
The Staten Island Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, New York’s fourth theater, officially opened to the public on Saturday, August 14. Alamo Drafthouse founder and owner Tim League, along with frontman of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan RZA (who helped design The Flying Guillotine theater bar) and management staff were all on hand to officially celebrate the opening of the theater with nine auditoriums and 893 seats.
Although Staten Island is a bit out of the way, unless you live there like me, each Drafthouse is chosen based on how easy it is to get to. Located on Hylan Boulevard, the theater is minutes from several points in New York and New Jersey and is fairly accessible for those in Manhattan via the Staten Island Ferry and a quick ride on the Staten Island Railroad.

Kung Fu. Kung fu is most definitely the theme for the newest addition to the Alamo Drafthouse family, which was born out of the theater’s collaboration with RZA, the founder of Staten Island hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan who, for those who don’t know it, was heavily inspired by kung fu movies. As soon as you enter the lobby and are greeted by the theater’s kung-fu-themed banner showcasing the vastness of kung fu film history as well as the theater’s bar The Flying Guillotine, the theater’s theme certainly cannot be missed. In the theater, there is a small lobby with classic arcade games and a claw game as well as a merchandise wall.
All auditoriums are equipped with Sony 4K laser projection, with a screen with Dolby Atmos® partner cinema and another cinema with 35mm capacity. Each auditorium has comfortable seating, tables for food, and table-side catering.

Executive Chef John Alberici joins the Alamo Drafthouse team with over 17 years of restaurant management experience in New York City. The menu offers a wide range of options for starters, appetizers, and snacks which are almost entirely prepared in-house. In addition to their basic menu, there are vegetarian and vegan options. Finally, the kitchen will also offer seasonal specialties as well as specific options on the theme of films and events.
Orders are taken, preferably before the movie starts, by writing your order on a card, and a “ninja” waiter dressed in black will come, take your order, give you a thumbs up and collect your order while keeping silent so that to preserve the movie experience. The Staten Island Theater is also the first Drafthouse to feature a call button to help you place your order faster!

The theater is ready to play everything from first-run mainstream titles as well as a wide range of curated genre offerings. Specialty programming will include monthly series such as Movie Parties and Brunch Screenings, as well as RZA’s Saturday Shaolin Theater, a monthly series of martial arts titles ranging from old-school rarities to recent classics.
On a final note, Alamo Drafthouse is for serious movie buffs, instead of commercials before each movie, there’s a curated schedule of shorts, cartoons, and other generally film-relevant video content while you wait for the movie starts. Additionally, they have a strict no late arrival policy (latecomers will be refunded or given tickets for a later performance) and a no cell phone or talk policy (which will have you removed in the event of a breakage). after your first warning). So sit back and enjoy your movie in peace.

Within the theater is the Kung fu-themed bar The Flying Guillotine. As mentioned above, the bar was born from the collaboration with the founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA. Along with movie memorabilia and posters throughout the bar, the entrance features a huge flying guillotine and a chopping block photo op. The bar also has a Shaolin Monk Temple theme and sitting in the center of the bar is the legendary Wu-Tang Clan “W.”
The bar overseen by former House of Wax and Newsroom manager Vincent Favella offers a wide selection of local draft beers, including a collaboration with local Flagship Brewery for their Flying Guillotine Session Pale Ale as well as the Allagash White, one of my favorites. The cocktail menu offers a wide selection of offerings divided into two sections; Shaolin with nine classic cocktails and Wu-Tang showcasing nine original cocktails and is a neat callback to the movie that inspired the Wu-Tang Clan name and a reference to the nickname Staten Island.
There’s even an outdoor seating area for a drink in nice weather while you wait for your movie to start.
