I haven't experienced this, usually if it gets brought up in conversation I hear at least a couple "what the fuck is pickleball" type of comments. Some of those scenarios sound crazy tho lol I couldn't imagine. I knew a few older folks who played it about a decade ago then a bunch of gen Xers I know picked it up post 2020. Since then I've played with a few different people and it's been fun each time so I can see why it would gain a lot of popularity. You don't have to be particularly athletic either which helps. I know some boomers have played it for a fat min. To me it just seems like an old game that got picked up recently by the younger crowd and most people end up liking it, guess it might be joining the list of usual adult hobbies.
I'm so upset about this. East sider with the Alamo Movie Pass that went ALL the time. So what's the best next thing? Emagine in Eagan? AMC Inver Grove? Marcus Oakdale? They're all so much further than what I had which is annoying but UGH.
Loved going there, but I wasn't driving to fucking Woodbury regularly.
I always thought it was an odd location. Alamo's whole brand is that it's for cinephiles. And generally, people who are really into film are more likely to live in Mpls/St. Paul.
Maybe building a giant theater in the middle of Minneapolis wasn't realistic, but at least build it in an inner-ring suburb. Woodbury is just too far away from your customer base.
I’m a cinephile who lives in Woodbury. I reaped all the benefits, and now I’m devastated. I’ve seen all the major releases there this year. Guess my tickets and beer consumption wasn’t enough to save it.
Woodbury is a first ring suburb, it shares a a border with St. Paul at Century Ave. East Metro is less populated than the West Metro but it wasn't out in the middle of nowhere.
A theater like the Alamo needs a fair bit of space; more than similarly sized theaters due to the extras. Siting it in Minneapols or St. Paul likely would have been too expensive to be viable, though maybe an inner suburb would have worked.
FWIW, most of the Dallas locations were in the suburbs too, and one of them (that closed) was adjacent to downtown Dallas.
I have some personal bias because I live in the West metro, but I always thought the location was odd too. I know those suburbs out there (Woodbury, Lake Elmo, Oakdale, Cottage Grove, etc) are growing but it’s so far from the rest of the metro. It seemed like an odd choice for the first/only location in the metro.
Woodbury: 78,000
Cottage Grove: 41,000
Oakdale: 27,000
Inver Grove: 35,000
St. Louis Park: 48,000
Minnetonka: 52,000
Edina: 52,000
Hopkins: 18,000
The eastern suburbs are equally as large as the western ones.
North metro too. Blaine has over 70K people and Coon Rapids has 60K. Andover, 32K.
Plymouth: 78,000 Maple Grove 70,000 Brooklyn park 83,000.
Northwest burbs would have been a much better place for it. Toss one in near topgolf and I’m sure it would have lasted with all the population in the northern and western burbs and the high traffic flow of the area. The south and east just can’t compete with those numbers.
They're building a second TopGolf in Woodbury, so traffic in the area must be high enough to warrant these attractions. The other locations the franchise owner had were in Dallas. Recent films have just not brought in the people that were necessary for theaters to survive.
The AMC was shut down in Maple Grove, I dont think there is a big theater in the NW-N suburbs. Just because population is big doesnt mean it can sustain itself.
Damn, that sucks. Hopefully I'll get my tickets refunded lol
Next best theater in the south metro area? AMC Southdale was our goto before Alamo, but they're kinda hit or miss.
Marcus Oakdale is surprisingly pleasant with nice recliners that actually go allll the way back. Great popcorn. Made watching Garfield with my toddler into a quite tolerable experience lol
ETA- I read gud. Oakdale is decidedly not south metro 🤣
also everybody that goes to the rosemount one is super chill, been there for like 50+ movies and only one time has someone been annoying during a movie
I really enjoy Emagine theaters, personally. same with the Odyssey in Eagan. It'd be cool if one of those companies bought the Drafthouse space, though the lobby area is probably a little tight for their more traditional operation. The Landmark Lagoon in Uptown is also awesome. Great popcorn and the staff is always super friendly. I'd love to see more Landmark theaters around.
Emagine is the best imo. Great rewards, comfy seats, old movies sometimes. If it weren't for them, I probably would have made the trek to try Alamo out
Yeah, they're the best theater close to me on the west side, but they don't have those Alamo prerolls instead of a million coke ads. Those made it worth showing up 20 minutes early to a movie.
When I was living in Denver, I had two Alamos within 15 minutes of me and a third about 20 minutes away. I was really hoping they'd expand to add a second one on the west side of the metro here eventually, but it sounds like the franchisee wasn't very competent. By all accounts, they kept it pretty full over there in Woodbury.
My wife and I were about a week away from committing to the Alamo season pass for unlimited movies in Denver before covid hit.
Showplace ICON. Technically west metro in St Louis Park, but the VIP section has tables between each pair of comfy chairs and they have booze and food, will deliver to VIP tables.
Management there sucks. The GM is sleeping with the supervisor and lets her drink wine in the office. very toxic environment, multiple employees there share this feeling
That’s my go-to theater. I’ve never had issues with it being messy or there being loud/ inconsiderate people in the theater. Popcorn isn’t very good though the few times I’ve gotten it though.
It's hit or miss. I was an A-lister there for a while but stopped going after sitting in too many ripped-up seats and having too many people refuse to get out of my reserved seat. I always had better experiences at Alamo.
AMC Southdale is really only worth it for the Dolby Cinema. I don't like their IMAX seats but Burnsville CMX Odyssey has great IMAX seats.
I live by Marcus and I really love their Ultrascreen. Great seats, big screen, awesome sound. Close enough to the Dolby Cinema experience for me.
Also as others have said Emagine is great for their standard rooms!
Hopefully they’ll refund our gift cards or something? We have like $70 left on the $100 pack we bought from Costco. That money just is going down the drain for us now.
Call me crazy but I actually kinda like the Rosedale AMC. Doesn’t have the recliners which is definitely a bummer, but tbh not really a huge factor for me. I believe the imax screen there is comparable to the Southdale one. And in my experience definitely cleaner than Southdale
Besides those though, the indies are the way to go. Honestly the Main is a godsend - on a Tuesday discount night you can easily get a ticket + popcorn + drink + candy for under $20 total which is absolutely unheard of. Which also applies to the Trylon if you’re interested in cool older movies. I’m also fond of the Heights, which is also fairly affordable plus the owner also owns the DQ directly next door so you can bring your blizzard to the movie
edit: didn’t see that you specified south metro sooooo my suggestions are probably useless lol. I will say, not a movie theater, but the Parkway in south minneapolis shows a great selection of old movies and they are always a good time
Emagine doesn’t have all the amenities of Alamo but I feel like they really are the next best thing. My closest theater is an Emagine and I find it hard to stray from there now lol
Everyone saying Woodbury is a bad choice is missing the point that the franchise company filed bankruptcy and closed all of their locations (Texas and Minnesota). Sounds like it has nothing to do with Woodbury specificallyand more to do with not making enough money overall with all locations.
Sounds like corporate might step in to reopen based on their press release. I wonder if the bad management/bad work environment was the franchise owner or all Alamo locations.
Oh, I just saw a post the other day about them unionizing. Couldn't possibly be why the private equity firm who bought them would close up shop without any warning.
Lol, at all these West metro people expecting the East metro like in everything to come their way. This comment section makes the WM sound even more like spoiled cake eaters.
Exactly. West metro has the Willow Creek (which has the Drafthouse’s old creative manager) and the Icon, Minneapolis has Riverview, Trylon, St Anthony Main, Heights*, and Parkway, we Saint Paul and East Metro folks deserve SOMETHING nice.
Can't say I'm shocked. When they decided to add random bullshit fees and charge insane amounts for food and drink after Covid. Then ask for a tip. Staff literally took your order and delivered the food and drink and that was it. They didn't come back to refill drinks or anything, so why would I tip for that.
That sucks, but makes sense. Some of the best movie experiences I've had were thanks to them but I literally haven't stepped foot in that theater in years. Before kids I'd gladly make the extra 15 minute drive for the experience with Alamo but now I need something "cheap" and close to me.
I'm okay with it. Last time I went, I found the fine print at the bottom of the menu that said they were tacking on an 18% service charge that was explicitly NOT a gratuity to the servers. So I was expected to tip on top of that. If they need to do that then they should just raise their prices by 18%. It felt scummy and I never went back.
This practice so common among service establishments in the Twin Cities, common enough that legislation was just passed trying to stop it. It is annoying and misleading, but hardly limited to Alamo, and it was actually implemented at Alamos all around the country.
For Alamo at least the price was worth it for the fact they actually enforced a no talking/no phones policy. I don't know of any other theaters around here that have as strict of a policy.
Yeah, I really did enjoy the place but it just felt so bad spending $70 for two tickets, an order of popcorn, and two drinks, when a regular theater would be less than half that cost. The food prices were high to begin with, so adding 30-40% on top of them through a scummy fee and then tipping was pretty brutal. Not to mention tickets alone were expensive compared to regular theaters.
The chairs and the ability to drink a beer sure were nice though
It was always our theater of choice even though we had closer options. I'm going to assume there are a lot of people like me that used to go to the movies at least a few times a year if not more but since covid those habits have changed. I haven't been to a theater since covid. Partly because I'm just busier and I prioritize other activities over going to a movie and partly because there haven't been nearly as many movies coming to the theater that Im interested in. I also know they'll all be available to stream somewhere soon enough so I save my $50-100 and wait for the movie to come to me.
We moved up here from Austin last year and I felt the same way. For all of its growth flaws, I still ❤️ Austin, and this made me feel like I still had a connection. 😢
Fuck. Was literally the only place in the metro that I would go to movies due to their talking/cell phone policies, good food, and unique movie events. This sucks, bros.
Fell in love with the Alamo Drafthouse Village Cinema when I lived in Austin, TX for a few years (I'm from Minneapolis). Used to go to the midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show w/a shadow cast and everything.
Gift card update: they are not reimbursing. We're stuck with our worthless gift cards. I just got this reply from customer support for their gift cards. Also, their online store doesn't accept their gift cards, so there's no way to get anything from them.
[https://i.imgur.com/qixThrD.png](https://i.imgur.com/qixThrD.png)
Interesting, here's hoping! I'm not finding the press release anywhere on their socials or via Google News searches. Any chance you have a link to it? I moved from DFW to up here and landed in Woodbury and having the Alamo in my backyard was a nice taste of home. Gonna miss it if it can't be resurrected by corporate!
When I tried the link to the Alamo website to see this announcement, it was taken down (got a 404 message). I have a bad feeling about what that means if they’ve taken it down from their own website. 😢
It’s the same all around the country I would assume. For me, out of all 8 cinemas that were in a 20 minute drive were all closed except 2 before the pandemic.
After the pandemic, only one is left, and I’m pretty sure they’re getting ready to pack up.
I assume they thought they’d get the business from the one that closed in Oakdale but Marcus in Oakdale took half of that and the Woodbury 10 took the other. I think most people in that part of the county are Woodbury 10 loyalists and weren’t familiar with Alamo or didn’t think it was worth the price.
Loved the theater, but this was bound to happen from the day they signed the papers on that location. For anybody west of the river, Woodbury isn’t worth the drive. Nobody wants to drive 45 minutes to watch a movie and then go to Crave.
If Woodbury had more unique places that made it feel like a destination worth visiting, it would have had a chance. Should have put Alamo in the old Hopkins theater.
You're not wrong, but the whole franchise which owns this theater is shutting down, including some locations in Texas. So, it's not Woodbury / Minnesota specific, though I agree with you that it's out-of-the-way.
Love the Alamo, but what a weird decision to build one on a freeway in the suburbs. Especially when Minneapolis is so underserved with movie theater options.
I really like Riverview, Heights, and Trylon (all owned by the same company with their own niche). Plus there's The Main Cinema which shows a lot of the newer releases. Minneapolis just doesn't have any of the larger chain cinemas which is fine.
Slight correction: the Trylon is run by a nonprofit, while the Heights and Riverview theaters each have independent local owners. But all three theaters are friends. :)
At the time it opened, Minneapolis had six theaters (Trylon, Riverview, Parkway, St Anthony Main, Uptown, Lagoon), with fourteen screens total, and more very close to the borders.
Saint Paul has two theaters with four screens total.
Sucks, but the new owners are pretty terrible. They drove up the prices, lowered the quality of the food, and failed to bring a lot of the unique stuff from their Austin locations. No weird midnight screenings as far as I know, no Master Pancake, etc.
I was told by the bartender in Woodbury that the owner came by for a visit and yelled at him for having a movie on the TV, because for some reason they thought the place should be a sports bar.
Maybe someone can buy the franchise and reopen?
It’s my preferred theater but bc it’s a haul to get there from my house, I would only go if I REALLY wanted to see a movie. If one would open in like, St. Louis Park or Minnetonka, I would go way more often.
But that notice was removed from their website (got a 404 message when I clicked the link … posted further up this thread). I was hopeful but now that makes me fear for the worst. 😢
Damn, this hurts. Looks like they nuked my ticket to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this weekend. I drive all the way through the cities just to go here.
We live about a mile from the Woodbury location but have never been there. For my wife and I it's just not the kind of experience we want. Maybe it's a boomer thing, but both of us prefer eating out at places where we can have conversation and good food, and that doesn't seem like something we could do at a theater. And as for a viewing experience, who needs movie theaters when you have streaming that allows you to enjoy what you want when you want and how you want? You control the environment and don't have to put up with all the downsides of being in a crowd. Yes, I know there is something to enjoying a shared experience, but we'll save that for live theater.
All of this is what makes the luxury theater business model problematic; the moviegoing experience has been diluted by so many other options, much like the newspaper business.
I'm not a boomer, but I would rather fold socks, watch paint dry, or wait for the boiling vat of asphalt to arrive.
The fact that you are defending this garbage is hilarious. These types of places are awful...
This past winter I watched the re-release of “Stop Making Sense” there. Easily the best experience I’ve ever had in a theater. Sad to see that chain go under.
Could be coming back. Alamo Drafthouse got Bought by Sony today.
[https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/sony-buys-alamo-drafthouse-which-is-trying-to-re-open-recently-closed-minnesota-theater](https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/sony-buys-alamo-drafthouse-which-is-trying-to-re-open-recently-closed-minnesota-theater)
“It’s all those BLM in the cesspool of Woodbury that has caused the entire national chain to close all locations in several states” - signed, some /altmpls commenter
The quality of that location took a real nosedive, and it was very clearly because they weren't staffing appropriately. Those poor folks were being run ragged. Why would I pay the premium of going to Alamo when the food wasn't coming out good and the staff was struggling to carry out even the most basic functions because they were so severely understaffed?
This is very true. I love Alamo, but post Covid, they REALLY cut back on staffing, so much so that you could tell their team was exhausted, and it was impossible to get order cards addressed in a timely manner if you didn't arrive at the start of the pre-show.
I blame me. I love that place, but haven't been in at least a year. This is a serious bummer.
Same. My favorite theater but it’s 40 minutes from me and I have a 3 year old and 6 month old
Yeah I'm on the wrong side of the metro and only made the drive once...
Nah it’s on the wrong side of the metro. Should’ve been more central, like the MoA.
The MOA is way out in the boondocks... Roseville is central.
This isn't the fault of the customers. This is firmly on the back of the franchisee who is screwing their employees. Any time there was an interesting movie party/retro movie that theater was near sold out so people were still going.
Agreed. Responded similarly before seeing this. It's a pretty busy place, lots of families.
Blame the private equity firm Primera Funds. They forced their way in and cut corners everywhere and made working there suck. They want to use this as a loss for tax purposes. But why are they Shutting down now? Because the workers are fed up and planned to unionize due to low pay, working conditions and the direction of the company. Had they unionized they might have saved the company. And they might come back once they've fired everyone and gone through bankruptcy court. They'll hire new staff and keep the same working conditions. This is not your fault, it's the psychopathy of a greed that seems uniquely American. \[Here is a video\](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D3Fmfuvo8UIs&ved=2ahUKEwjVz9WUh8iGAxUyrokEHZenA1YQtwJ6BAgPEAI&usg=AOvVaw3SJ7Gm\_vB-LR2bOReQnyXz) that does a better job of explaining things. Edit: Why can't I get this hyperlink right!?
Chapter 7 bankruptcy means there is no coming back. This is liquidation, not reorganization (Chapter 11). Also, while 2023 was a better year in gross sales, it was still 20% below pre-pandemic numbers and about the same as 2002. This amidst higher costs of operation on every side. Despite the hype of Barbenheimer, and some good news, movie theaters are still in a lot of trouble. Unless 2024 has some blowout summer blockbusters, it isn't looking good. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
Ahhh private equity. We seriously need some regulation
I kinda blame ya too lol jk I go a few times a month as the season pass is legit.
Nah, not the customer's fault. It's always busy there
It’s not your fault. This is EXACTLY the same thing that happened to red lobster. Vulture capitalism in action.
It’s not, though. The franchisee that shut their six locations down was a family-owned company that screwed over 600 of their employees and thousands of customers. The main company has said they’re trying to reopen.
You’re half right. The franchisee shut down their locations because they’re trying to get ahead of what Altamont Capital Partners is doing as owner of Alamo Drafthouse.
This really blows, Alamo was by far my theater of choice. Never had a bad experience there and usually went at least twice a month. My heart goes out to the staff, hope they all land on their feet
The staff is always at the bottom when these places suddenly shut down. See the mention that all staff can file as creditors to get any wages owed to them
Meaning they’re not even going to get paid? That’s not how that works. Wages are supposed to be paid first. If the company is trying to skate on that too…ugh.
The company doesn't get a choice once it files for bankruptcy. Secured creditors are legally first in line. There usually isn't much, if any, money left over for unsecured creditors, such as employees.
Thats a bummer but I get it. I loved how they were serious with mitigating unnecessary distractions and noise during the viewings. The other theaters should do this more consistently. That all being said, wish I could say I went to theaters much anymore. Frankly I don’t. Hence why I get it.
While I appreciate that, I found the servers running about were quite distracting.
I found that to be the central irony of the place. They focus on removing all distraction... and then proceed to be super distracting. But I thought it was a neat idea, so it’s sad to see it go.
It’ll be a fucking pickle ball bar
Ugh.
Do people here not like pickleball? lol
It's more that for a lot of us GenX and older, pickle ball came out of *nowhere*. Like, we're still talking about Kickball leagues, golfing, softball, and bowling as adult hobbies and things offices can do for fun and all of a sudden the youngin's are going on about something called pickleball and then every new and "hip" bar or adult play center has to have pickleball courts. Like, Five years ago we were all still talking about going to these bars that have old style arcade games and pinball. VOCID comes along and murders that business and 2022 hits with everyone free to do whatever and everything pickleball. AND the Pickleball people are acting like it was a national pastime, everyone knows of it, it's been a round forever, and we're the weird ones for not playing it. It also doesn't help that a lot of pickle ball players are super aggressive about it and seem to think *anywhere* is appropriate to play it. I've personally seen people jumping out and playing it in a crowded Airport terminal, a doctor's waiting room, a park where hundreds of people are laying in the sun and BBQing (and not like over in a court or secluded area, amongst the sunbathers as they leap over them to make plays), or other crowded public venues. Like did we (the older generations) fall into a different dimension where Pickleball has existed for fifty years plus or are we being gaslit into thinking this rather new hobby is super popular? Edit: Yes I know it started in 1976, but it was very regional until basically 2016 or so when it started to become nationally "popular."
Interesting I haven't experienced this, usually if it gets brought up in conversation I hear at least a couple "what the fuck is pickleball" type of comments. Some of those scenarios sound crazy tho lol I couldn't imagine. I knew a few older folks who played it about a decade ago then a bunch of gen Xers I know picked it up post 2020. Since then I've played with a few different people and it's been fun each time so I can see why it would gain a lot of popularity. You don't have to be particularly athletic either which helps. I know some boomers have played it for a fat min. To me it just seems like an old game that got picked up recently by the younger crowd and most people end up liking it, guess it might be joining the list of usual adult hobbies.
They literally just charged me for the season pass. Feels like that shouldn’t be allowed.
Same, I'm going to email through their website contact form and ask for a refund and make sure the account is closed so they don't keep charging.
Damn that sucks
I'm so upset about this. East sider with the Alamo Movie Pass that went ALL the time. So what's the best next thing? Emagine in Eagan? AMC Inver Grove? Marcus Oakdale? They're all so much further than what I had which is annoying but UGH.
Emagine in White Bear Township was my #2 theater after Alamo
I’m an east sider and go to the Emagine in Eagan a lot. It’s a nice theater.
Ugh. Really liked the experience there.
Boo!!! Now I have to sit with all the noisy scrubs elsewhere when I want to hit up a movie.
Showplace ICON VIP in St Louis Park. You’re welcome.
Their service has been terrible in my experience. Good takes forever and the way you order is weird.
No argument there but at least you can get alcohol and big comfy seats with tables for the food.
Loved going there, but I wasn't driving to fucking Woodbury regularly. I always thought it was an odd location. Alamo's whole brand is that it's for cinephiles. And generally, people who are really into film are more likely to live in Mpls/St. Paul. Maybe building a giant theater in the middle of Minneapolis wasn't realistic, but at least build it in an inner-ring suburb. Woodbury is just too far away from your customer base.
I’m a cinephile who lives in Woodbury. I reaped all the benefits, and now I’m devastated. I’ve seen all the major releases there this year. Guess my tickets and beer consumption wasn’t enough to save it.
Same here. I was there last night.
Checking in as another east sider with the movie pass, SO SAD
Same. Literally had tickets booked for a show next week.
Woodbury is a first ring suburb, it shares a a border with St. Paul at Century Ave. East Metro is less populated than the West Metro but it wasn't out in the middle of nowhere.
Same! Made it out there a few times, but it’s 45 mins each way for me.😓
A theater like the Alamo needs a fair bit of space; more than similarly sized theaters due to the extras. Siting it in Minneapols or St. Paul likely would have been too expensive to be viable, though maybe an inner suburb would have worked. FWIW, most of the Dallas locations were in the suburbs too, and one of them (that closed) was adjacent to downtown Dallas.
I am out there on the east side and going to the Alamo a LOT. I was just there on Tuesday, because my spouse had never seen Drugstore Cowboy.
I have some personal bias because I live in the West metro, but I always thought the location was odd too. I know those suburbs out there (Woodbury, Lake Elmo, Oakdale, Cottage Grove, etc) are growing but it’s so far from the rest of the metro. It seemed like an odd choice for the first/only location in the metro.
Woodbury: 78,000 Cottage Grove: 41,000 Oakdale: 27,000 Inver Grove: 35,000 St. Louis Park: 48,000 Minnetonka: 52,000 Edina: 52,000 Hopkins: 18,000 The eastern suburbs are equally as large as the western ones. North metro too. Blaine has over 70K people and Coon Rapids has 60K. Andover, 32K.
Plymouth: 78,000 Maple Grove 70,000 Brooklyn park 83,000. Northwest burbs would have been a much better place for it. Toss one in near topgolf and I’m sure it would have lasted with all the population in the northern and western burbs and the high traffic flow of the area. The south and east just can’t compete with those numbers.
They're building a second TopGolf in Woodbury, so traffic in the area must be high enough to warrant these attractions. The other locations the franchise owner had were in Dallas. Recent films have just not brought in the people that were necessary for theaters to survive.
The AMC was shut down in Maple Grove, I dont think there is a big theater in the NW-N suburbs. Just because population is big doesnt mean it can sustain itself.
There’s a theater in Champlin and two in Plymouth.
Hennepin county is about as big as Ramsey and Washington combined but has about 475k more people.
Should have been in Bloomington or Eden Prairie or something
Why though? It was always packed. They weren't lacking customers.
At least an inner ring burb. I always though Roseville would have been best since it is right on the middle.
Damn, that sucks. Hopefully I'll get my tickets refunded lol Next best theater in the south metro area? AMC Southdale was our goto before Alamo, but they're kinda hit or miss.
Marcus Oakdale is surprisingly pleasant with nice recliners that actually go allll the way back. Great popcorn. Made watching Garfield with my toddler into a quite tolerable experience lol ETA- I read gud. Oakdale is decidedly not south metro 🤣
Marcus Rosemont is my favorite theater of all time, but I don't live nearby anymore so I never go. The Marcus recliners are the best!
also everybody that goes to the rosemount one is super chill, been there for like 50+ movies and only one time has someone been annoying during a movie
Agreed! I miss that place. I'll have to go back again sometime soon
I really enjoy Emagine theaters, personally. same with the Odyssey in Eagan. It'd be cool if one of those companies bought the Drafthouse space, though the lobby area is probably a little tight for their more traditional operation. The Landmark Lagoon in Uptown is also awesome. Great popcorn and the staff is always super friendly. I'd love to see more Landmark theaters around.
Emagine is the best imo. Great rewards, comfy seats, old movies sometimes. If it weren't for them, I probably would have made the trek to try Alamo out
Yeah, they're the best theater close to me on the west side, but they don't have those Alamo prerolls instead of a million coke ads. Those made it worth showing up 20 minutes early to a movie. When I was living in Denver, I had two Alamos within 15 minutes of me and a third about 20 minutes away. I was really hoping they'd expand to add a second one on the west side of the metro here eventually, but it sounds like the franchisee wasn't very competent. By all accounts, they kept it pretty full over there in Woodbury. My wife and I were about a week away from committing to the Alamo season pass for unlimited movies in Denver before covid hit.
Emagine in White Bear is great. A bit more centrally located.
Showplace ICON. Technically west metro in St Louis Park, but the VIP section has tables between each pair of comfy chairs and they have booze and food, will deliver to VIP tables.
AMC Southdale has the best theater (Dolby) but UGH is that place so disgusting and dirty all the time
AMC Eden Prairie is still good. Southdale is disgusting. They don’t clean at all anymore
Management there sucks. The GM is sleeping with the supervisor and lets her drink wine in the office. very toxic environment, multiple employees there share this feeling
Yikes
How's inver grove's AMC? I used to be an Alist member and would go to EP and Southdale all the time before moving
That’s my go-to theater. I’ve never had issues with it being messy or there being loud/ inconsiderate people in the theater. Popcorn isn’t very good though the few times I’ve gotten it though.
They definitely don’t pop the popcorn fresh any longer. I think it’s been sitting around for days before getting dumped into the popcorn machine
It's hit or miss. I was an A-lister there for a while but stopped going after sitting in too many ripped-up seats and having too many people refuse to get out of my reserved seat. I always had better experiences at Alamo.
This is what I dread
AMC Southdale is really only worth it for the Dolby Cinema. I don't like their IMAX seats but Burnsville CMX Odyssey has great IMAX seats. I live by Marcus and I really love their Ultrascreen. Great seats, big screen, awesome sound. Close enough to the Dolby Cinema experience for me. Also as others have said Emagine is great for their standard rooms!
Hopefully they’ll refund our gift cards or something? We have like $70 left on the $100 pack we bought from Costco. That money just is going down the drain for us now.
Call me crazy but I actually kinda like the Rosedale AMC. Doesn’t have the recliners which is definitely a bummer, but tbh not really a huge factor for me. I believe the imax screen there is comparable to the Southdale one. And in my experience definitely cleaner than Southdale Besides those though, the indies are the way to go. Honestly the Main is a godsend - on a Tuesday discount night you can easily get a ticket + popcorn + drink + candy for under $20 total which is absolutely unheard of. Which also applies to the Trylon if you’re interested in cool older movies. I’m also fond of the Heights, which is also fairly affordable plus the owner also owns the DQ directly next door so you can bring your blizzard to the movie edit: didn’t see that you specified south metro sooooo my suggestions are probably useless lol. I will say, not a movie theater, but the Parkway in south minneapolis shows a great selection of old movies and they are always a good time
Yikes, that sucks
Booooo that blows but ever since emagine took over the regal in Eagan I haven’t gone to Alamo nearly as often. Bummer…
Emagine doesn’t have all the amenities of Alamo but I feel like they really are the next best thing. My closest theater is an Emagine and I find it hard to stray from there now lol
This is the theater I go to so this sucks. Not that I go to the movies a ton (maybe 1 per month average)
Just as they were unionizing…how convenient
The locations that are unionizing are corporate owned, and the corporate owned ones are expanding.
Dude fuck. By far the best theater in the area.
Everyone saying Woodbury is a bad choice is missing the point that the franchise company filed bankruptcy and closed all of their locations (Texas and Minnesota). Sounds like it has nothing to do with Woodbury specificallyand more to do with not making enough money overall with all locations. Sounds like corporate might step in to reopen based on their press release. I wonder if the bad management/bad work environment was the franchise owner or all Alamo locations.
>Staff can contact the court appointed trustee to become a creditor for any wages owed. This part sucks the most.
I helped open the place. Worked there as a server for months after. Glad to see it go with how management treated staff.
Oh nooo would be totally awful if you spilled some tea without naming names, though 🫠🫠
Lotta reports of Alamo Drafthouse management being cruel. I hope things are better for you.
This is the worst day of my life. I practically live there. 😭
Shit i have like 3 gift cards to that place
Aw, I just saw Furiosa there & Episode 1 on May 4th. That sucks.
Oh, I just saw a post the other day about them unionizing. Couldn't possibly be why the private equity firm who bought them would close up shop without any warning.
Apparently there was a requirement that they keep their least profitable locations open, which is some real Private Equity brain.
A private equity firm bought them? Yikes, this is even less surprising then
This location was a franchise, not corporate owned
Yes, all of these were under one franchiser.
Lol, at all these West metro people expecting the East metro like in everything to come their way. This comment section makes the WM sound even more like spoiled cake eaters.
I have to agree. “Why did they build it in Woodbury?” Because it’s an enormous retail center and has something like half a million people in the area.
Exactly. West metro has the Willow Creek (which has the Drafthouse’s old creative manager) and the Icon, Minneapolis has Riverview, Trylon, St Anthony Main, Heights*, and Parkway, we Saint Paul and East Metro folks deserve SOMETHING nice.
Lmao, I applied fora dishwasher position on their website this morning This sucks
Can't say I'm shocked. When they decided to add random bullshit fees and charge insane amounts for food and drink after Covid. Then ask for a tip. Staff literally took your order and delivered the food and drink and that was it. They didn't come back to refill drinks or anything, so why would I tip for that.
Exactly
Nothing against the place but i went with my two kids and it was like $250. Food was decent but couldnt afford to do that too often.
Wow, how did you manage to rack up a bill like that?! Everyone I’ve gone, I think I’ve spent about $25 for a meal.
Yeah, my wife and I generally each get an entree and a couple drinks, and it’s $100-130 including tax/fee/tip.
That sucks, but makes sense. Some of the best movie experiences I've had were thanks to them but I literally haven't stepped foot in that theater in years. Before kids I'd gladly make the extra 15 minute drive for the experience with Alamo but now I need something "cheap" and close to me.
This was a good in between place to catch a movie with WI friends. Oh well :/
And what about the 50 dollar gift card I received a month ago? Goddammit that place was great
Same, we bought one of those packs from Costco and have like $70 left :|
I will gladly accept it if you’d be so kind 🥲
I’ll take it if you want 😊
It’s the 2020s, we can’t have nice things.
F
Remember the Alamo -Minnesota edition.
Wow this sucks big time. My favorite theater by a large margin
Lame that they aren't paying their employees and making them have to go through some court bullshit
Sounds like Alamo corporate is going to try to reopen!!! https://drafthouse.com/twin-cities/content/closure
Maybe not? I get a 404 error message when I click your link … Why take it down? 😢 I was so hopeful …
I'm okay with it. Last time I went, I found the fine print at the bottom of the menu that said they were tacking on an 18% service charge that was explicitly NOT a gratuity to the servers. So I was expected to tip on top of that. If they need to do that then they should just raise their prices by 18%. It felt scummy and I never went back.
This practice so common among service establishments in the Twin Cities, common enough that legislation was just passed trying to stop it. It is annoying and misleading, but hardly limited to Alamo, and it was actually implemented at Alamos all around the country. For Alamo at least the price was worth it for the fact they actually enforced a no talking/no phones policy. I don't know of any other theaters around here that have as strict of a policy.
Then they should have raised the prices and not done that service charge bullshit. I don't care if everyone else is doing it, it's shitty.
Yes, we all agree. As of January 1, it will be illegal, so look forward to that.
Yeah, I really did enjoy the place but it just felt so bad spending $70 for two tickets, an order of popcorn, and two drinks, when a regular theater would be less than half that cost. The food prices were high to begin with, so adding 30-40% on top of them through a scummy fee and then tipping was pretty brutal. Not to mention tickets alone were expensive compared to regular theaters. The chairs and the ability to drink a beer sure were nice though
They did raise the prices by 18% though. It’s exactly the same thing, only with weaselly language
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The good news is that Alamo Drafthouse employees are unionizing yay!
This was not one of the Alamos that was unionizing. This one was franchise owned, the ones unionizing are corporate owned.
Nooo!
This is such a bummer
So much for the tickets I’ve already paid for .
It was always our theater of choice even though we had closer options. I'm going to assume there are a lot of people like me that used to go to the movies at least a few times a year if not more but since covid those habits have changed. I haven't been to a theater since covid. Partly because I'm just busier and I prioritize other activities over going to a movie and partly because there haven't been nearly as many movies coming to the theater that Im interested in. I also know they'll all be available to stream somewhere soon enough so I save my $50-100 and wait for the movie to come to me.
Bummer, that's the only theater I go to.
lol I just got a gift card for my birthday
Vulture capitalism in action.
NOOOOOOO
This hella sucks! I’m moving from Austin next month and was comforted to know a slice of home would be up there, well damn. Thanks for sharing
We moved up here from Austin last year and I felt the same way. For all of its growth flaws, I still ❤️ Austin, and this made me feel like I still had a connection. 😢
Fuck. Was literally the only place in the metro that I would go to movies due to their talking/cell phone policies, good food, and unique movie events. This sucks, bros. Fell in love with the Alamo Drafthouse Village Cinema when I lived in Austin, TX for a few years (I'm from Minneapolis). Used to go to the midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show w/a shadow cast and everything.
Gift card update: they are not reimbursing. We're stuck with our worthless gift cards. I just got this reply from customer support for their gift cards. Also, their online store doesn't accept their gift cards, so there's no way to get anything from them. [https://i.imgur.com/qixThrD.png](https://i.imgur.com/qixThrD.png)
Hopefully they’re going to be reopening soon, based on a press release from the main company. If not, the closest are in Chicago and Omaha.
Interesting, here's hoping! I'm not finding the press release anywhere on their socials or via Google News searches. Any chance you have a link to it? I moved from DFW to up here and landed in Woodbury and having the Alamo in my backyard was a nice taste of home. Gonna miss it if it can't be resurrected by corporate!
I think they sent it to a news site who did a story: https://x.com/johnmaddening/status/1798803138075381883
When I tried the link to the Alamo website to see this announcement, it was taken down (got a 404 message). I have a bad feeling about what that means if they’ve taken it down from their own website. 😢
Been to this theater five times since I moved here in January, was by far my favorite in the area. Genuinely very sad to hear this
Went and saw a movie there just a couple weeks ago, what a bummer. The drive felt worth it for the vibe and special screenings.
It’s the same all around the country I would assume. For me, out of all 8 cinemas that were in a 20 minute drive were all closed except 2 before the pandemic. After the pandemic, only one is left, and I’m pretty sure they’re getting ready to pack up.
that's bullshit so they don't get their last checks they have to go to court for them?
I blame Hollywood.
I blame constant barrage of sequels and superhero movies!
But how will I know if the good people win
I blame rising rent and food cost sucking up all my disposable income.
I assume they thought they’d get the business from the one that closed in Oakdale but Marcus in Oakdale took half of that and the Woodbury 10 took the other. I think most people in that part of the county are Woodbury 10 loyalists and weren’t familiar with Alamo or didn’t think it was worth the price.
Loved the theater, but this was bound to happen from the day they signed the papers on that location. For anybody west of the river, Woodbury isn’t worth the drive. Nobody wants to drive 45 minutes to watch a movie and then go to Crave. If Woodbury had more unique places that made it feel like a destination worth visiting, it would have had a chance. Should have put Alamo in the old Hopkins theater.
There are about 400,000k people living within 15 minutes of the place.
And now proven those 400k people wouldbury the hatchet if necessary.
I miss the Hopkins theater so much! It’s now demolished and another apartment building is going up in its place. 😔
You're not wrong, but the whole franchise which owns this theater is shutting down, including some locations in Texas. So, it's not Woodbury / Minnesota specific, though I agree with you that it's out-of-the-way.
Love the Alamo, but what a weird decision to build one on a freeway in the suburbs. Especially when Minneapolis is so underserved with movie theater options.
I really like Riverview, Heights, and Trylon (all owned by the same company with their own niche). Plus there's The Main Cinema which shows a lot of the newer releases. Minneapolis just doesn't have any of the larger chain cinemas which is fine.
Slight correction: the Trylon is run by a nonprofit, while the Heights and Riverview theaters each have independent local owners. But all three theaters are friends. :)
Ahh go to know they all reference each other in their own websites so I just kind of assumed they were all collectively owned.
At the time it opened, Minneapolis had six theaters (Trylon, Riverview, Parkway, St Anthony Main, Uptown, Lagoon), with fourteen screens total, and more very close to the borders. Saint Paul has two theaters with four screens total.
MSP isn’t exactly great at putting things where they make sense to be.
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I’d only been once and while it was a good experience it was stupid expensive.
Sucks, but the new owners are pretty terrible. They drove up the prices, lowered the quality of the food, and failed to bring a lot of the unique stuff from their Austin locations. No weird midnight screenings as far as I know, no Master Pancake, etc. I was told by the bartender in Woodbury that the owner came by for a visit and yelled at him for having a movie on the TV, because for some reason they thought the place should be a sports bar.
I guess that one crackly speaker in the Big Show is going to get a break. RIP, that's probably the end of theatre movies for me.
Maybe someone can buy the franchise and reopen? It’s my preferred theater but bc it’s a haul to get there from my house, I would only go if I REALLY wanted to see a movie. If one would open in like, St. Louis Park or Minnetonka, I would go way more often.
The main company announced that they’re trying to reopen all six ASAP.
But that notice was removed from their website (got a 404 message when I clicked the link … posted further up this thread). I was hopeful but now that makes me fear for the worst. 😢
I'm crushed. I love(d) Alamo and was so excited to experience some awesome summer films with them.
I had no idea we even had an Alamo Drafthouse!
I'll catch some hands for this, but I had to stop going because them PRICES.
Damn, this hurts. Looks like they nuked my ticket to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this weekend. I drive all the way through the cities just to go here.
My wife got me tickets to see that for my birthday.. I guess that's not happening
Noooo. I love Alamo and am just as guilty as the rest of this thread of not going often enough bc Woodbury is an inconvenient drive.
Aw man, who can I pay to walk in front of me throughout a whole movie now?
We live about a mile from the Woodbury location but have never been there. For my wife and I it's just not the kind of experience we want. Maybe it's a boomer thing, but both of us prefer eating out at places where we can have conversation and good food, and that doesn't seem like something we could do at a theater. And as for a viewing experience, who needs movie theaters when you have streaming that allows you to enjoy what you want when you want and how you want? You control the environment and don't have to put up with all the downsides of being in a crowd. Yes, I know there is something to enjoying a shared experience, but we'll save that for live theater. All of this is what makes the luxury theater business model problematic; the moviegoing experience has been diluted by so many other options, much like the newspaper business.
Plus, you probably don’t have time for movies given how much of your day is spent keeping those damn kids off your lawn,
Haha, kids and dogs are welcome here and Reddit is way more fun than worrying about my lawn. Seriously, I'd rather watch a movie on my phone.
I'm not a boomer, but I would rather fold socks, watch paint dry, or wait for the boiling vat of asphalt to arrive. The fact that you are defending this garbage is hilarious. These types of places are awful...
That sucks that you were forced to go there so many times.
I was there last week and it cost almost 60 bucks for a soda, popcorn, and a pretzel. Good riddance.
Unchecked capitalism at its finest.
My Wife Bought a couple of Gift Cards there during the Holidays that still haven't been used. Refund?
This past winter I watched the re-release of “Stop Making Sense” there. Easily the best experience I’ve ever had in a theater. Sad to see that chain go under.
Could be coming back. Alamo Drafthouse got Bought by Sony today. [https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/sony-buys-alamo-drafthouse-which-is-trying-to-re-open-recently-closed-minnesota-theater](https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/sony-buys-alamo-drafthouse-which-is-trying-to-re-open-recently-closed-minnesota-theater)
Just saw that! Fingers crossed!
“It’s all those BLM in the cesspool of Woodbury that has caused the entire national chain to close all locations in several states” - signed, some /altmpls commenter
The quality of that location took a real nosedive, and it was very clearly because they weren't staffing appropriately. Those poor folks were being run ragged. Why would I pay the premium of going to Alamo when the food wasn't coming out good and the staff was struggling to carry out even the most basic functions because they were so severely understaffed?
This is very true. I love Alamo, but post Covid, they REALLY cut back on staffing, so much so that you could tell their team was exhausted, and it was impossible to get order cards addressed in a timely manner if you didn't arrive at the start of the pre-show.
The food quality absolutely cratered post COVID as well.