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Franchise Intelligence

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Specialty Retail franchise. 22 outlets. Here's what opening a Alamo Drafthouse Cinema franchise actually costs in 2026 — and what you can expect to earn.

Updated Apr 21, 2026 EFDID2474000
from $29 · personalized to you
Initial investment
$10932K – $19.7M
Per unit, build-out incl.
Total outlets
22
Latest FDD
Royalty rate
5%
of gross revenue
Median unit revenue
$0.9M
Item 19
The answer, up front

How much does a Alamo Drafthouse Cinema franchise actually cost?

The published range is $10,932,500 to $19,682,500 all-in per unit, per the latest FDD filing.

Line itemAmountSource
Initial franchise fee$125,000FDD Item 5
Total initial investment — low$10,932,500FDD Item 7
Total initial investment — high$19,682,500FDD Item 7
Royalty rate (ongoing)5% of grossFDD Item 6
Marketing fee (ongoing)0% of grossFDD Item 6
Overview

About Alamo Drafthouse.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a specialty retail franchise with 22 locations system-wide.

Initial investment ranges from $10,932,500 to $19,682,500. Detailed breakdown of where the capital goes is in the full FDD — unlock below.

The economics

What does a unit actually earn? Locked

Item 19 of the latest FDD reports median and quartile unit revenue. Unlock for the full distribution, breakeven timeline, and peer comparison.

MetricTop quartileMedianBottom quartile
Gross revenue$1,742,000$1,301,847$847,000
Unit count (reporting)812527294
Breakeven monthMo 14Mo 22Mo 34+

Unlock unit economics

Full Item 19 distribution, breakeven timelines, peer comparisons for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and specialty retail category.

Technology

Required tech stack. Locked

The systems Alamo Drafthouse Cinema franchisees run — mandated vendors, approved alternatives, and annual cost benchmarks. If you sell into this vertical, this is your map.

SystemCategoryMandated?Annual cost
POS PlatformPaymentsApproved pair$1,800
Scheduling / CRMOperationsYes$6,000
Reporting SystemAnalyticsYes$2,400

Unlock the vendor map

Full required tech stack, franchisee spend benchmarks, and a displacement playbook if you sell into this vertical.

Frequently asked

The questions we hear.

How much does a Alamo Drafthouse Cinema franchise cost?

Total initial investment ranges from $10,932,500 to $19,682,500 per unit, per the latest FDD filing. The initial franchise fee is $125,000.

What is the royalty rate for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema?

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema charges a 5% royalty on gross revenue, plus a 0% marketing fee.

How much does a Alamo Drafthouse Cinema location make?

Average unit revenue per the latest FDD is $902,672. Full quartile distribution and breakeven timeline in the franchisee report.

How many Alamo Drafthouse Cinema locations are there?

There are 22 Alamo Drafthouse Cinema outlets system-wide as of the latest FDD filing. 12 are franchised and 10 are company-owned.

Compare

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