Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is proud to announce that its flagship San Francisco New Mission location will be officially renamed the Christopher Nolan Cinema, honoring the Academy Award-winning filmmaker whose commitment to film preservation, theatrical exhibition, and large-format presentation have defined the modern filmgoing experience.

The announcement comes after last Thursday’s ticket launch for the 70mm and Premium Large Format release of Nolan’s new mythic action epic from Universal Pictures, “The Odyssey,” opening on July 17. Tickets for “The Odyssey” at Alamo Drafthouse are available now including Premium Presentation formats, including 70mm, 35mm, and The Big Show large format.

“San Francisco’s New Mission is a beautiful, historic, iconic cinema with more than a century of rich history,” Christopher Nolan says. “To be recognized in this way by Alamo Drafthouse, and with this particular theater which continues the great tradition of showing films on 70mm film, is an incredible honour.”

Nolan joins a distinguished set of groundbreaking filmmakers and performers whose names adorn Alamo Drafthouse locations, a group that includes Spike Lee, John Hughes, Ivan Reitman, Bong Joon Ho, and Pam Grier. The honor will be officially commemorated later this year at a 70mm screening event in San Francisco that Nolan will attend and guest curate.

“By dedicating New Mission in Mr. Nolan’s name, we’re celebrating and thanking a filmmaker whose work has consistently championed cinema not merely as entertainment, but as a cultural inheritance worth protecting,” says Michael Kustermann, Alamo Drafthouse CEO. “The same auditorium that ran silent movies in 1916 now has both 70mm celluloid projection sitting beside Barco’s state-of-the-art laser projector. That trajectory feels right for the Christopher Nolan Cinema.”

“Few cities in the world are as instantly recognizable and cinematic as San Francisco,” says Manijeh Fata, Executive Director, Film SF | San Francisco Film Commission. “From our iconic streets and architecture to our historic theaters and exhibition venues, film is woven into the fabric of this city. We are thrilled to welcome Christopher Nolan to San Francisco and celebrate this remarkable tribute at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission Theater, one of our city’s treasured screening spaces. Nolan’s commitment to theatrical exhibition and the moviegoing experience makes this honor especially fitting.”

Filmed across multiple international locations using brand-new IMAX technology, “The Odyssey” is a mythic action epic based on Homer’s foundational saga. The film features an expansive ensemble cast led by Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.

Written for the screen and directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan under their Syncopy banner. The project builds on Nolan’s continued partnership with Universal following the 2023 release of “Oppenheimer,” which earned almost $1 billion worldwide and went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. Nolan’s body of work, spanning “Oppenheimer,” “Tenet,” “Dunkirk,” “Interstellar,”  “Inception,” and “The Dark Knight” trilogy, has earned more than $6 billion at the global box office and has been awarded 18 Oscars from 49 nominations.

“At Alamo Drafthouse, when we have widescreen epics like ‘The Odyssey’ headed our way, we know that, like a Trojan Horse, each screening offers the chance to covertly remind both casual and lapsed moviegoers of how extraordinary the cinematic experience can really be,” says Chaya Rosenthal, Alamo Drafthouse’s Chief Marketing Officer. “As we celebrate 110 years of this historic theater with a remodel and new chapter for its future, we’re deeply grateful to Mr. Nolan for the leadership he’s brought to this industry. We can’t wait to work with his team on the dedication events for the Christopher Nolan Cinema.”

The New Mission Theater first opened on May 4, 1916 and received its iconic design during a 1932 remodel by Timothy Pflueger, one of the most important architects in Bay Area history, whose portfolio includes the Castro Theatre, Oakland’s Paramount Theatre, and the Bay Bridge. The theater went dark in 1993 and sat vacant for over two decades before community activists, preservationists, and Alamo Drafthouse brought it back to life. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and designated San Francisco Landmark #245 in 2004.

About Alamo Drafthouse
Founded in 1997 as a single-screen repertory theater in Austin, TX, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has grown to 40 locations nationwide. Known for its strict no-talking, no-texting policy, chef-driven food and beverage offerings, and eclectic programming, Alamo Drafthouse has been called “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired. In addition to its theaters, Alamo Drafthouse operates Fantastic Fest, the American Genre Film Archive, and continues to expand its footprint with new locations across the country.

About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.