Tim League, founder of Alamo Drafthouse, is launching Metro Private Cinema, a new theater concept designed for private screenings and curated film experiences in Chelsea. According to Eater New York, the venue is scheduled to open in September and will feature individually rented screening rooms for groups of four to 20 people. Each four-hour booking includes a pre-movie dinner and a film selected by the guests.
Rental fees start at $200 for smaller rooms and can reach up to $1,000 for larger spaces. Dining costs are estimated at approximately $100 per person, with alcoholic beverage packages beginning at $50 per head. League, who has been known for enforcing strict rules against phone use and conversation during films at Alamo Drafthouse, has adjusted those policies for this project. "You can text, as much as it pains me to say it. You can talk. It’s just you’re a worse person if you do," League stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, as cited by Time Out New York.
Metro Private Cinema’s screening rooms will include varied seating arrangements, thematic decor tailored to the chosen movie, and amenities such as vinyl record players. Guests may also request specific titles for an additional fee. The venue aligns with a broader shift in New York’s entertainment sector toward offering private and customized experiences, consistent with the rise of members-only spaces.
Positioned alongside other high-end options such as the Cannes Cinema at Fouquet’s New York, which offers public movie-and-dinner packages, Metro Private Cinema aims to appeal to guests seeking exclusive, personalized film outings. The theater’s culinary program, which plays a central role in its offerings, is being developed by chef Joshua Guarneri, whose previous work includes Bar Avalon in Los Angeles and the Breslin in New York. Eater New York noted that League views this model as an attempt to reach a demographic that has become less frequent in traditional movie theaters, stating the goal is to cultivate "a new market for people who aren’t going to the cinema as much."
