AUSTIN, Texas — Alamo Drafthouse honored Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey Monday night, renaming its Mueller location the “Matthew McConaughey Cinema” during a dedication ceremony ahead of an advance screening of his new film.
The celebration began with the unveiling of a plaque outside the theater, officially designating it as the Matthew McConaughey Cinema. Alamo Drafthouse representatives noted McConaughey joins a small group of filmmakers and performers honored by the chain, including Bong Joon Ho, John Hughes, Ivan Reitman, Pam Grier and Christopher Nolan.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson read a proclamation declaring Aug. 10, 2026, as “Matthew McConaughey Cinema Day” in Austin, calling McConaughey “a beloved local Austin icon” and “a good guy doing great things for young people across this community and around the country.”
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McConaughey, a native of Uvalde and University of Texas graduate, reflected on his three-decade career, which he said began not far from the theater.
He recalled meeting casting director Don Phillips at a bar in Austin in the summer of 1992, an encounter that led to his first film role in “Dazed and Confused.” McConaughey said the first line he ever delivered on camera – “Alright, alright, alright” – came from that film and has stayed with him ever since.
“To have a cinema named after me, have a day in the town that I started my career in, a town that I still live in with my family here by choice – thank you,” McConaughey said.
McConaughey walked the red carpet ahead of an advance screening of his new film, “The Rivals of Amziah King,” which opens in theaters Aug. 14. The celebration continued with an afterparty, where McConaughey performed alongside musicians from the film’s cast.