Tea Party

Dallas throws down for Downton Abbey with tea parties and costumes

The film version of TV series Downton Abbey will premiere in Dallas on September 19.

Jason Bell/Focus Features

The movie version of the Downton Abbey TV show, due to open on September 19, may not earn the box office of Brad Pitt's Ad Astra, which is opening on the same day.

But Downton shan't lack for fanfare, with tea parties and costume contests galore to welcome its arrival. Pull out your best flapper dress and get ready to have a spot at these events:

Friday, September 20
Opening Night-Special Screening/Costume Contest will take place at the Irving location of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, at 320 Las Colinas Blvd.

The event will be hosted by The British Emporium, the original U.K. food and gift store, located in Grapevine, and classical music radio station WRR 101.1 FM. Moviegoers will be greeted by staff that will seem like they came straight from Highclere Castle.

Attendees are encouraged to come in period costume, as there will be a costume contest before the movie starts. There will be prizes, special Downton Abbey merchandise available, photo opportunities, and more.

Downton Abbey Movie Premier & Exclusive Fan Party will take place at the Harkins Southlake Town Center 14 theater at 1450 Plaza Pl., in Southlake.

Hosted by Southlake Travel, it's a cozy private showing with door prizes, a best-dressed costume prize, a special Downton Abbey swag bag, popcorn, and refreshments. Doors open at 6 pm.

Tickets are $15 and are first-come, first-serve. With a small theater reserved for an exclusive movie showing, they recommend you buy your ticket now.

Saturday, September 21
Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea will go down at the Cinemark West Plano and XD theatre, to celebrate the Crawleys coming to the big screen.

Orchestrated by Chocolate Angel Cafe & Tearoom, this tea party will make guests feel like they're actual members of the Crawley clan, with free refreshments and themed fun for fans to enjoy right before they enter the theater.

Expect the flavors of a traditional estate tea-time with catered English finger sandwiches and bite-size desserts inspired by the film, along with additional complimentary hors d'oeuvre.

Themed attire is encouraged, and Cinemark is providing a photo-op for Instagram and other life-affirming social media sites.

The event will not be ticketed, and appetizers will be free to all Cinemark guests. They'll also offer specialty teas and film-inspired cocktails for purchase to enhance the nostalgia throughout the opening week of the film.

The tea begins at 2:30 pm, and the film screens at 4 pm.

According to a Cinemark spokesperson, the theater chain is hosting tea parties in only three locations: West Plano; Boca Raton, Florida; and Playa Vista, California. The response has been particularly strong in Texas, the spokesperson says. "Cinemark will be adding even more showtimes for the weekend in Plano," she says.

Sunday, September 22
Downton Abbey Tea at Historic Aldredge House is being billed as a "Downton Abbey tea fit for a queen."

It will begin with a presentation, "Entertaining Royalty at Highclere Castle," presented by Jann Mackey, Ph.D., to learn about famous people, aristocrats, and members of the British Royal Family who have visited Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey.

The talk will be followed by an elegant, seated, three-course tea, using recipes from Highclere Castle; and a tour of the Historic Aldredge House. Located at 5500 Swiss Ave., the Aldredge House was built in 1917 and serves as a premier example of Dallas' "gilded age."

Doors open at 1:30 pm. The lecture begins at 1:45 pm, and the tea begins at 2:30 pm.

Tickets are $100 and include the lecture, tea, house tour, valet parking, tips, and gratuities.

Saturday, September 28
Downton Abbey Returns: Tea Time in the Library takes place at the Grapevine Public Library. Historian Rollin Phipps will present a special lecture on the Downton Abbey series and Sheela Kadam, founder of the British Emporium, will give a short presentation on British tea.

All this will be featured in celebration of the new film. No reservation or sign-up is required for this event.

Downton Abbey Jazz Night is a big night out hosted by The Dallas Woman's Forum, a celebration of jazz music and fashion of the 1920s in Downton Abbey style.

There'll be cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, live music by Matt Tolentino and The Matt Tolentino Band, professional portrait photography by Glenn Ladewig Photography, antique automobiles on display for photos ops, a comic magician who will perform from 9-10 pm, and a dance instructor to lead guests in dance steps.

Dress is 1920s-style cocktail or black tie. The hosts promise that guests will feel as though they are being transported through time as they enjoy music and dancing at the elegant and historic Alexander Mansion, at 4607 Ross Ave. It runs from 8-11 pm. Tickets are $65.

Movie Review

Supergirl loses the sense of fun that Superman brought to DC Comics films

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

The new Superman in 2025 brought with a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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