Alamo Drafthouse Renames Austin Theater for McConaughey
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- Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is renaming its Mueller location in Austin, TX to the Matthew McConaughey Cinema, effective next week, with an honorary ceremony and plaque unveiling set for Monday, Aug. 10.
- Matthew McConaughey will introduce a screening of his latest film The Rivals of Amziah King at the ceremony, followed by a Q&A with director Andrew Patterson and lead actress Angelina LookingGlass, plus a live performance by cast musicians including The Last Bison.
- The honor places McConaughey in a line of Alamo Drafthouse theater honorees that includes Christopher Nolan, Pam Grier, Spike Lee, John Hughes, and Ivan Reitman, with Bong Joon Ho being the first so honored in September 2019 after Parasite's US premiere at the South Lamar location.
- The Rivals of Amziah King world premiered at SXSW 2025 to a standing ovation and opens in limited release Aug. 14, with a cast including Cole Sprouse, Kurt Russell, Tony Revolori, Rob Morgan, Scott Shepherd, and Jake Horowitz.
- McConaughey, a Uvalde native and University of Texas graduate, said the dedication means a lot because Austin "shaped so much of who I am"; Alamo CEO Michael Kustermann and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson also praised his cultural ties to the city.
Why it matters: The renaming locks in McConaughey's status as Austin's marquee cultural ambassador, extending an Alamo Drafthouse tradition of cinema-honored theaters that began with Bong Joon Ho in 2019 and adding a hometown Oscar winner to the list ahead of The Rivals of Amziah King's Aug. 14 theatrical release.
