Private Cinema Model Tests Premium Screening Economics in Austin
Tim League, co-founder of Alamo Drafthouse, will open Metro Private Cinema in Austin in April 2027 at The Baker School in the Hyde Park Historic District. The company is raising $4 million to $5 million through a convertible note and has reached the halfway point. Metro offers on-demand private screenings in rooms seating four to 20 people, paired with a prix fixe menu. The Austin location will feature 11 screens with 90 total seats.
Metro debuted six months ago in Chelsea, Manhattan, though the business is headquartered in Austin. League co-founded the venture with Mikey Trafton, former CTO of Alamo Drafthouse, who died in 2025 before the first location opened. HomeAway co-founder Brian Sharples, who originated the concept, is an investor, as is Alamo Drafthouse itself. Joshua Guarneri leads culinary operations and will relocate to Austin for training and hiring.
Metro flips traditional theater economics by accepting higher labor costs in exchange for premium food and beverage revenue. League keeps costs down by owning The Baker School property outright. The building also houses a coffee shop, wine bar, Austin Classical Guitar headquarters, and a movie-themed letterpress shop that doubles as Metro’s bar and lounge. A test room on site allows the team to trial menu items, service models, and equipment before rolling them out.
League said pricing will align with a nice dinner in Austin and fall into the “relatively affordable indulgence category.” He plans to expand to other cities and will decide on additional Austin locations within nine months. League and his wife founded Alamo Drafthouse in 1997; the chain filed for Chapter 11 in 2021 during the pandemic and was acquired by Sony in 2024.
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