Alamo Drafthouse hasn't even opened yet, and they're already making friends with San Francisco film lovers. The movie theater confirmed today that they are indeed buying the now officially closed Le Video movie store's collection of almost 100,000 films on video and DVD, as was hinted last week, and that the collection will remain accessible to the public.
In a press release announcing the deal, the theater also said that they will be partnering with Lost Weekend Video to rent out the videos in the New Mission Theater lobby.
“The experience of going to my local video store when I was young made me the movie fan I am today,” said Drafthouse CEO Tim League. “Despite the fact that great video stores like Le Video are closing all over the country, I am confident that a new iteration of the video store experience can exist, and even thrive today."
League went on to highlight the importance of having a real person on hand to help with the collection.
"A passionate video store clerk can do what no algorithm can," he noted. "They can recommend your new favorite movie, one that can’t be predicted from your past viewing habits."
The purchase is considered important by Bay Area film fans and academics, as Le Video's inventory includes thousands of rare and foreign films that will likely never show up on Netflix.
Alamo Drafthouse was originally founded in 1999 in Austin as a single-screen theater, and has grown immensely in the intervening 16 years to include 21 locations. The new Mission Street location is set to open on December 17th.
Previously: Is Alamo Drafthouse About To Buy Le Video's Collection?