A Dive-In Screening of ‘The Shallows’ Cements the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Status as the Best Theater in the Country

One of the best things about living in Austin is that we are the home of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, aka the best movie theater chain on the planet. So long have I been a patron of this fine establishment that it often boggles my mind when I see people complain about the movie-going experience. Then I quickly remember that not everyone lives in a city where the closest theater has policies like:

• Ordering food and drinks during the movie. Simply write your order on the order cards provided at your seat and stick it up and a server will come by and grab it.
• Kicking out people who talk or text during the movie. If you witness someone in your theater talking or using their cell phone you just write a complaint on your order card and a server will give the people one warning. If it happens again they get kicked out without a refund.
• No children under the age of six are allowed in the theater (unless you are attending a “Baby Day” or one of their Kids Camps).
• Anyone under the age of 18 must attend with a parent or guardian (keep those kids in check!).

Add to this the fact that they never show ads before a movie, just preshows featuring clips (be it YouTube clips or TV/movie clips) that relate to the film you are waiting to see and frequently screen older films as well (I live for their Terror Tuesdays where I have been able to see many horror films on the big screen for the first time) and you’ve got the makings of the best movie theater in the country. This is an establishment that truly cares about their patrons and is the reason I refuse to go to another theater. It’s just a shame they’re only present in 21 cities nationwide (nine of which are in Texas).

One unique thing about the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is their Rolling Roadshow screenings. What they do is screen classic films in outdoor venues, be it in a park or, as many of you may already know, on the water with films like Jaws. Since it is so rare for a killer shark movie to hit the big screen, the Drafthouse gifted us with an on-the-water screening of the new Jaume Collet-Serra film The Shallows, starring Blake Lively.  This entails watching a screening of the film (which is projected on a large inflatable movie screen) while floating on inner tubes in the water. It’s as awesome as it sounds.

We’ve already posted two reviews for The Shallows (Kalyn’s and Jess’) so I won’t bore you with another one, but I’ll just say that it’s a fun little aquatic horror film with some great set pieces, nifty special effects and a fantastic performance from Blake Lively. I could have done with a longer running time and one or two more set pieces, but it’s a highly enjoyable film. Oh, and anyone who criticizes the film for featuring a shark that doesn’t behave like a normal shark must direct the same criticism toward Jaws. Bruce jumped on a boat, you guys. C’mon! 3.5/5 skulls for me. The purpose of this article is to tell you about the one-of-a-kind experience the Drafthouse has so graciously provided audiences with “Dive In to The Shallows.”

Whether you’re seeing The Shallows or Jaws on the water (the venue is designed specifically for Jaws screenings since they show it multiple times during the summer), your ticket (a steep $45, but hear me out) grants you access to the space for nearly five hours. The water opens at 8:30pm and the movie starts at 9pm, but you’re able to arrive as early as 6pm. After you park and get checked in, you are given a complimentary glow necklace and tank top and greeted with the jaws of a shark (sponsored by Lone Star Beer, in case you couldn’t tell). Then you begin your trek to the water.

Along the path you will be treated with such sights as a familiar-looking billboard from Jaws and some blood-stained lifeguard posts (see the image gallery below). Once you travel a little further down the path you’ll come to an open area filled with food trucks, bars, games and other activities to fill your time until the water opens up. I would advise you not grab your tube until they open up the water, as hauling that thing around for two hours is a real chore. Did I mentioned you get to keep the tube? Well, you can. And it looks pretty awesome too!

My first stop was the Garbo’s food truck, which specializes in lobster rolls. After that it was straight to the bar. I chose to skip the games (I’m terrible at anything that involves throwing objects into a hole) and relaxed for a bit to take in my surroundings.

It’s impossible to miss the body of water that you’ll soon be sitting in to watch the movie It comes complete with a warning sign from Amity P.D. and a clear view of the inflatable screen on the opposite shore. There was also a large inflatable shark fin in the water for good measure. For those who are wary of the water, there are complimentary lawn chairs and pool furniture situated on the shore so that you can enjoy the movie from there.

At 8:30 it was announced that the water was open and we could begin finding our “seats.” After a quick run back to the bar I headed for the water. Once I got over my initial squeamishness from the mud in between my toes (I’m not what you would call “outdoorsy”), I floated over to the center of the lake. At 9 o’ clock we were told that the movie would be starting shortly but that there were a couple of rules in addition to the standard Drafthouse theater rules:

1. Always keep your glow necklace on so the lifeguards floating around can see you.
2. If you get out of the water, make sure to take your tube with you otherwise the lifeguards will see your empty tube and assume you have drowned. They will then stop the movie, pissing everyone off, and search for your body.
3. When you finish your beer, let it float on the lake and the staff will clean it up later. Do not fill it with water and let it sink to the bottom.

It was all fairly simple and ensured a positive movie-going experience. I can’t say I wasn’t worried about forgetting rule #2 though. It would be just my luck to have the movie get stopped halfway through.

The Verdict

So how was the experience of watching The Shallows on the water? It was quite a bit of fun! I will say that it may not be the best idea to watch a movie for the first time in that environment, as you will frequently be concentrating on not floating away due to the weak current (both sides are blocked by a rope barrier, but we kept slowly floating toward the rope on the right). It’s the perfect setting to watch Jaws since many of you have probably seen that film a countless number of times and don’t need to pay full attention to the film, but it was a little distracting during The Shallows. Not so distracting that it took away from the experience, but it’s something to keep in mind. Other than that one minor quibble I would highly recommend it! Besides, how many times will you get an opportunity like this? They even had a surprise in store for us when ***SPOILER ALERT*** Lively’s character caused an explosion with a flare gun. Upon impact, fireworks went off above the movie screen and everyone appropriately cheered.

“Dive In to The Shallows” (and Jaws On the Water) firmly cements the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s status as the best movie theater in the country. There just isn’t a theater chain out there that shows its patrons as much respect as they do. If you’re ever visiting a city that has one, make it a point to see a movie there. You’ll never want to go to another theater again!

Here is the full gallery of pictures. Please note that the final two images in the gallery below (and the header image at the top of the post) were pulled from the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow Facebook page. The rest reflect my and my partner’s expert iPhone photography skills.

By Trace Thurman on July 1, 2016