The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a movie-lover’s dream, and despite the Springfield, Missouri, theater being one of just over 40 locations in the chain’s network, it’s a pumping vessel in the heart of the local film scene.
The theater is popular for its dinner-and-a-movie concept, serving food and drinks from its in-house restaurant The Backlot alongside its films, and emphasizes proper theater etiquette. Before traditional screenings, a series of Alamo-specific trailers reminds patrons they’ve entered a “quiet zone,” and to silence all cell phones and refrain from talking during the film.
The Austin-based franchise opened its doors to Springfield in 2017, replacing the Campbell 16 Cine, a former staple of the Queen City of the Ozarks.
While the cinema’s corporate demands still have to be fulfilled and typical blockbuster films will typically be screened, the Alamo also uniquely shows repertory and under-the-radar films. In November, the theater screened nationwide anticipated films like “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” and more recently “Captain America: Brave New World.” Films such as these are shown in nearly every theater, but General Manager David Mann also likes to program smaller, lesser-known movies like the now Oscar-winning animated film “Flow.”
The foreign animated film showing in December — which has no dialogue — centers around a cat in a flooded world who encounters other animals. Mann was captivated by the movie’s visuals, which he said reminded him of the video game “Stray.”
“It just looks so unique and pretty, and I was enamored by the trailer,” Mann said.
Each month, he sits down for a chart call with his booking representative to plan screening schedules about a month or two in advance. Mann’s booking representative tosses ideas on must-see films or clues him in on upcoming releases, while Mann suggests more niche films.
“Every month I’m trying to target three to six smaller movies that look interesting and I think will draw a crowd and attract guests that are different,” he said.
Together, they collaborate to formulate a schedule that best fits the Springfield audience.
The theater also takes unique opportunities to feature work made by local filmmakers. Most recently, the Alamo screened “Seeing Someone Else,” the debut feature film of Radix Studios, a Springfield-based film production company. Jackson Lierz, co-writer and -director of the film is a team member at the Alamo. The chain tends to attract cinephiles due to its refined target audience.
Jen Johnmeyer, director of communications for the Springfield and St. Louis Alamo locations, further connects the Alamo with the community.
Last October, she partnered the Alamo with Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks for a fundraising initiative. For the first four Wednesdays of the month, the theater sold standard priced tickets to popular, heartwarming titles such as “The Notebook” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love” with a $5 add-on that went directly to the breast cancer foundation.
Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks was also the Alamo’s charity on tap for the month, with $1 from each pint of a local beer sold at the Alamo donated to the foundation.
“The conversation started about what important work they do for the community and women who might not be able to have access to funds to have these life saving procedures or even a basic mammogram,” Johnmeyer said.
Johnmeyer and Mann collaborate closely to coordinate Johnmeyer’s community partnerships with the proper films to support the initiatives.
“(Johnmeyer) is a huge driving force for that outreach and she is very clever in how she is able to connect with people and then connect that to filmmaking,” Mann said.
Alongside her community outreach work, Johnmeyer also manages the Springfield Alamo Film Club Facebook group — which started in early 2018 — with the help of two team members. At the time, film clubs were popular communities throughout most Alamo locations, but now Springfield is one of the few branches with an active film club remaining.
“It’s really nice to see that dialogue and read people’s thoughts about different titles and contribute ideas that lead to future screenings,” Johnmeyer said.
The film club has a hosted series where a movie was screened each month per the request of a film club member, allowing everyone to experience a variety of genres and watch new films. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Johnmeyer kept the film club alive through online watch parties typically hosted on streaming platforms like Netflix.
Mann added that the film club currently has two different screenings each month, one for new titles and another for repertory films.
“There are modern movies that come out every month that are worthy of discussion … but it’s also nice to look back on the older content and see what were the building blocks to get us where we are now with filmmaking, and also are some unique and inventive things that have been done over the last 20, 30, 40 years.”
As the director of communications for the St. Louis Alamo location as well, Johnmeyer works remotely, and said it’s difficult to develop the deep connections she’s able to make in Springfield.
“There are so many things that have sprung up of somebody just walking in and asking if I happened to be around,” Johnmeyer said.
She also mentioned St. Louis receives studio offerings that Springfield is often passed up on mostly due to location, despite Springfield selling more tickets. Mann attributes this to St. Louis’ robust entertainment scene that provides more options to pick from on any given day.
While the Springfield market is smaller than the other Alamo locations, Mann adds that the city’s affinity for movies only adds to the connection built through community partnerships.
“It’s a build-off of a shared affection for filmmaking and going out to see something fun with your family or friends,” Mann said.
Follow Liz Garcia on Instagram, @liz.vanessa__
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