Everyone's favorite kaiju king Godzilla is set to invade the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, with the dine-in theater chain today announcing a monster-sized multi-year alliance with Japan’s legendary Toho International.
Per an official press release, the multi-year collaboration will first roar to life inside the brand-new Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair, one of the company’s two Silicon Valley expansions opening this summer, located at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara. But Goji fans outside of Santa Clara, fear not – later this year, Alamo Drafthouse will roll out special programming and exclusive merchandise to Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide, as well as its retail arm at AlamoMart.com.
Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair opens today, June 23, inside Santa Clara’s Westfield Valley Fair shopping center, with several special treats for Godzilla fans. There'll be a two-story Godzilla window projection at the very front of the theater – but much more is on the way, including two colossal kaiju head displays featuring Godzilla and Mechagodzilla designed in partnership with Toho. Upstairs, the new Bar Odo pays tribute to Godzilla’s fictional birthplace with specialty cocktails and an ever-rotating craft beer lineup, perfect for a pre- or post-screening drink.
The collaboration also brings a whole host of exclusive new Godzilla merch, with artist and long-time Alamo Drafthouse collaborator Tom Whalen leading the charge with an officially licensed t-shirt and pint glass design that’s available now for preorder, and the line will expand later this year with the first-ever official Godzilla popcorn bucket (!!) and an exclusive Mothra mug designed by Alamo’s own Art Director Scott Sugiuchi, plus limited edition blankets, hats, and enamel pin sets.
Here's what Chaya Rosenthal, Chief Marketing Officer at Alamo Drafthouse has to say of the epic collaboration:
“From the moment GODZILLA rumbled onto screens in 1954, Toho’s kaiju have inspired generations of movie lovers, including our team […] Launching this partnership at our newest and biggest theater ever lets us celebrate that legacy with epic screenings, jaw-dropping lobby displays, and one-of-a-kind collectibles that only Alamo Drafthouse can deliver.”
Between this, the news of a Godzilla Minus One sequel from Takashi Yamazaki, a 4K re-release of Shin Godzilla, Godzilla video games on the way as part of Toho's continued Godzilla expansion and a Godzilla LEGO set on the way, it's a damn good time to be a kaiju fan.
Keep an eye on the official Alamo Drafthouse Cinema site for more info on this incredibly exciting development.
