Most excellent news, film lovers: “Bill & Ted Face the Music” will play free of charge at Alamo Drafthouse cinemas on Aug. 26, the day before it opens in theaters across the country.
After a five-month-long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, Alamo Drafthouse will reopen its doors in select locations on Aug. 26 and plans to reopen more venues in the following weeks. Plans to return to the movies have been derailed several times as cases of the virus continue to spike, but Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller “Tenet,” Disney and Fox’s superhero adaptation “The New Mutants” and other movies are finally gearing up to hit the big screen in late August and early September.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome everyone back to Alamo Drafthouse,” the company’s CEO Shelli Taylor said in a statement. “‘Tenet,’ ‘The New Mutants’ and ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ are made for the big screen experience. We’ve all dearly missed going to the movies, and with our many enhanced safety protocols we feel that we can come together again confidently and securely.”
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” the third entry in the sci-fi comedy series, has shifted its theatrical plans. Instead of debuting exclusively in theaters, it will simultaneously launch on premium video-on-demand and in cinemas on Aug. 27.
“Our guests love the guys from Wyld Stallyns, so that’s why we’re stoked to be the first theater company to show ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ — one day early and for free,” senior VP Steve Bunnell said.
Along with the new releases, Alamo is offering two programs inspired by the pandemic that will feature popular repertory titles. The first, called “Making Up for Lost Time,” will highlight movies about time travel, time machine and time warps. The lineup includes “Inception,” “Back to the Future” and “Donnie Darko,” among others.
The other program is called “Masks,” a nod to the pandemic’s ubiquitous accessory. Drafthouse is celebrating masked heroes and villains alike, in offerings such as 1989’s “Batman,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Mask of Zorro.”
As previously announced, Alamo Drafthouse has worked vigorously to ensure its locations will be “safer than a supermarket” upon reopening. Among the new health and safety procedures, the movie theater chain will increasing physical-distancing measures, implementing enhanced cleaning protocols and temporarily altering its food service model. Additionally, guests will be required to wear masks.