New Chicago Movie Cinema Features Cocktail Bar, Video Store

CHICAGO — A new movie theater that is opening in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood near Wrigley Field will be dedicated to another of the city’s favorites, John Hughes.

Alamo Drafthouse, a Texas-based theater chain, opened its first Illinois location on Friday with a Wrigleyville location. The John Hughes Cinema is located inside the Alamo Drafthouse at 3519 N. Clark St., which is only a four-minute walk from Wrigley Field.

The unique theater experience offers six screens and 372 seats and features a lobby that includes Video Vortex, a combination cocktail bar, and a video store that offers 13,000 movies on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray. Movies may be rented three at a time at no charge with the understanding that they will be returned in five days.

The theater held a private event on Thursday at which Hughes’ son, James Hughes was on hand for a screening of the classic film, Ferris Bueller’s Day off. Alamo officials said that it only made sense to name the Wrigleyville location’s cinema after John Hughes, who directed such cinematic favorites such as “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles.”

"In 1984, I was fourteen and shared the same hairstyle, untucked Polos, and braces as Anthony Michael Hall in 16 Candles. I maybe wasn't the king of them at my school, but I was undeniably a dork,” Tim League League, Alamo Drafthouse’s founder said in a news release. “The classic ‘80s John Hughes films hit me like a sledgehammer. For the first time, I experienced movies that truly understood my teenage experience and challenges. I am honored to be paying tribute to a revolutionary storyteller who both positively affected my life but also changed cinema forever."

Alamo Drafthouse officials said the venues provide a unique combination of theater and restaurant, showing first-run movies, independent films, and special events with an extensive menu made from scratch. Guests order all food and drinks from servers who quietly attend to them throughout the movie from inside the theater.

Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy the pre-show entertainment. Instead of a barrage of advertising, Alamo Drafthouse shows a curated collection of rare and humorous clips themed to each feature.

In addition to the combination cocktail bar/video store, the theater's lobby also includes a photo-opp from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," which recreates the moment when "Ferris’ reluctant co-conspirator, Cameron, sends his father’s beloved sports car flying out a window.

“Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville is something we have been looking forward to for a very long time,” Alamo Drafthouse CEO Shelli Taylor said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be here, and we’re excited to show Chicagoans everything we have to offer to the cinema experience.”