As of a few minutes ago, Star Cinema Grill has officially announced its purchase and takeover of the Alamo Drafthouse in Vintage Park, plus plans to redo the interior with some “modern decór”. An unusually-light-and-getting-lighter December schedule tipped some movie hounds off to an impending change, though neither company was ready to confirm anything by the end of last week; Alamo closed as Alamo for the last time on Sunday, however, and as of earlier today the theater appeared to have completed its Facebook identity swap (and to have fielded answers to at least one skeptical Alamo customer’s since-deleted commentary on the matter).
The shift knocks Alamo back down to just 1 Houston-area location in Mason Park, following several years of floated potential expansion plans for Midtown and maybe-moving-forward-again Regent Square; the Austin export still has plans listed for a new theater in Sugar Land’s Imperial Market complex. Star Cinema, meanwhile, says the Vintage Park spot will reopen under the new name by Friday, and claims the chain’ll be up to 6 Houston-ish locations by the end of 2017.Â
- Star Cinema Grill Acquires Houston-Area Movie Theater [BusinessWire]
- Previously on Swamplot: Imperial Sugar Refinery Mixed-Use Redo Plans Now Crystalizing Along Hwy. 90; Midtown Alamo Drafthouse Cinema To Sit on Top of New Milam St. Parking Garage; An Alamo Drafthouse at SculpturWorx? Not So Fast
Photo of former Alamo Drafthouse in Vintage Park:Â Casey W.
FORGET THE ALAMO. ALL-CAPS VERBIAGE IS ALL-ANNOYING, NOT TO MENTION BOLD AND PROFUSELY HYPERLINKED.
YIKES. Fixed now, thanks Anon!
Boo. Star Cinema Grill is a rip off of the Alamo concept with none of the cinefile charm and a much worse food and drink menu.
Hmmm..Star Cinema is a local cinema with a much better food and drink menu.
‘Member when Alamo Drafthouse was going to open in Regent Square?
‘Member Regent Square?
Yeah, I ‘member.
I went to see Dr. Strange 1 day after it premiered in Houston. Granted it was the 10pm showing but I think there were only 10 of us in the theater. No one walking the hall other than workers cleaning the other theaters. I remember asking myself how they stayed in business!?!?!? Glad something is to replace it. Just hoping for some decent food instead of the usual frozen and reheated Sysco crap served by Movie Tavern up the road.
Lame. Looks like Star Cinema has simply renamed the Alamo menu items temporarily for the Vintage park location: https://www.starcinemagrill.net/menu-vintage-park
Compare to the menu for the Missouri City Star location here: https://www.starcinemagrill.net/menu
We live in town and regularly drive (drove) all the way out to Katy and Vintage Park for the special theme screenings at Alamo. Sadly we’ll be knocking Vintage Park off the list as it appears Star Cinema shows first-run films only, no classic cinema.
I kept seeing “Vintage Park” in these stories and I finally looked it up. Can someone explain what is either vintage or park-like about that area? It’s basically a La Centerra clone at Willowbrook/Compaq/HP, right?
This is awful. Alamo has spoiled me. I can’t stand other movie theaters now. Alamo pays attention to projection and sound. Alamo serves great beer and real food. Alamo shows movies no one else shows. Alamo gives me free movies and food. I always preferred Mason Park to Vintage Park, but I still saw a lot of movies at Vintage Park.
.
So sad.
Addendum: Alamo has their own announcement posted now, explaining that their franchisee Triple Tap Ventures is opening four total locations in Houston, one of them being Sugar Land, and as part of the deal, Triple Tap sold the Vintage Park location. So crossing fingers this turns out to be a net gain. https://drafthouse.com/news/hello-more-houston-locations-goodbye-vintage-park