Alamo Drafthouse to open at Campbell 16

Austin, Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinema this morning announced it will take over the Campbell 16 Cine to enter the Springfield market.

The company plans to create 150 jobs when it opens the 14-screen theater in February 2017, said John Martin, who will operate Alamo Drafthouse Springfield with partner Marc Evans via Springboard Ventures LLC. Martin, the former president and CEO of the theater chain, and Evans, a feature film producer known for his work on “Safe House,” “The Strangers” and “Oculus,” together operate the Rock Ridge Principals management company.

Alamo Drafthouse Springfield would be the largest theater operated by the chain, and the partners plan to invest seven figures in property renovations, Martin said.

“I love Springfield,” he said. “We think it’s going to be tremendous there.”

Alamo sought a new Missouri location, and when Wehrenberg Theatres announced it was closing the Campbell 16, it put Springfield on their radar.

“When opportunities come up like this, we have to act quickly,” he said, noting the partners are planning to take over the Campbell 16’s market share and improve upon it.

Known for operating restaurants and bars in its theaters and employing a zero-tolerance policy toward cellphone usage during screenings, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has more than 20 theaters in the United States. The only Missouri location is in Kansas City.

For its Springfield theater, the company’s plans include seating for more than 1,000, a bar and restaurant. Martin said Alamo will strip out Campbell 16’s 3,000 seats and add electric recliners, as well as space available for private events.

The renovation process is slated to begin in August after Campbell 16 closes July 31. Kansas City-based National Commercial Builders Inc. is serving as general contractor on the project designed by Hodges Architecture of Dallas, Texas.

The 9.4-acre property owned by Cinema 16 LLC has a 2016 taxable appraised value of $4.3 million, according to Greene County assessor records. Cinema 16 LLC’s registered agent is Judith Beisner, according to the Missouri secretary of state’s office. Martin said Alamo is leasing the building for undisclosed terms.