From Porn House to Drafthouse: Alamo Announces New NYC Location

The Alamo Drafthouse will open its first location next year in New York City.

The five-screen theater will be on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, inside the former Metro Theater at 2626 Broadway. 

The New York Times notes the “turbulent history” of the art deco-adorned theater, which over the years has been an art-house, a porn theater, and more. When the Times checked in on the Metro in 2011, it noted a protracted legal battle had ensnared the property — challenges that have now apparently been resolved.

The Austin-based theater chain serves food and booze while you watch movies, and has an equally famous “no talking” policy. It’s another move in the Drafthouse’s recent expansion explosion, following announcements of theaters in the Washington D.C. region, San Francisco, and new digs on Slaughter Lane here  in Austin.

"My often-stated top priority for the Alamo Drafthouse has been to open a venue in New York," Alamo founder and CEO Tim League says in a press release. "When we discovered the availability of the historic Metro theater, we immediately knew we had found the perfect location for our new Manhattan home."