Colorado Real Estate Journal -
Littleton has landed a retail coup by getting Colorado’s first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which has been hailed by one publication as the “coolest theater in the world.” The Alamo Drafthouse, which combines dinner, films and beer, will have its official ground opening March 25 in the Aspen Grove shopping center. “Alamo Drafthouse is a really unique concept,” said Kelli Narde, spokeswoman for the city of Littleton. She said it was built on the site of the former Big Bowl and Buca di Beppo restaurants. “Alamo Drafthouse serves food and drinks throughout the length of the movie and has a bar on the premises,” Narde said. “They are very proud that they make all of their food from scratch.” Some smaller film houses with similar concepts will only show movies that have been released for a while. “They show first-run movies as well as some classics,” Narde said. “And they have quirky things like ‘Terror Tuesday’ and ‘Chick Flick Wednesday.’” The new facility has seven screens and 33,000 square feet of space. Norman Stucker, chairman of the Littleton Business Coalition, said the Alamo Drafthouse is the latest retail coup for the city. "Aspen Grove had the region's first Apple store and now it will have the Colorado's first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, both destination locations for the Front Range,” Stucker said. “This city really is moving into the 21st century providing a great balance of recreation amenities, new retail concepts, major employers and a historic downtown." Tim League, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse, said he is excited to bring the concept that he founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, to Colorado. This is how he described the Littleton site in a release: “We’ve found an area for a natural extension of our concept … to a like-minded audience of serious movie and beer lovers.” The Alamo Drafthouse will feature a lineup of 32 craft beers from 20 Colorado brewers, including four “Badass” taps that will rotate a range of beers from barrel-aged sours to seasonal brews. Beers will be served from the adjacent standalone bar called a Glass Half Full. Patrons can order beers from the tap wall inside of the Glass Half Full or from their theater seats while watching a movie. One thing viewers will not see is commercials during trailers. “We're proud of the fact that we don't show any advertising” before films, League said. “People don't want to pay for a movie and then be bombarded with 15 minutes of dancing candy and fountain drinks,” he said. “Instead, the preshow really adds to the overall Alamo experience where patrons can look forward to arriving early to catch it.” The preshows are rare and, in retrospect, hilarious, clips that are tailored to individual films and change on a regular basis. While viewers can drink beer during a movie, they aren’t allowed to use their cell phones. They have a “zero-tolerance” policy for people who disrupt films with talking or texting. The Alamo Drafthouse concept has received national attention. Time Magazine called it the “best theater ever,” while Wired magazine described it as the “coolest theater in the world.” The company is looking for other sites in the Denver area.