Popular Austin-based movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse has started a series of layoffs impacting employees across the company.

On Wednesday, Drafthouse confirmed that 15 people were laid off at the corporate level. A spokesperson did not say how many hourly staff members at theaters are being let go.

The theater chain has 35 locations across 25 U.S. cities.

On Wednesday, KVUE spoke with an employee who was laid off.

"This is just shocking, and it feels, it feels very – I don't want to say dehumanizing, but it feels very horrible," said former employee Lily Stone, who was recently laid off. "Alamo is one of those companies, working there, having Alamo as a workplace, it's one of those places [where] it doesn't feel like work because it feels like family."

In June, Sony bought Alamo Drafthouse for $200 million. A spokesperson said the current layoffs are not tied to the acquisition.

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