Alamo Drafthouse is working on a multi-year alliance with Toho that will bring with it new merch and special Godzilla programming—and it’s kicking off today with the opening of a new Drafthouse theater in California that will become the world’s first fully Godzilla-themed cinema.
io9 can exclusively reveal the first details about Drafthouse and Toho’s new partnership, which formally kicks off with today’s opening of the Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair, at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California. The new theater, one of two new Drafthouses opening in Silicon Valley this summer, features a a two-story window projection of Godzilla at the front of the theater, welcoming customers into a theater decked out with Godzilla theming.
At open, the Drafthouse Valley Fair will feature Bar Odo on its second floor, a tribute to Godzilla’s classic home in Odo Island, featuring a series of Godzilla-themed speciality cocktails alongside a regular rotating service of craft beers. But in the future, it’ll expand with display area including two massive statues of the heads of Godzilla and Mechagodzilla. To celebrate the launch, the Valley Fair location will also run a special series of Kaiju cinema screenings throughout July, including Destroy All Monsters the week of 7/5, Godzilla vs. Hedorah the week of 7/12, and Mothra the week of 7/26.
But the Drafthouse Valley Fair isn’t the only way Alamo and Toho are celebrating their new partnership. Available to pre-order starting today with a t-shirt and mug designed by renowned poster artist Tom Whalen, Alamo will launch a new Kaiju-themed merch line.
The line will expand later this year when the two companies celebrate Godzilla’s 71st birthday this November to include even more goodies, including pin badges, blankets, hats, and an exclusive Mothra mug designed by Drafthouse art director Scott Sugiuchi. And of course—because it wouldn’t be a movie theater story in 2025 without it—there’ll be a Godzilla-themed popcorn bucket.
The Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair opens in Santa Clara today, June 23.
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