Exclusive: Alamo Drafthouse founder's new Austin theater brings intimate private rooms

Ever dreamed of what life must feel like for a Hollywood mogul with their own screening room? Invite friends over for a chef-prepared dinner before settling into comfortable couches and recliners to view a new release or classic film on an almost-20-foot screen, bottles of wine polished off over post-film discussion. 

Austinites will be able to approximate that luxurious experience next year, when Tim League opens Metro Private Cinema Austin in the historic Baker School building in Hyde Park.

Tim League revolutionized the independent cinema world when he and his wife, Karrie, opened the first Alamo Drafthouse in Austin in 1997. He's looking to recreate that magic on a more intimate scale with Metro, the first location of which opened in Manhattan last year. 

Metro, which will be housed in the century-old building that was home to Alamo Drafthouse headquarters until early July, will feature 11 salons, with seating for 4, 6, 8, 12 or 20 people. The kitchen team, overseen by executive chef Josh Guarneri - whose résumé includes time under April Bloomfield at the Michelin-starred Breslin in New York City - will create a tasting menu of about a dozen dishes. Moviegoers will enjoy dinner and drinks at a dining table in their private screening room before retreating to comfortable seating for movies ranging from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to the obscure indies they choose. 

 League, who is currently raising money for the project, said he expects Metro to open about six months after the financing is finalized. 

'COVID changed everybody.'

The idea for the boutique experience first originated almost a decade ago, but League was focused on expanding the Drafthouse brand nationally. The COVID-19 pandemic crippled movie theaters across the country, including Alamo Drafthouse, which entered bankruptcy in 2021 and was purchased by Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2024, but it also inspired League to revisit his vision of independent moviegoing in the 21st century.

"COVID changed everybody. I felt my inner recluse taking over," League told the American-Statesman recently over coffee.

After building out a test screening room at the Baker School, League hosted screenings for friends and family to test the concept and bring people back together in a communal way that had been lost during the first year of the pandemic.

"Some of the first test events in the space right after COVID, people were almost in tears because they were hanging out with friends again," League said.

The experience validated for League the idea that people still wanted to log off and gather together to enjoy film, to enjoy each other. It was an evolution of the dinner-and-a-movie experience that made Alamo Drafthouse a national sensation, one built around personal relationships and pleasures that went beyond the mass-produced culinary offerings of a large theater.

Food is central to the experience

An educated lover of food and a seasoned traveler, Metro allows League to celebrate cuisine in a way not possible at an Alamo Drafthouse. Instead of serving pizza, beer and burgers to more than 1,000 people a night, the small size of Metro - fewer than 100 total seats spread across the 11 rooms in Austin - means the kitchen can focus on creating meals that require greater intention and craft.

"There's nothing wrong with beer and pizza, I had it yesterday," League said with a laugh. "The kitchen we're building here, they do higher-end, really beautiful food all the time. It is definitely an elevated approach that we are taking."

The Press Room at the Baker School, which the Leagues purchased from the Austin school district in 2017, will serve as a cocktail lounge and waiting area for moviegoers, who will get a chance to letterpress print items from League's collection of historic movie ads before screenings. 

A fresh approach to programming

Metro keeps a hard drive with about 40 titles at any given time, which viewers can choose from when making their reservation. With two weeks' notice, guests can select from thousands of historic titles from Hollywood plus independent and foreign cinema. The most popular specialty title at the Manhattan location has been "Goodfellas," while the first movie ever booked by a couple nostalgic for their first date was Andrew Bujalski's "Computer Chess."

"This is the first theater in the world that's ever booked movies like this," League said.

Guests have a 3.5-hour window in the private screening rooms. They are able to start the movie at their leisure following dinner and drinks, order more drinks during the film via a call button and use the end of their allotted time to hang out in the room to discuss the film over drinks. 

"The best part of it is hanging out with friends," said League, adding that unlike traditional theaters, which serve a more spontaneous purpose, Metro is enjoyed by people looking to plan and gather. "Making the experience of going out and communing with your friends so magical - one of your favorite memories of the year. That's what we're gunning for."

Tickets, which include popcorn, will cost about $35. Dinner will feature a seasonal menu of about a dozen dishes that will likely cost around $90, though all prices are still to be determined. Metro also offers one fixed menu tied to a new release. The Food of the Gods menu currently served in honor of "The Odyssey" at the Manhattan location features a mezze spread, roasted lamb, branzino and more for $115 per person. The Austin location will also serve a la carte dishes. 

Metro will also offer a limited membership program with an annual fee that allows a small group access to early screenings, special tastings, filmmaker conversations and more. 

League believes that Austin will serve as a solid test market for the concept that he thinks has potential to grow across the country due to its unique appeal and the cinema's ability to exist in myriad types of existing real estate properties such as the Manhattan theater, which was built in a defunct pharmacy.

"The experience at Metro is so different from traditional cinema," League said. "The industry shrank during COVID but cinema is still the place where creators want you to see their work, and I've always looked at my position in this business as being in service of those creators, and I think the experience when done well is incredible."

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