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A cinema chain in the US is trialling a $150 system allowing film fans to rent out the entire cinema to themselves, in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Alamo Drafthouse chain is giving patrons the option to pay $150 to book out the whole venue to a support bubble of family and friends.
The test run trialled the scheme in select cities, now expanding to 12 states across the country.
“After a massively successful rollout in select cities we’re excited to be able to offer this at Alamo Drafthouse theaters nationwide that are currently open,” Shelli Taylor, a former Starbucks executive who became CEO of Alamo Drafthouse CEO in April, told Entertainment Weekly.
“Our guests have been asking how their friends, family, and fellow podmates can book their own safe and relaxing screening, and we’re proud to be able to deliver this to them at such an affordable rate.”
The $150 fee is said to attract groups of 10 people on average, with an extra $150 charged to include food and drink within the experience, served by mask-wearing staff straight to the cinema seats.
The titles on offer to watch within Alamo’s package include Tenet and Miranda July’s Kajillionaire, as well as The Goonies, Jurassic Park and the Matrix.
“When we began rolling out Your Own Private Alamo at our Austin location in August, we had no idea what the response would be,” Alamo Drafthouse Senior Director of Venue Experience Kristen Wheaton said.
“It was big. Really big. In just the first few weeks we booked over 700 groups of families and coworkers at just a handful of theaters. We’re so excited to expand this program to more locations across the country.”
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