The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Mueller location in Austin, TX will be renamed the Matthew McConaughey Cinema starting next week.
The renaming of the venue is an ode to Texas star, Austin cultural ambassador and Oscar winner McConaughey with an honorary ceremony on Monday, Aug. 10 following the screening of the actor’s latest film, The Rivals of Amziah King from Black Bear distribution. A plaque will be formally unveiled at the Alamo Drafthouse Mueller on that night.
McConaughey joins a line of filmmakers and performers whose names are honored at Alamo Drafthouse locations, a group that counts Christopher Nolan, Pam Grier, Spike Lee, John Hughes, and Ivan Reitman. South Korean director Bong Joon Ho was the first to be so honored by the company in September 2019, following the US premiere at Fantastic Fest of his Best Picture-winning Parasite at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.
“More than just what’s on the screen, movies have always been about who you watch them with and the memories you take home,” said McConaughey. “Alamo Drafthouse has championed that kind of moviegoing from the very beginning, and to have a theater dedicated in my name in the city that’s shaped so much of who I am means a great deal to me.”
“Matthew’s work has shaped the way that audiences connect with movies,” said Michael Kustermann, Chief Executive Officer of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “And his love for this city and for Texas has made him part of its creative fabric. Naming this cinema for Matthew is our way of honoring that connection. And hey, it’s just up the road from Darrell K Royal Stadium, so it’ll be an easy commute when he’s visiting the Longhorns.”
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“Matthew is an accomplished actor and producer, and he’s also a beloved local Austin icon,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. “He’s also a good guy doing great things for young people across this community and around the country. The renaming of the Alamo Drafthouse at Mueller is a wonderful way to celebrate his professional accomplishments and celebrate someone who genuinely loves this City. It’s alright, alright, alright!”
McConaughey will introduce the screening of The Rivals of Amziah King, which will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director Andrew Patterson and lead actress Angelina LookingGlass. Following the Q&A, McConaughey will be joined by musicians from the cast, including The Last Bison, for a live performance of songs featured in the film. McConaughey is a native of Uvalde, TX and a graduate of University of Texas.
The Rivals of Amziah King world premiered at SXSW in 2025 to a standing ovation (which is rare for a SXSW premiere versus other global film festivals) and critical acclaim follows McConaughey as Amziah King, an Oklahoma backwoods beekeeper and side blue grass musician. His foster daughter Kateri (LookingGlass) comes back into his life and the music and honey business just gets sweeter, until Amziah’s rivals reveal themselves. The pic is the sophomore directorial from Patterson who directed the Prime Video 2019 feature The Vast of Night. The pic which stars Cole Sprouse, Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Jake Horowitz, and Kurt Russell, opens limited on Aug. 14.
