Metro Private Cinema Opens in New York Backed by Alamo Drafthouse | Eater NY
"Opening in September at 131 Eighth Avenue (West 16th Street) in Chelsea, this “twenty-plex” is built entirely for private groups: rather than purchasing an individual seat ticket, a host books a whole private screening room. Rooms generally seat between four and 12, the base is $50 per person with unlimited popcorn, multi-course meals run about $100 per person, and after the movie ends the group gets about 30 minutes extra time to keep hanging out. The concept pairs films with curated, themed multi-course meals: for example, pairing the Les Blank documentary Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers with “their garlicky dinner experience” that includes “a chilled almond soup, charcuterie, roasted rabbit, and succotash,” and the website writes, “Every dish in this menu, from the cocktails to the dessert and everything in between, is kissed or clobbered by God’s gift to cuisine: garlic.” Other offerings include a Wicked-themed menu, a Goodfellas dinner, and an A Christmas Story Chinese roast duck experience, and menus can be mixed and matched. The food program was developed by Joshua Guarneri, who previously was the executive chef at the short-lived Bar Avalon in Los Angeles and worked at the Breslin in New York. Founder Tim League said, “We’re going to have a lot of fun,” and mentioned pickling projects were happening downstairs at the venue in anticipation of opening. Financially, Alamo Drafthouse invested in the venture and has equity shares, though the project is being positioned as an offshoot (League stepped down as Alamo CEO in 2020 but remains involved). The launch comes amid broader context around the parent brand: a 2022 Texas Observer piece chronicled pandemic-era challenges including employee layoffs and bankruptcy and described the portrait of working there as “far from fantastic”; Splinter reported in 2018 that League and his wife had been accused of “minimizing” workplace issues during the #MeToo era, to which League responded, “I’ve let so many of you down. Over the past few days, I’ve realized that decisions I have made over these past months have been problematic. I am concerned about what these choices may say about me and the values of this company to employees, customers and the community at large. I’m humbled and deeply sorry.” In 2024 Alamo Drafthouse was acquired by Sony, and earlier this year Variety reported that unionizing workers at Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn locations ended a 58-day strike after reaching an agreement that brought back about 70 employees. League framed the concept as especially suited to New York’s built environment and changing cinema habits: “New York is an old city. In order to build a traditional movie theater, you need high ceilings and forty-foot spans; most New York buildings aren’t set up for that,” and he added, “There’s a certain number of people who would prefer to be in a private place than a huge room with strangers […] it’s an alternative that works alongside traditional cinemagoing,” expressing hope it will grow a new market of people who aren’t going to the cinema as much." - Emma Orlow
