Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse launches distribution company, will expand to NY and LA

There’s a reason the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX was recently named the “Best Overall Theatrical Experience” in the US by Fandango – it truly is one of the best places and ways to see a movie. (To give you an idea, they recently ran a quadruple feature of DEMOLITION MAN, I COME IN PEACE, DIE HARD and THE EXPENDABLES.) No longer content with just working as an exhibitor, Drafthouse founder Tim League has now decided to distribute films as well. Today Drafthouse Films was announced along with the banner’s inaugural film, Chris Morris’ dark comedy FOUR LIONS.

Screening at Sundance, SXSW and the LA Film Festival, FOUR LIONS racked up a number of awards but lacked any kind of distribution deal. (As a comedy about British jihadists, this should not surprise you.) Enter League and Drafthouse Films, who were able to secure rights to the film and will release it this fall in New York, Los Angeles and Austin.

Word that Drafthouse would be releasing their films in Austin, New York and LA, got a lot of people wondering…wouldn’t it make sense to have Drafthouse cinemas in NYC and LA as well? Turns out that’s part of the plan. League told Cinematical that New York City and Los Angeles locations will open “hopefully within the next year, year-and-a-half.”

This is perhaps the best news I’ve heard in a while and hopefully all of you will be lucky enough to have a Drafthouse experience of your own.