Alamo Drafthouse Poised to Take Over Shuttered Bay Area Cinemas

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is set to acquire two Bay Area theater locations that closed last month, according to recent reports. The Austin-based cinema chain is nearing agreements to reopen the former ShowPlace Icon theaters at San Antonio Center in Mountain View and Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara.

According to the San Francisco Business Times, Alamo has recently applied for full-service liquor licenses for both sites, which will allow for food service and cocktails. This move comes just two months after Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased Alamo Drafthouse for approximately $200 million from its previous owners, who had rescued it from bankruptcy in 2021.

If these deals go through, the new locations will mark Alamo’s third and fourth theaters in California. The chain currently operates locations in San Francisco’s Mission District and Downtown Los Angeles. Founded in 1997, Alamo Drafthouse also has theaters on the East Coast, in the Midwest, and across eight markets in Texas.