After renovating their first New York location in Downtown Brooklyn, Alamo Drafthouse dedicated the newly upgraded multiplex in honor of Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee at a special ceremony at the movie theater last night (September 12th).
Lee along with Alamo Drafthouse Founder Tim League, and Lee’s siblings, Joie Lee and Cinqué Lee were in attendance, in which a plaque was unveiled officially dedicating the theater to Spike Lee.
“After completing this massive upgrade to our Brooklyn location, we knew immediately that we wanted to dedicate it to Spike Lee,” said Michael Kustermann, Alamo Drafthouse CEO. “His films have defined Brooklyn for generations, and we’re immensely proud to do our part to honor that legacy.”
Like many of the greatest films over the past 40 years, this theater is a Spike Lee Joint. From his nuanced portrayals of Brooklyn life in DO THE RIGHT THING and CROOKLYN to his towering portrait of MALCOLM X, his vision has shaped our culture and left an indelible mark on this city. For that reason, as of Thursday, September 12th, 2024, this Alamo Drafthouse Cinema shall hereby and forevermore be known as the Spike Lee Cinema.
After the ceremony, guests were treated to a screening of Spike’s 1994 semi-autobiographical film Crooklyn in which during a post-screening Q&A with Spike and his two siblings, the filmmaking family discussed various little known facts behind the film. Spike explained that originally Crooklyn was to be called “Hot Peas and Butter”, which was a popular street game the Lee siblings played on the streets of Brooklyn growing up in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The Lees also discussed how the characters in Crooklyn were based on themselves and their parents Jacqueline (who served as the blueprint for Crooklyn’s matriarch Caroline played by Alfre Woodard), and Woody played by Delroy Lindo was a representation of the Lee’s father Bill Lee who passed away last year. Spike mentioned that Lindo wanted to meet Bill before filming Crooklyn but wasn’t allowed to, and Lee’s mother Jacqueline passed away while he was away at college in the 1970’s. Spike also confirmed that the character of Clinton the Knicks-loving oldest brother in the Carmichael family was based on himself.
In addition to Alamo Drafthouse’s diverse mix of first-run films, beloved classics, and signature events, the newly dedicated Spike Lee Cinema will screen a retrospective programming series of Lee’s films, including:
9/17 – CROOKLYN – DCP
9/21 – MO’ BETTER BLUES – 35mm
9/22 – JUNGLE FEVER – 35mm
9/28 – DO THE RIGHT THING – 4K DCP
9/29 – CLOCKERS – 35mm
10/6 – INSIDE MAN – 35mm
Originally opened in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point complex in 2016 with just seven screens, Alamo Drafthouse has completely revamped the location with premium leather recliners equipped with personal swivel tables perfect for enjoying the cinema-eaterie’s menu of burgers, scratch-made pizza, craft beers, signature cocktails, and more.
It has also added five new auditoriums, adding 256 new seats for a total of 978, while outfitting all of its screens with state-of-the-art Laser projectors, as well as RealD 3D, 70mm, and 35mm capabilities on select screens.
