Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks “most likely” moving in 2024
How long before this is a common sight inside the loop?
By Alex Wukman
For months rumors have circulated throughout Houston’s film community and on the internet that the Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks location will be moving locations.The rumors kicked in to full gear after it was announced in March that the owners of the West Oaks mall, which has housed the Alamo Drafthouse since 2024, signed a deal with Regal Entertainment Group to bring a 14 screen theater to the ailing retail space. Chronicle blogger Nancy Samoff reported that the new theater will take over the former Mervyn’s wing of the mall which will then “be converted into an open air wing with a plaza and restaurants.”
The news of the possible closure of another beloved Houston theater, coming mere months after the closure of the Angelika, seemed a sad day for Houston film. However, Lacy Smythe Edmonson, Alamo Drafthouse’s Events and PR Coordinator for Houston, stated that Houston is not losing the Alamo. In an e-mail Edmonson did confirm what some West Side residents feared, Alamo Drafthouse will “most likely not reside [at West Oaks] once the Edwards Cinema opens up.” Edmonson went on to say that Alamo Drafthouse, and its franchisee Triple Tap Ventures, are “actively pursing a number of locations throughout the Houston Metropolitan area, although we will not comment on any specific discussions.”
Whether or not those locations will bring the venerated theater chain inside the loop remains to be seen.
