Alamo Drafthouse opens its 25th, and first New York, location today and to introduce New York City audiences to its strict no talking, no texting policy the company has enlisted the help of some of New York’s funniest people to star in a new series of three in-theater public service announcements exclusively for Alamo Downtown Brooklyn.
In one, Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, the husband-and-wife team creators of the hit web and HBO series High Maintenance, star in a parable about bugging your neighbors for a little sticky icky at the Alamo Drafthouse; next, writer/director/star Mike Birbiglia and the Don’t Think Twice cast share a special message about not talking, texting or slurping French onion soup in the theater; and finally, comedian Janeane Garofalo presents an epic case against bad movie going behavior that’s best summed up in two words: toilet babies.
While each offers its own uniquely funny spin, the core message of these PSAs is no joke. Those who talk, text or otherwise disrupt the movie in an Alamo Drafthouse theatre get one warning. If they persist, they’re ejected without a refund.
“Our commitment to the sanctity of the movie going experience, to honoring the hard work and vision of filmmakers with a reverent screening environment, and to having just plain good manners in the public space is unwavering,” said Alamo Drafthouse CEO and founder, Tim League. “It has been since the very beginning. Yes, we take the policy very seriously, but we love to have fun bringing the message home in unexpected ways. I think this new series is the perfect introduction for our audiences at Alamo Brooklyn to our policy and our approach to it. And they’re just plain fun to watch.”