Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
FILM SCENE/ OPINION
Not dark yet: Drafthouse saves drive-in
Last August, news broke that the 112 Drive-In in Fayetteville was disconnecting their speaker boxes and closing their doors after 42 years of service. It was one of the last remaining drive-ins in the state; in fact, it was one of the last operating drive-ins in the country. That number keeps dwindling, year by year, as it seems that parking your car in front of a massive screen and watching a movie under the stars is an antiquated method of consuming films. At the rate these screens are shutting down, this form of moviegoing might be extinct in a few years. The drive-in might just be dead …
Or that’s what I thought until about a week or so ago when we found out an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with an adjacent drivein was planned for the site of the old 112. The main attraction will be an eight-screen theater with 798 indoor seats but they also plan on renovating the old screen and keeping the drive-in intact for special screenings and events. So, the nostalgic audience can once again enjoy movies in the privacy of their own automobile — or they can take a seat at the theater’s outdoor beer garden.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema isn’t your typical theater chain. They have dubbed themselves as a “movie lover’s oasis, not only by combining the best-in-class food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high- profile, star- studded special events.”
They have servers who come to your seats, which allows you to order concessions without getting up and missing a single frame of the movie. Alamo also touts their no-talking, no-cell-phone policy, and they will kick disruptive audience members out. They are proponents of classic films, especially hidden gems, grindhouse cinema, cult classics and exploitation flicks.
It really is a cinephile’s cinema. They proved that to the local Fayetteville audience this past week by having a special drive-in presentation of the new cult comedy/ horror film “Cocaine Bear.”
I arrived at the former 112 Drive-In while the sun was still up. The Alamo staff had dressed the drive-in to be theme appropriate for the movie: there were staff members dressed as bears with a white powder substance sprinkled on their noses; there were movie posters that were shredded and splattered with fake blood; the insides of the concession booth had been ravaged and scattered about — again covered in a massive amount of blood. A lot of time and effort had obviously been taken to make the drive-in look like a wild bear high on coke had ran amok across the premises.
As I handed my ticket to the usher in the booth, I was handed a foam hand shaped like a bear claw. I parked my car and noticed by the screen there were tents set up full of barbecue, beignets, and beer. Party favors were scattered about on tables: coasters, coozies, gummy bears, and small packets of Alamo-branded fake cocaine. There was even a real stuffed bear that people couldn’t stop taking pictures with.
I find it strange that a Texas based movie chain would go through all this pomp and circumstance for a theater that won’t even break ground until later this year, and isn’t expected to be finished until 2024. I think this week’s event was a good faith measure taken by Alamo, showing that they aren’t going to
be just another chain taking over a mom and pop store of which the community has fond memories. That’s why the founder of Alamo, Tim League — who was also dressed as a bear — showed up to personally thank the city.
League’s thank you speech was cut short when he was attacked and mauled — pre
sumably to death — by another costumed bear. It was enjoyable seeing an executive like League allowing himself to be the butt of a joke. It was just another small detail suggesting League and Alamo are truly invested in this soon to be theater.
League started up Alamo back in 1997 after he abandoned a career in engineering. He also helped found Fantastic Fest, the largest genre festival in the US. He’s also produced a number of low-budget indie films. He’s a man who truly cares about cinema. Now Alamo has expanded into 39 locations, and their Fayetteville location will be the first Alamo with a drive-in. I was told by one of the financiers of the project, Dave Anderson, that they mean for this to be “more than the best movie theater in Arkansas — we’re planning the best cinema destination in America.”
That might just be an accurate statement, as the Alamo will be the anchor for a “multi- family and retail entertainment community”
that is also planned for the surrounding area. It will feature affordable housing complexes, eateries, and other entertainment businesses. Even the names of the roads will be movie themed. This future community will be called The Aronson, named after native Arkansan and silent film star Maxwell “Broncho Billy”
Aronson. It’s an ambitious project, but one that’s off to a good start.
The sun started to set and the people dispersed from the fanfare, retreating from the cold to their vehicles. About 30 minutes of bear and drug themed adverts showed before the movie, featuring the classic ’80s PSA “this is your brain on drugs” and trailers for movies like the 1976 horror flick “Grizzly.” Alamo is known for these curated pre-screening features.
Then the much-anticipated “Cocaine Bear” started to roll. Laughs could be heard rolling through every car in the lot. Once the credits started, the cars began to file out, except for the ones in search of jumper cables because they had let their batteries run dead. It was a nostalgic night that was also a glimpse into the future — a steadfast reminder that the drive-in will never die.