Alamo Drafthouse, which operates two San Antonio dinner-and-a-movie theaters, has made deep staff cuts as part of a restructuring effort, the Austin Chronicle reports.
The layoffs at the Austin-based chain appear to affect locations run directly by Sony Pictures Experiences, the division of Sony Pictures Entertainment that owns and operates Alamo Drafthouse, according to the news story.
While both San Antonio locations are run directly by Sony, corporate officials were unable for immediate comment on whether the layoffs affected its Park North and Stone Oak theaters.
Drafthouse United, a union representing workers at the company’s flagship location in Austin, told the Chronicle that roughly a quarter of hourly staff at that cinema — or 34 people — received pink slips.
Separately, Variety reports that roughly 9% of Alamo Dratfhouse’s total corporate workforce was let go. Sources told the entertainment-industry mag that job cuts at individual theaters affected staff brought on during the busy holiday season. Workers can re-apply when spring releases bring out more moviegoers, the source added.
Sony bought Alamo Drafthouse in summer of 2024 as the chain struggled to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept moviegoers at home and slowed production of new Hollywood films. Alamo Drafthouse’s operating company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2021 as a result of the prolonged slump.
Drafthouse United launched a GoFundMe campaign to help hourly workers caught up in the company’s layoff. It’s unclear from the details whether the fund is meant to assist employees at all theaters or just the flagship in Austin.
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This article appears in Jan 8-21, 2025.