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

CREEPY CRAWLIES

Nightmarish stinging fireworms are washing up on Texas beaches

Harte Research Institute/ Facebook

Researcher Jace Tunnel holds a nightmarish fire worm.

Heads up, Gulf vacationers: Officials are sounding the alarm about a creepy critter that could ruin your next beach trip. The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies says that fireworms, a centipede-like sea creature with sharp bristles, are washing up on Texas shores.

Researcher Jace Tunnel posted the warning in a Facebook photo series detailing a recent beachcombing expedition. Along with benign finds like lost stuffed animals, seashells, and seeds, the explorer encountered a slithery pair of fireworms feeding on a pile of gooseneck barnacles.

Although voracious predators, fireworms are not usually a threat to humans. But their common name should give any beachgoer pause if they encounter them in the wild. The hollow bristles can inject a potent neurotoxin that can cause painful burning, nausea, and dizziness.

“[I]t literally feels like fire for about three hours,” explains the institute in a 2024 post. “Your skin can feel sensitive in the sting site for weeks, depending on where it stung you.”

The bristle worms are native to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and are most commonly found near coral reefs. Although not a new sight in the Gulf of Mexico, they are rare enough to cause a stir. When angler Alyssia Ramirez posted a 2020 video of catching a fireworm, it made international news, according to Corpus Christi NBC affiliate KRIS 6.

While the risk of getting stung by the washed-up amphinomids is relatively slim, WebMD says the treatment is relatively simple. Affected swimmers should apply vinegar or isopropyl alcohol to the affected area, then remove the bristles with tweezers or adhesive tape. Inflammation and burning can be treated with over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream. Although painful, the neurotoxin is not potent enough to be deadly.

Fireworms are not the only nightmare creature causing a stir in Texas this year. In late June, the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department formed a task force to battle screwworms, a parasite that threatens the state's wildlife and cattle.

Fearless Texans can watch Tunnel's close encounter with fireworms — and other beachcombing expeditions — via the institute's YouTube channel.

gulf of mexico texas gulf beaches travel fireworms