Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse Mueller renamed after Matthew McConaughey

American actor Matthew McConaughey now has a movie theater named in his honour in the city that shaped much of his career. 

Alamo Drafthouse announced that its Mueller location in Austin has officially become the Matthew McConaughey Cinema, with a dedication event held August 10 that included an early screening of his new film, The Rivals of Amziah King, followed by a Q&A with director Andrew Patterson and co-star Angelina LookingGlass.

A Uvalde native, McConaughey studied at the University of Texas and has deep ties to Austin beyond acting, he holds a professor of practice title and serves as “minister of culture” at UT Austin, holds the same title with Austin FC, and has lobbied at the Texas Capitol in support of legislation aimed at boosting film production incentives in the state.

Reflecting on the honour, he said: “More than just what’s on the screen, movies have always been about who you watch them with and the memories you take home. Alamo Drafthouse has championed that 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.”

Read More: Matthew McConaughey flaunts musical skills in new film ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’

Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann noted the theater’s proximity to McConaughey’s alma mater in announcing the news, joking, “it’s just up the road from Darrell K Royal Stadium, so it’ll be an easy commute when he’s visiting the Longhorns”.

McConaughey joins a small group of filmmakers and actors previously honoured with renamed Alamo Drafthouse locations, including Christopher Nolan, Bong Joon Ho, Pam Grier, Spike Lee, John Hughes and Ivan Reitman.