NOW OPEN in Raleigh: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with special discounts

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- If you are one of the many fans who petitioned for years to bring the first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to North Carolina then wait no more.

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has launched its soft opening as staff trains and that means special discounts for customers. The grand opening is scheduled for April 26.

The location at 2116-D New Bern Avenue is just up the street from WakeMed. It includes 11 screens, 700 seats, a restaurant, 48 local beers on tap, and 70,000 rare DVDs & VHS tapes.

The DVD and VHS collection is one of the largest in the world and the flicks can be rented for free from the Video Vortex inside the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Raleigh is the first location in the country to feature a Video Vortex.

"We realize VHS got kind of phased out a little bit," explained VHS Culture Captain Josh Schafer. "But here we want to celebrate it and reanimate it so we have VCRs for rentals for $9.95 a week."

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is all about taking the movie experience to a new level.

"We'll have props, we'll have interactive stuff like live people running around the audience," Schafer explained. "Making it an unforgettable movie experience is what it's all about."