Not many new businesses open their doors and become an immediate Austin success, but the Alamo Drafthouse is an exception to the rule. In 1997, Tim and Karrie League opened the Alamo Drafthouse in a downtown Austin warehouse building that was being used as a parking garage, playing mostly second run movies. Their twist to the movie-going experience was to offer food and drinks brought to the viewers by black-clad servers.

The Alamo Drafthouse caught on quickly, and soon changed their programming to include creative lineups of movies and complimentary cuisine, such as Spaghetti Westerns with Spaghetti Feasts, drawing Austinites looking for a dinner and movie experience out of the norm.

In 2001, the Leagues purchased and renovated a 4 screen art house theater on Anderson Lane, and the Alamo Drafthouse Village was born. The Village location provided first run movies, which freed up the original Drafthouse to concentrate on unique programming 100% of the time. It's this programming that has transformed the Alamo into one of the most innovative movie theaters in the country.

Along with pairing food and movies together, the Alamo Drafthouse hosts Sing-A-Longs to packed Musical-loving houses, and Quote-A-Longs that serve up quote-worthy movies, such as Blazing Saddles. Every Wednesday at midnight, the Alamo provides a bizarre gem completely free, pleasing the broke college crowd who can be entertained while enjoying a couple beers for a small amount of money. Possibly the most popular event held at the original Alamo location was Mr. Sinus Theater, Austin's own take on the popular Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show, with live comedians poking fun at poorly made films, and popular classics alike. Though Mr. Sinus has gone by the wayside, a faction of the original comedy troupe has formed Master Pancake Theater with a similar theme.

The Alamo Drafthouse also builds a sense of community with their patrons by letting them actually partake in the fun and creativity. Putting their own twist on the Karaoke craze, the Alamo created ?Movieoke? letting fans choose clips from their favorite movies to ?perform? live up on stage, with the movie playing behind. They also host a ?Make a Movie in 48 Hours? challenge for budding filmmakers to show what they can do in a limited amount of time, with the winner chosen by a panel of celebrity filmmakers. The Alamo Drafthouse is also home of the Air Guitar Championships for those with the best air guitar chops in the land.

Stepping outside of the box a little further, the Leagues purchased a giant inflatable movie screen for film screenings in remote locations. Deemed the Rolling Roadshow, moviegoers could paddle a canoe down a river, and eat dinner on its banks while watching Deliverance, or spend the day at Camp Hack-n-Slash before watching horror camp movies all night long. This past summer, the Rolling Roadshow headed across America screening famous movies in famous places, like North By Northwest at Mount Rushmore.

In 2004, Tim and Karrie League sold the company, the intellectual rights, and brand to Terrell Braly and John Martin. The new owners of the Drafthouse are expanding the theaters, with an eventual goal of 200 nationwide. The Leagues did retain the rights to the original Drafthouse, the Village, and the South Lamar location that opened in 2005. With skyrocketing costs in the warehouse district, the Leagues recently renovated the 1929 Ritz Theater on 6th Street, and it serves as the new heart for the Alamo Drafthouse. It opened November 2nd, with the Leagues coming full force, screening a Triple Feature of Attack of the Mushroom People, including a Mushroom Feast, a sneak peek of the Coen brothers newest release, No Country for Old Men, and Quentin Tarantino flying in for a Terror Thursday screening of War of the Gargantuas.