Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn
445 Albee Square West,
Brooklyn,
NY
11201
445 Albee Square West,
Brooklyn,
NY
11201
9 people
favorited this theater
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From Alamo Drafthouse Since first opening its doors in 2016, our Downtown Brooklyn location has been a cornerstone of our little cinema company. It was our first foray into NYC, and we’re extremely proud of the community of moviegoers that have built up around it – but even the Mona Lisa needs to get some work done every once in a while. On February 5th and 6th, we’ll be closing our doors to begin work on a comprehensive remodel and expansion, including new seats, more screens, new projectors, and more bathrooms.
First up, the seats. Every single auditorium will be getting a plushy, ultra-comfy upgrade in the form of premium recliner seats. Not only will they be more comfortable and afford you a better view of the screen, they each come with their own swivel table. Now you can swing your popcorn and beer right to your face, just as the good lord intended. We’ll be updating our seats a few auditoriums at a time, but we plan to have the first batch installed and ready for your butt soon.
In addition to the updates we’re making to our existing auditoriums, we’ll be doing a massive five screen expansion. This nearly doubles our screen count, which means more movies and more awesome events for you. It also means more bathrooms, as we’ll be adding a few more of those by our new auditoriums as well.
Every auditorium will also be getting a big upgrade in the form of state-of-the-art Laser projectors, with select auditoriums receiving RealD 3D, 70mm, and 35mm capabilities.
As always, we’ll continue to do everything we can to provide you the best cinema experience possible, but we kindly ask that you be patient with us and excuse any dust. After we open back up on 2/07 we’ll be running a limited menu through 2/13 of appetizers, pizzas, drinks, and a few other favorites. This will allow us to continue to provide the best service possible throughout the renovation process, but we apologize if your burger cravings go unsated for a little while.
That’s it for now, but be sure to check back here and our social channels for all the latest updates on Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn’s transformation. Until then, we’ll see you at the movies (just not on 2/05 or 2/06).
“ We’ll be closing our doors from 2/05 - 2/06 to kickstart a massive renovation, including premium leather recliners, upgraded projectors, more bathrooms, and a massive 5-auditorium expansion to give you more movies and more awesome events”
Two day closure on Feb 5 and 6 as part of what the email from Alamo says is a five screen expansion.
This Alamo location dosen’t have the bluray rentals and selling of Alamo souvenirs anymore. They stop selling books, gifts and vinyls, the stuff was moved to the new Lower Manhattan location.
The expansion to 14 screens in progress, photo of new hallway in photos section. Should open by the end of the year.
@HowardBHaas: While it’s true that the 70mm Todd-AO format called for a 2.2: 1 aspect ratio, it’s not because of the “surround sound”. It’s because the Todd-AO format was based on the Grandeur 65/70mm format of the 1920’s, which was 2.13:1.
Also remember that when Cinemascope was first released in 1953, it had 4-track mag soundtracks only and the original aspect ratio was 2.55:1. It was reduced to 2.35:1 to also accomodate a mono optical sound track, which the theater owners demanded.
One of the first films to use 2.35 was “Love Me Tender” with Elvis Presley, released in 1956. (To accommodate digital sound and because lab splices were visible on the screen, the entire image was made slightly smaller and the AR became slightly wider at 2.39:1 in later years. In digital, it’s generally 2.4:1.)
Starting in 1986, a few 70mm films WERE released in 2.35 which was accomplished by simply reducing the height. This way, the sides didn’t have to be cropped as they were with most 35mm anamorphic to 70mm spherical blowups. Those films were: Star Trek IV (1986), The Untouchables, Casualties of War and Die Hard 2 (the last two are unconfirmed.) IMO, they should have been doing this all along and it was actually a recommended practice as published in the American Cinematographers Manual, I believe beginning in the 6th edition, published in 1986.
It’s difficult to keep all screens operating 7 days a week with so few major releases in the COVID-19 pandemic environment. I’d look for reduced staffs and fewer screens in usage at the Alamo locations until the major releases come later in 2021.
Are they still expanding to 14 screens, only 7 open last Friday. Very disappointed they are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn closed March 16, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of the circuit’s locations opened briefly later in the year excluding its Brooklyn theater. Alamo Drafthouse would file for bankruptcy on March 2, 2021. The company re-emerged from bankruptcy a month later after the takeover of the company by Fortress Investment Group,. The Brooklyn location then reopened on May 7, 2021 becoming the second theater in the Circuit to reopen for the circuit that year preceded only by its Springfield, Missouri venue.
I haven’t seen a screen showing the time before(wow!!)!!
Also, you may be interested in knowing that ‘scope 70mm aspect ratio traditionally is 2.2 wide rather than usual scope (2.35 or 2.39) to accommodate the surround sound that used to be on the film itself. And, “The Joker” was filmed with digital cameras, not 65mm cameras, or 35mm cameras (for blow up to 70mm).
All 70mm films are NOT scope! The Joker is flat, as was for example, The Master.
QUESTION Saw Joker in 70MM at the Alamo Drafhouse Downtown Brooklyn. I notice the film was in flat, I thought all 70MM films are widescreen (scope). The sound sounded like 70MM 6 track.
Films like ET or Back To The Future which were FLAT films, did they look like they were FLAT in 70MM or widescreen.
All the 70MM films I saw in the 1980’s and early 1990’s were widescreen.
Please update description Theatre 7 features 70MM Film presentations
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/alamo-drafthouse-brooklyn-expanding-adding-nine-theaters-more/?trackback=fbshare_top_flat_4&fbclid=IwAR0ijuoTuOnf8R6KC6EGvVoyy95s6WBShatMLXfvxPtKOf4WguRMcT06H64
Apparently those rumors are going to substantiate! 16 screens total! Wild!
I heard rumors that Century 21 is closing and the Alamo taking over the 3rd floor with 7 more screens
Theater 7 is now equipped to screen 70mm features. So far 70mm films screened were first run DUNKIRK and PHANTOM THREAD. Repertory films screened were John Carpenter’s THE THING. Promised to be screened in 2018 is HOWARD THE DUCK.
This theater is also known as Alamo Drafthouse City Point, which is what the building and mall is called, and where the theater is housed.
How’s the audio for 35mm? Is it Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo, DTS, or SDDS?
Correcting John Fink’s post from January 10, 2017: It is Theater One that shows 35mm films such as Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday. In my opinion, the 35mm prints they screen are pretty decent. Nothing too scratched or faded. Always as great time there, and projectiin is usually a top class affair.
There is an Alamo Drafthouse sign in one window on the fourth floor. A pedestrian does need to look up, and in, the right place, to see it. I suspect the Alamo’s audience are people who know it exists and where to look for it, and not casual moviegoers (rightly or wrongly).
Theatre 7 is equipped for DCP and 35MM and plays host to Terror Tuesdays and Weird Wednesdays – two signature series imported from Austin that make use of Alamo’s AGFA (American Genre Film Archive).
Print quality varies – sometimes you get a nearly pristine print, other times it can be a struggle to watch something scratched and terribly faded.
I think having something like Napoleon Bonaparte’s death mask on display in the bar does make it kind of creepy & ghoulish, Orlando. Also in this day and age, I doubt highly that there will be any type of marquee, possibly a Alamo Drafthouse sign but no traditional marquee, just look at the one in Yonkers.
P.S. There is no Alamo marquee so most downtowners are clueless that a theatre is in the complex and how to get into it.
Total seating capacity for this complex is only 840. Boxes range from 45 the smallest, to 140 the largest. Nice atmosphere, keep quiet polocies, and best popcorn around. The Bar space is hideous and unattractive but I don’t drink so I don’t bother with this space below the cinemas. The RKO Albee lost over 40 years ago has been compromised for retail, apartments and etc. One Albee Square is totally unrecognized, actually there is no square anymore as the street in front of the former RKO has been denuded.
Sad that there is absolutely no acknowledgment of what movie palace had formerly stood on this site before, the RKO Albee. While an artifact from the original RKO movie palace may be hard to come by nowadays, how about a nicely framed color or black & white photo on display somewhere in the lobby?
That being said, presentation here is top-notch and auditorium #1 is capable of showing 35mm film, all of the rest are standard DCP. The food and drinks they serve here are also quite delicious if that is your sort of thing. I also wonder if the repertory programing they do has affected the BAM Cinematek in any way?