Alamo Drafthouse has laid off approximately 70 workers from its Manhattan and Brooklyn locations. These cuts were implemented ahead of an expected strike at two of the company’s New York City venues.
Alamo Drafthouse declined to comment, but sources say these layoffs were part of the annual seasonal slowdown at the movies. Cinema chains usually staff up around the holidays, which is regularly the busiest time for moviegoing. But attendance tends to stall in the early months of the year, so there aren’t enough hours to accommodate the extra staff, according to knowledgable individuals. They add that most of those people were part-time employees who will be eligible for rehire in the spring when the box office is expected to regain steam.
The circuit, a favorite among cinephiles for its strict “no talking, no texting” policy, let go of an unspecified number of venue staff across the country in January for the same reason. At the corporate level, 15 employees, or 9% of its workforce, were let go at that time as well.
Layoffs in the New York venues were delayed in an effort to “meet in good faith” with the recently unionized workers, according to sources. An unfair practice charge was filed on Monday to the National Labor Relations Board by the United Auto Workers Local 2179. The union, formed in 2023, represents staffers at the company’s lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn locations. (Alamo operates a third New York City venue in Staten Island, which isn’t unionized.) The complaint alleges that Alamo Drafthouse “failed or refused to bargain in good faith” prior to making operational changes. For months, the union has been bargaining with management over key issues like scheduling, wages and safety concerns.
Alamo Drafthouse was acquired last year by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Before that, the circuit had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 as global theater chains were struggling to survive the prolonged COVID-related closures and subsequent lack of new releases. Like most movie theater chains, Alamo Drafthouse has yet to recover from the residual effects of the pandemic as well as 2023’s dual labor strikes. Domestic box office revenues in 2024 fell to $8.75 billion, down 3.3% from last year, marking first time post-pandemic that yearly revenues didn’t improve upon the last.
Hollywood is hoping that fortunes will rebound in 2025, though the box office revenues have been glacial in January and into February. Moviegoing is expected to pick up in mid February with Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” followed by blockbuster hopefuls like “Superman,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” “Fantastic Four: First Steps” and “Wicked: For Good.”