Months after Alamo Drafthouse shocked moviegoers by introducing a mobile ordering policy for their signature dine-in setup, the Texas-based theater chain is starting something new.
In a social media post on July 1, Alamo Drafthouse announced the launch of Alamo Exclusives. The new program is a “direct distribution” initiative that will indie films turning heads on the festival circuit to Alamo Drafthouse theaters across the U.S., making it easier for cinephiles to see what the hype is all about. That means films like Obsession — which premiered in September 2025 at the Toronto International Film Festival and would go on to gross almost $18 million on its opening weekend at the box office in May — could hit Letterboxd accounts even sooner.
“Through Alamo Exclusives, we’ll work directly with filmmakers to bring a slate of films we love direct to Alamo Drafthouse audiences nationwide,” the post reads. “For filmmakers, that means premium presentation, marketing support, and theatrical play for your films. For our audiences, it means you’ll have even more remarkable and ambitious films coming straight to your neighborhood Alamo Drafthouse.”
The first film on the Alamo Exclusives lineup is BUTTHOLE SURFERS: THE HOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUTT, which debuted at SXSW in Austin and follows the San Antonio-formed rock band. However, more titles will be announced in the coming months, the post said.
Still, not everyone is happy. A majority of comments under Drafthouse’s Instagram post referenced the chain’s controversial decision to retire its pen-and-paper ordering in favor of QR codes. “So weird to call out the importance of watching films on a big screen when you expect folks to also be on their small screens to order,” one commenter wrote.
Since mid-February, moviegoers have been ordering food and drinks with their phones by scanning a QR code on their table, available before and during their film. Previously, order cards were raised at the table and a server would come by to grab it. Despite the change, Drafthouse still maintains that ordering should be done on a dark screen, and texting, talking, scrolling social media, recording the screen, arriving late or being otherwise disruptive are still against their rules.