It’s shaping up to be a great week for the Alamo Drafthouse. On Tuesday, we learned that the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and The Highball will reopen this weekend. Hot on the heels of that announcement comes news that the Alamo Drafthouse is expanding to the City of Angels.
The Los Angeles theater will be located at The Bloc, a 1.8 million-square-foot mixed-use destination in downtown LA. The Drafthouse is partnering with real estate developer The Ratkovich Company and National Real Estate Advisors on the deal.
The theater is expected to open in 2015, after The Bloc's $180 million in renovations — aimed at making the space more pedestrian-friendly — are complete. It will feature nine screens and seat approximately 800 people. In addition to new releases, independent, foreign and classic films, the theater will also showcase the Drafthouse's signature programming.
"We've been eyeing Los Angeles for many years now," said Alamo Drafthouse Founder and CEO Tim League. "With The Bloc, we finally found the perfect location and partner to bring our brand of cinema to the birthplace of the industry."
Mayor Eric Garcetti extended his welcome to the Austin-based theater. "We’re extremely excited to welcome Alamo Drafthouse to downtown Los Angeles. Their unique brand of innovation and showmanship embodies the best traditions of our city's film industry."
This will be the second Alamo Drafthouse location in California. A San Francisco theater is slated to open in the fall of 2014.
The announcement of the first Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles comes on the heels of the reopening announcement for South Lamar.
