Movie Theater Woes

Alamo Drafthouse temporarily closes 4 Dallas-Fort Worth locations

Alamo Drafthouse North Richland Hills auditorium

The auditoriums of four Dallas-Fort Worth Alamo Drafthouse locations will remain empty following recent closures.

Photo by Kathy Tran

Just one month after announcing its optimistic reopening plans, Alamo Drafthouse has temporarily closed four of its six Dallas-Fort Worth locations.

Bill DiGaetano, Chief Executive Officer of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema North Texas, released the following statement September 17: "To better weather the COVID storm and the decreased overall demand due to a lack of major new releases, we’ve decided to consolidate our business in Dallas and temporarily close four of our DFW-area franchise locations — Cedars, North Richland Hills, Denton, and Las Colinas.

"We’re happy to continue bringing you the best cinematic experience possible at our Richardson and Lake Highlands locations, and look forward to re-emerging with our other locations once major new releases resume."

An Alamo representative had no information on what constitutes "decreased overall demand," how long the temporary closures will last, or why the Richardson and Lake Highlands locations were chosen to remain open over the other four.

There were no other new closures in any other Texas markets, as not all of the theater chain's 41 national locations reopened following the initial shutdown in March. All six Dallas-Fort Worth locations reopened at the end of August, along with the LaCenterra location in Houston, Slaughter Lane and Lakeline locations in Austin, and the Stone Oak location in San Antonio. Currently, four of the six Austin locations, two of the three San Antonio locations, and the New Braunfels location remain closed.

Alamo had put a number of increased safety measures in place to entice moviegoers back, including sanitizing chairs and tables with an electrostatic fogger and disinfectant between screenings; limited capacity at each screening; a face mask requirement for all staff and guests; and all online ordering of tickets and food.

The biggest recent new release, Christopher Nolan's Tenet, made only $20 million in its opening weekend, a far cry from what a blockbuster like that would normally earn. With no major new releases scheduled in the coming weeks and films like No Time to Die moving to Thanksgiving and Wonder Woman 1984 moving to Christmas, demand for in-person moviegoing is likely to remain low.

movies closings

Turn Cancer Upside Down

Figure skating legend Scott Hamilton brings holiday ice show to DFW

Scott Hamilton & Friends Benefiting The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Scott Hamilton will emcee the ice show.

Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater known for his signature backflip, is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth for a holiday ice show and "Frozen 5K" fundraising mega-event.

The fundraiser portion ties into Hamilton's public battle with testicular cancer in the 1990s, which led him to found the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation in 2014. The nonprofit's mission is to fund innovative, patient-centered, targeted treatments that fight cancer while preserving quality of life.

One of its fundraising events is the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer ice shows, which bring Hamilton and other world-class athletes to rinks around the country.

NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills is hosting a holiday version on Saturday, December 20 at 7 pm, where Hamilton will emcee and Olympians Mariah Bell, Ashley Cain, and Polina Edmunds will perform.

Tickets range from $32.75 to $79, with proceeds benefiting UT Southwestern Medical Center in addition to the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation.

Mariah Bell, figure skating, Olympian Figure skater Mariah Bell. Getty Images

"This isn’t just an ice show - it’s a celebration of hope, resilience, and community," the city of North Richland Hills says in a Facebook post. "Expect breathtaking performances, holiday cheer, and the chance to see world-class athletes light up the ice, all while supporting a cause that will touch so many."

If you'd like to get out on the ice yourself, you can register for the Frozen 5K on December 21 and skate 35 laps to honor and remember those impacted by cancer. The $35 registration fee includes a T-shirt, or you can donate extra to receive other Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer swag.

DFW-only fundraising incentives include an autographed program ($500), a VIP meet-and-greet plus autographed program ($1,000), or the chance to perform at the holiday ice show (top fundraisers only — see more info here). Better start stretching.

It's the perfect time for Hamilton to bring his ice show to North Texas. Ice rinks are a huge holiday trend for 2025, with kids of all ages gliding and spinning on special pop-up rinks from Grapevine to Garland to the all-new CultureMap City Rink in downtown Dallas.

scott hamilton cancer research fundraising olympians mariah bell ashley cain polina edmunds scott hamilton cares foundation ska8 to elimin8 cancer frozen 5k ice skating city rink