New Movie Theater Opens in Springfield

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema opened up on June 20th with big success over the summer. Previously the Wehrenberg Campbell 16 Cinema, along with a change in ownership, the theater went under some drastic changes that took over a year of renovations to finish. The new interior was designed to pay tribute the the classic science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The Alamo has a much different atmosphere than most other movie theatres in Springfield, in a positive way for the most part. To go to the Alamo, you must be at least 18 unless you are accompanied by an adult; this rule is in place because alcoholic beverages are served. I believe that this rule is a bit unnecessary; there isn’t much of a difference between someone who is 18 and someone who is 17 or 16 but they are legally required to follow this rule.

The Alamo also has a rule prohibiting all children under the age of 6 to attend the movies on any day aside from specific dates. This rule is good for the Alamo because it prevents people from bringing their kids who are disruptive such as crying babies which can ruin the whole movie going experience. Another positive rule is that cell phones and talking in general are both entirely banned. If you are caught talking or using your phone during the movie you will have one warning before being kicked out of the theater.

Before each movie at the Alamo, instead of the usual advertisements before movies in other theaters, they play a custom pre-show designed to appeal to anyone who wanted to see the specific movie they went to see. For example, when you go to see Spiderman Homecoming, a lot of the pre-show consists of old Spiderman cartoons.

While being a theater, the Alamo Drafthouse is also a restaurant. The food service and quality were both above average for a restaurant in Springfield. You can order your food off the menu that is kept underneath your personal theater table by writing a note and standing it on a clip at the end of the table. Your waiter then takes the note without being an obstruction to the film playing and brings you the food surprisingly quickly. The only downside to the Alamo’s food service is the high price of the meals, the price for a 12” pizza is $12.

The Alamo Drafthouse delivers the best movie going experience in Springfield due to its emphasis on being a good environment to be fully immersed in the film as well as its quality food service.