Taking an early look at Boston’s first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
In “The Iron Giant,” Brad Bird’s 1999 feature-film directorial debut, the title character is 50 feet tall. The Iron Giant that will greet guests in the lobby of the new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in the Seaport — the Boston area’s first installment of the national theater chain — is not quite that tall. But it’s big.
The story of “The Iron Giant” takes place in Maine, which is close enough, said Tim League, the Alamo Drafthouse founder, on a recent walkthrough of the 10-screen, two-story movie house in the glass Seaport Blvd. building that also features the supper club Grace by Nia, Flight Club, Kings Bowl, and more. Alamo, set to open Nov. 17, takes the place of the former ShowPlace ICON Theatre, which closed during the pandemic.
There was some talk about installing a larger-than-life Matt Damon figure of his puppet from the 2005 Trey Parker-Matt Stone spoof “Team America: World Police,” League said, but they ended up going with the metallic robot.
Launched in 1997 in Austin, Texas, the Alamo Drafthouse concept emphasizes programming curated by movie lovers for movie lovers. At the new location, League was eager to show off the large posters covering the lobby walls and advertising vintage foreign spy movies.
“It’s possible that I build these theaters just so I can buy more posters,” he said with a smile.
Alamo theaters screen first-run blockbusters and creative repertory programming alike. They have full-service kitchens and bars, and they’re known for special events, carefully curated pre-show content (no ads), and a strict no talking/no texting policy.
The new Alamo in the Seaport will offer 10 screening rooms of various sizes, with a total capacity of 780. Each cinema is equipped with a Cinionic laser projector and 7.1 Dolby surround sound; one features the state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos sound system.
A stand-alone bar called the Press Room will feature a rare collection of printing blocks created for newspaper advertisements in the mid-20th century and a very heavy old printing press called a Vandercook proof press from 1938.
Alamo now has around 40 locations in the United States, including 18 in Texas, four in New York, and one apiece in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
Before choosing a new location, the company “likes to get a sense of the neighborhood,” said League, who had been staying in the Seaport for several weeks while the buildout continued. His mother was born in Newton, and his wife, Karrie, also has roots there — her parents.
“We felt right at home here,” League said.
The expansion of the business hasn’t come without problems. In 2017, several women alleged they had been the victims of sexual assault and harassment at Alamo Drafthouse events by the film critic Harry Knowles. The cinema cut ties with him.
After more allegations emerged about sexual harassment and racism among some of Alamo’s management staff, League acknowledged on a New York Times podcast that he had been neglectful of “company culture” and pledged to do better.
Asked about this history, an Alamo Drafthouse spokesperson sent the Globe a statement about the establishment of a code of conduct for employees, anti-harassment training, and a reinforcement of “the message that abuse, harassment or inequities of any kind will not be tolerated.” League stepped aside as CEO in April 2020, replaced by former Starbucks executive Shelli Taylor. He now serves as executive chairman.
In Boston, the company hired a “community marketing manager” to prep fans of the chain for the opening. Alex Shebar has posted a series of social media posts and games, including a Seaport scavenger hunt, with iconic scenes from Boston movies hidden in various neighborhood businesses.
To introduce Alamo to the city, he organized special screenings at Dorchester Brewing and the Sam Adams Taproom. Shebar said Boston has a history of participatory moviegoing — from the midnight movies at the old Orson Welles Cinema to “the best live ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ in the country” — that the new Alamo Drafthouse hopes to uphold.
“I don’t want to come in and dictate to the community,” he said. “We want to know, ‘What do you want?’”