Elijah Wood is expressing his dissatisfaction with the Alamo Drafthouse's newest policy. He posted on social media on Tuesday, June 2, about his return to the Downtown Los Angeles cinema, calling it "truly awful."
The American movie theater chain is probably most well-known for its in-theater dining experience, allowing patrons to order food and beverages straight to their seats. Until mid-February 2026, that meant writing down your order on a piece of paper and signaling for a staff member to come collect it.
The policy update, though, requires cinema-goers to take out their phones and order, pay, or even complain about a noisy neighbor straight through Alamo Drafthouse's online system. Since then, many of the theater chain's regulars, including The Lord of the Rings star, have been vocally displeased with the implementation of the new policy.
"I experienced the new Alamo Drafthouse QR code ordering system and I can tell you it's truly awful," Wood said on X, "it actually adds steps to the process AND if you want to order additional items during the film you HAVE to open your phone."
For the first time yesterday, I experienced the new @alamodrafthouse QR code ordering system and I can tell you it’s truly awful. Rather than making ordering food and drink more efficient, it actually adds steps to the process AND if you want to order additional items during the…
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) June 2, 2026
The move comes less than two years after the Texas-based theater chain was purchased by Sony in 2024 for around $200 million. Former Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra told Deadline at the time, "In our business of producing TV and film, we don’t have direct contact with our customers.”
Apart from encouraging people to use their cell phones at the movie theater, Alamo Drafthouse has also come under fire for utilizing the new policy to reduce staff. "Please don't cut corners with your staff and revert back to physical menus and order cards," Wood pleaded at the end of his tweet. One fan responded to Wood, telling him that her fiancée had been terminated by Alamo Drafthouse following the rule change in February.
😔 ugh. i’m sorry
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) June 2, 2026
This comes only a few months after Alamo Drafthouse employees in Denver, Colorado went on strike "after a disastrous rollout of a new QR code ordering service severely disrupted work," according to the Communications Workers of America union.
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