Sony Pictures acquires Alamo Drafthouse and becomes the first studio to own its own theaters in almost 70 years | National

Sony Pictures has acquired Alamo Drafthouse, the seventh largest theater chain in North America. Alamo Drafthouse has 35 theaters across the United States. This is the first such large acquisition of a cinema chain by a studio since the repeal of the 1948 antitrust decrees in 2020. In 2021, due to the pandemic, Alamo Drafthouse declared bankruptcy, but was saved by a private equity fund. Sony Pictures sees this as a strategic move given the importance of the theatrical experience to studios. This makes Sony the first studio to own theaters again since the direct decisions of antitrust authorities.