Alamo Drafthouse shakes things up with “women-only” “Wonder Woman” screenings

© 2017 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND RATPAC ENTERTAINMENT, LLC(TEXAS) — The boutique theater chain Alamo Drafthouse’s flagship Austin location caused a stir when it announced it’ll host a women-only screening of Wonder Woman next week.

The film, directed by Patty Jenkins, stars Gal Gadot as the iconic superhero. It opens June 2nd.

“Apologies, gentlemen, but we’re embracing our girl power and saying ‘No Guys Allowed’ for one special night at the Alamo Ritz,” read a release. “And when we say ‘People Who Identify As Women Only,’ we mean it. Everyone working at this screening — venue staff, projectionist, and culinary team — will be female.”

Ticket demand was so high, the theater added a second women-only screening. That’s when the theater was bombarded with complaints on social media, saying the women-only screenings weren’t fair.

Alamo Drafthouse defended the decision on Facebook, writing, “Very sorry if you feel excluded. We thought it might be kinda fun — for one screening — to celebrate a character who’s meant a great deal to women for close to eight decades. Again, truly, truly, truly, truly sorry that we’ve offended you. These screenings are just a way to celebrate the character and how important she’s been to women over the last eight decades.”

In response to the backlash, Morgan Hendrix, creative manager for the theater, told ABC News, “Providing an experience where women truly reign supreme has incurred the wrath of trolls [and] only serves to deepen our belief that we’re doing something right.”

She continued, “As a result, we will be expanding this program across the country and inviting women everywhere to join us as we celebrate this iconic superheroine in our theaters,” locations for which include cities like New York and Denver.

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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