Popcorn disaster strikes multiple Alamo Drafthouse locations

Few things are more sacred to cinephiles than the time-honored tradition of popcorn at the movies. At hip chain Alamo Drafthouse, the corny pastime’s in danger.

Popcorn machines at both the Downtown LA and Raleigh, NC, locations were broken as of Friday, and have been for about three weeks. The South Lamar location in Austin, Tex., also recently had an out-of-commission popper for about a month, salty sources said. 

Both DTLA and Raleigh concession stand staffers weren’t quite sure when the machines would be fixed. But they expressed hope they’d be buttering up guests again within a week.

View of the neon sign and marquee outside the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Getty Images

One of Alamo’s most popular offerings is its bottomless popcorn, available in spicy ranch, truffle parm, churro and dill pickle varieties.

Are moviegoers upset? “I wish I could say they weren’t,” one Raleigh employee said with a sigh. “People are really disappointed,” added an LA worker.

For a brand that was built on an elevated dine-in moviegoing experience, lacking the signature snack is proving un-pop-ular for guests. Dozens of Reddit threads have been popping up about the decline in quality. 

It’s not the only problem these days for movie theaters. But luckily the topic didn’t come up at Ted Sarandos‘ Senate hearing last week