Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2007 > October > 17 > Entry
Your A-List: Best Movie Theater
When Entertainment Weekly dubs the Alamo Drafthouse mini-chain, “Best Theater In America,” you can bet at least one of the complexes would take the Your A-List vote.
And one did: Alamo South Lamar snatched 31 percent of your votes, while Alamo Lake Creek took 9 percent and Alamo Village 8 percent. So, those theaters owned by the orginal partners and the franchisee (Lake Creek), Alamo — with its generously spaced seats and rails, discreet food and drink service, winking pre-show entertainment and advanced booking philosophy — combined for a near-majority of the total.
The Dobie, owned by California-based Landmark Theatres, didn’t do badly at all. The campus-area art house with the miniature versions of movie palace interiors, gained 29 percent of the votes.
Three from the Regal chain — Gateway, Westgate and Arbor — lagged behind with 3 to 5 percent of the tally.
Round Rock 8, Tinseltown Pflugerville, Galaxy Highland, Paramount Theatre, Regal Metropolitan, AMC Barton Creek Square, Bullock Museum IMAX, Cinemark Round Rock, Cinemark Southpark, City Lights, Georgetown, Tinseltown South Austin, Chestnut Square, Bastrop, Regal Lakeline Mall, Starplex and Showplace all took less than 3 percent.
It might surprise some readers that the Paramount and Bullock would score so low. The first hosts the city’s most glamorous premieres, the second is home to the region’s only IMAX. Yet both venues play multiple roles in the community, and may not enter the regular moviegoer’s consciousness as other than special-event locales.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment Categories: Your A-List
Comments
By Mary
October 20, 2007 8:38 PM | Link to this
I'm glad Alamo South Lamar won. It's the best Drafthouse by far...
By Mark
October 18, 2007 6:45 PM | Link to this
I'm glad to see the Dobie get so many votes. They show the best movies. I love the Alamo South Lamar, but the programming is no different than any other multiplex.
By PJ
October 18, 2007 6:09 PM | Link to this
I must respectfully disagree with "JJ". While he's correct that the seats and sightlines are pretty lousy at the Dobie, the reason to go there is because of the films; they consistently show the best movies possible, things which can't be seen elsewhere. In my book, they get major props for doing that, when they could easily cater to the frat-house crowd by showing Hollywood garbage. Also, in my experience, the picture and sound are as good as any other theatre in town. They also have pretty much only cute chicks working there, which is a big plus in my book.
By JJ
October 18, 2007 10:15 AM | Link to this
I am amazed so many put the Dobie down as their favorite. I have seen about a half a dozen films there, and every time after the first was only because of the film. Never was it because of the theatre. The seats are uncomfortable, the viewing angles terrible, and the picture and sound were always subpar.