An Austin-based movie theatre was spotlighted this past week for announcing a women-only screening of the latest DC superhero flick, “Wonder Woman.”
The Alamo Drafthouse said in a post on its website that the “no guys allowed” ban will apply to all staff working in the theatre that evening. The announcement received mixed reactions on social media, many of which accused the theatre of discrimination.
Many of the comments under the theatre’s Facebook post criticize the theatre for sexism, saying that “Wonder Woman is a film for all audiences that a wide variety of people would be interested in seeing.
“Could you imagine the anger and outrage from the liberal staff of Alamo if Trump held an all-male screening at the White House or even if another theatre did an all-male screening?!” said one commenter.
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Another went on to ask the theatre whether they’d ever done a men’s-only screening of any film — to which the theatre responded that while it hadn’t, it did show “Entourage” a few years back.
The theatre said in a statement that it didn’t mean to send the wrong message by introducing a women-only screening, and that it truly wanted everyone to see the film.
“Obviously, Alamo Drafthouse recognizes ‘Wonder Woman’ is a film for all audiences, but our special women-only screenings may have created confusion — we want everybody to see this film, said the statement.
The Alamo’s Twitter post also garnered mixed responses. While some of its followers were in favour of the event, others were staunchly opposed.
Despite the controversy however, the theatre insists that the screening will go ahead on June 6. To demonstrate its resolve, Alamo Drafthouse went on to add a second women-only screening to its screening schedule. Since announcing the event, both screenings have sold out.
In responding to a comment under its Facebook post, the Alamo suggested that more women-only screenings were on the way at some of its affiliates across the United States.
With the much-anticipated movie just a few days away, women across the U.S. will have to check their local listings for exclusive screenings of the iconic heroine’s blockbuster debut.