Alamo Drafthouse responds to online petition of closing the westside location

San Antonio’s first Alamo Drafthouse at Westlakes had opened up in 2004. With a blow from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Austin based national movie theatre chain decided to permanently shut the doors to the 1255 SW Loop 410 location. This closure had sparked a petition to reopen the only theatre that served the area. The petition was started on change.org which has over 2,800 signatures and counting.

What had even further upset loyal fans of Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes, was the company’s plans to move forward with their plans on opening a theatre on the Northside in the La Cantera area. Fans feel that the lower-income area of town are being shafted out of a “solid movie-going experience just doesn’t feel right.”

With all of that said, ADH posted up a statement in response.

“We’re honored and humbled by the petition and the response from the Westlakes community. While we can’t get into the nitty-gritty details, we can say that the decision to close Westlakes was not made casually, or without consideration of the impact on guests and team members. Facing impending bankruptcy brought on by the long-term effects of the pandemic, this year we were forced to make many, many difficult decisions, which included the closure of four much-beloved locations, including Westlakes and The Ritz, our historic downtown Austin flagship location.

Closing Westlakes was a difficult blow to our team, and we know it’s deeply disappointing to the tens of thousands of San Antonians who made it their second home over the past seventeen years. Thank you for sharing how important Westlakes was to you and your families. We hope to create many more memories with you soon at our Park North and Stone Oak locations.”