Alamo Drafthouse Cinema New Mission

The customer service here was overall really fast and responsive.
If you live for over-the-top flourishes this is a film enthusiast’s paradise — there are cute themed specials that tie into releases, movie parties with interactive props, and special community event days like Terror Tuesday, Queer Theory 101, and Weird Wednesday. The theater partners with Radio Valencia and Amoeba — Your Favorite Mission Gem’s Favorite Mission Gem. Plus, the architecture and interior of theater exceeded my expectations.

Would be 5-stars if those mozz sticks weren’t served w the tiniest sauce cup (criminal 😢😥) and if that one receptionist wasn’t hella rude.

This place is my closest local theater. I wanted to like it. It has that local theater vibe despite being a chain. Anything is better than another empty theater in my city. The place has a nice building with some charm.

Unfortunately, they have draconian and dramatic policies, and believe that allows them to treat customers poorly. The place seems well attended, so I suppose they have regulars who know the drill and get their jollies out of watching the other patrons getting rustled by the staff. The funny part is the rules are in the guise of a disruption free movie experience, but then they have table service inside the theater.

There are much better movie experiences to be had in SF and the local area.

I thought the theater would be more independent film friendly

Beautiful building. But you can be seated straight because the seats are not in the middle of the screen. The people buy food meanwhile, so many, several interruptions during the movie. Constantly the waitress is crossing in front of you.

Employee comes to check tickets after lights are down and my chair needs repair along with the 2 next to it. If you don't like lights, you won't like it. I don't like lights under the tables. I will not go back. Parking wasn't easy and the area smells bad & dirty.
The theatre lobby is beautiful.

The theater’s strict “not one minute late” policy is over the top, especially given the constant distractions from food delivery and people moving around. I didn’t buy the tickets, so I wasn’t aware of this rule.

One employee did offer a refund, which I appreciated, but the overall experience felt too rigid. I will not be returning.

I sat in a seat next to the aisle, and throughout the entire movie ushers were walking back and forth in front of me to deliver drinks and food to other patrons. I found it impossible to concentrate on the movie while this was happening, and this was for a $30 special showing in 70mm, so I was disappointed.

We saw Nosferatu in Theatre 5:
PRO: At $19 per person, the pricing is comparable to other modern film theatres in SF. The wider spacing between rows, having a table to place items on, and assigned seating are all improvements. And their strong policy to prevent customer noise, late entrance, or phone activity during the show is a strong plus that is working - the attendee atmosphere was both respectful and friendly as the burden of being the a-hole falls on the staff, not the attendees.
CON: However,
1. Having a food server constantly walking across the isles during the show is just as distracting. (even though the server went to great lengths to be unobtrusive.)
2. The good quality sound system was partially spoiled by having the volume so loud that people with good hearing will want to wear earbuds for protection and to avoid headaches.
3. The main reason for the low rating is that in Theatre 5, viewing angles are absolutely unacceptable at any price. Only about 50% of the seats have a decent viewing angle. The front row is too close to watch even if you don't mind looking straight up, and the back rows have ONLY side seating. In the main 3 rows the last 4 seats on both sides are way too angled - well past the 36 degrees specified as the current THX standard, and even past the 45 degrees that your grandparents would have been subjected to at a subdivided cineplex. It was like we were sitting in a side room watching through the doorway - the screen was literally distorted into a trapezoid that negated the primary reason for watching a film "on the big screen".

Just like the milkshake factory, without the milkshakes.

Surprisingly rude staff but food was decent. And chairs were comfortable enough for their age and wear.

This cinema forbids you to get in once the movie starts. This is not service or entertainment.

Pretty good. Food is a bit pricey. Great service.

For me, Alamo didn't quite live up to the hype and price.

I saw a showing of Flow in a small 3-row theater in the front row. To get up to the theaters, you take a small wheelchair lift or a few stairs. There was a slight smell like fish or B.O. in the theater, but I got used to it after a few minutes. My seat was torn up but the rest were fine, and the shared tables are convenient as long as you sit in twos.

The screen was very high so we had to crane our necks up since there's no recline, and the image was a tad distorted due to the angle. I'm surprised it was like this considering how few seats there are. I appreciated that the picture and sound were bright and clear, with volume just right. The projector's weird subpixels and merely-decent black levels caught my eye a few times, but I'm more picky than most.

Service was very good and the staff are very LGBTQ friendly. The food was solid: the clarified buttered popcorn was good and came in large bowls for $12. (I would prefer an option for smaller bowls for around $8, but you can share the bowl with your friends and still get refills.) A pretzel with cheese and mustard was solid if unexceptional.

The problem is the price: tickets are $20 each! For that price I would expect a pristine theater with a good layout, no neck craning required. Unless I can get cheaper tickets I'm not sure if I'll be coming back.

Arrived 15 mins late to the movie (about the length of the previews) and was not allowed in. I’ve never experienced that at any other theater, and I struggle to understand this policy. How is arriving late different from a guest leaving the theater to go to the bathroom and coming back? How is it different from the staff running around bringing people food? I wish they’d reconsider this hard line policy.

Won't let you see the movie if you're slightly late. <1 star lmao