Beginning Friday, January 5th, each of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s forty locations from coast to coast will begin unearthing the first set of Alamo Time Capsules, a yearlong trek back through time that revisits beloved blockbusters and forgotten favorites spanning six landmark cinema years – 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, and 1974. The largest and most comprehensive retrospective in the company’s history runs throughout 2024 and will include nearly 150 films. Each collection of films will span six to eight weeks and tell part of the story of that year in cinema, culture, and history. Upcoming Alamo Time Capsule collections will include special merchandise, custom Alamo Drafthouse menus, and special events.
Alamo Time Capsules was developed by programmers John Smith, Jake Isgar, and Jenny Nulf from the company’s Alternative Content department. Alternative Content represented approximately 12% of Alamo Drafthouse’s box office revenue in Q4 2023 thanks to a sustained focus on national re-releases and record numbers on holiday programming. Alamo Time Capsules is only a portion of the company’s repertory programming plans for the year.
January and February’s lineup includes the company’s annual “XOXO, Alamo” Valentine’s Day programming block, as well as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, interactive “Movie Party” screenings of Clueless and The Goonies, and four essential films by Denzel Washington. The new Time Capsule series begins in the year 1999 with Being John Malkovich, The Iron Giant, and Run Lola Run. Time Capsule 1999 runs through the end of February, and tickets are available now at drafthouse.com/1999.
“My first job was making popcorn and tearing tickets at a second run movie theater in 1999, and I was lucky enough to get to see everything from that wild year of cinema, from Blair Witch to Magnolia to She’s All That again and again and again,” says John Smith, Alamo’s senior film programmer. “Twenty-five years later, I’m proud that the Alamo Drafthouse team is able to bring these films back to the big screen to share with new generations all over the country.”
“With all of the tireless work put into restoring and unearthing all types of cinema, it’s vital for us, and to film culture as a whole, to exhibit them,” says Alamo Drafthouse programmer Jake Isgar.
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