Alamo Drafthouse will rename its San Francisco flagship venue in honor of Christopher Nolan. The Oscar-winning filmmaker and big screen enthusiast will be celebrated at a 70mm screening event later this year.
The announcement of the renamed venue (San Francisco New Mission will become Christopher Nolan Cinema) was made ahead of the director’s next film adventure, The Odyssey, which will be released on July 17th.
“San Francisco’s New Mission is a beautiful, historic and iconic film with a rich history spanning over a century,” said director Christopher Nolan. “It is an incredible honor to be recognized in this way by Alamo Drafthouse and this particular theater that continues the great tradition of showing movies on 70mm film.”
Nolan joins a formidable group of filmmakers and actors whose names are emblazoned across various parts of the Alamo Drafthouse, including Spike Lee, John Hughes, Ivan Reitman, Bong Joon-ho and Pam Grier.
“By dedicating ‘A New Mission’ in Mr. Nolan’s name, we are celebrating and thanking a filmmaker who consistently championed movies not just as entertainment, but as a cultural heritage worth preserving,” said Michael Kusterman, CEO of Drafthouse. “The same auditorium that screened silent films in 1916 now houses both 70mm celluloid projectors next to Barco’s state-of-the-art laser projectors. The trajectory feels perfect for a Christopher Nolan film.”
Christopher Nolan movie renamed
“The Odyssey” is the sequel to Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which was a huge critical and commercial hit, grossing $975 million at the box office and winning several Oscars. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, king of Ithaca, in this adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic Odyssey, which chronicles his long and dangerous return to his homeland after the Trojan War. The star-studded ensemble includes Tom Holland as Odysseus’ son Telemachus, as well as Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal.
Nolan’s other major films include ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy, ‘Inception’, ‘Interstellar’, ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Tenet’.
“At Alamo Drafthouse, we know that when a widescreen blockbuster like “The Odyssey” is scheduled, each screening, like a Trojan horse, provides both casual and forgotten movie fans with the opportunity to secretly remind them of just how great the movie experience really is,” said Chaya Rosenthal, Chief Marketing Officer, Alamo Drafthouse. “We are deeply grateful to Mr. Nolan for the leadership he has brought to our industry as we celebrate the 110th anniversary of this historic theater, complete renovations, and begin a new chapter for the future. We can’t wait to work with his team at the Christopher Nolan Cinema dedication event.”
The New Mission Theater opened in 1916, but closed in 1993 and sat vacant for more than 20 years until the Alamo Drafthouse revived the venue. Now a historic landmark, the building reopened in 2015 after a restoration that recreated the original paint palette and 1930s carpets and murals.
Manije Fata, executive director of the San Francisco Film Commission, said Nolan’s “commitment to theatrical release and the cinematic experience makes this honor especially fitting.”
“There are few cities in the world as instantly recognizable and cinematic as San Francisco,” Fata said. “From our iconic streets and architecture to our historic theaters and exhibition halls, film is woven into the fabric of our city. We are thrilled to welcome director Christopher Nolan to San Francisco and celebrate this great tribute at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission Theater, one of our city’s treasured screening spaces.”
This article has been updated with a new quote from Nolan.
