Alamo Drafthouse’s Rolling Roadshow teamed up with Austin’s Stunt Ranch for the first-ever Stunt Ranch Cinema event on Saturday, April 14. Stunt Ranch Cinema is a new series from the Rolling Roadshow team that will involve action movies screened outdoors at the Stunt Ranch location, with real-life (controlled) explosions happening at the screening area whenever they appear onscreen. The very first event celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Iron Man.”
In addition to watching the movie on a large, inflatable screen in the great outdoor area of the Stunt Ranch, audiences had plenty of daytime activities to enjoy. Since the event started at 6:30 PM and the sunlight was still abundant until after 8 PM, there was plenty to do to pass the time before the movie could be screened in darkness. For attendees who got hungry and thirsty, there were bars with “Iron Man”-themed cocktails, a small variety of food trucks, and of course a popcorn vendor for the movie. What was possibly the biggest draw of the event was the selection of stunts available at the aptly-named ranch for people to try out. Once the attendees signed waivers, they could try trapeze, jumping from a high platform with a soft landing, ziplining, and throwing hatchets and spears at a target. There was also an action photo opportunity in front of an “exploding” van.
Once everyone had had their fun trying out stunts, there was a Marvel costume contest in front of the giant movie screen. Among the entries were a young Captain America, a whole family of Avengers, a cosplaying Black Widow, a female Tony Stark, and a “Princess America” styled after Captain America. After several rounds of comparing applause between the Avengers family and Black Widow – it was a close race – the prize was eventually rewarded to the costumed family.
The first explosion in the movie happens just a few minutes in, and the ensuing fireball created by the experts at Stunt Ranch definitely amped up the crowd on the cold night (temperatures were in the 50s). While the promise of an on-site explosion/fireball with every onscreen explosion was not quite fulfilled, there were several more pyrotechnics displays during the film’s two-hour run.
If this event was any indication, the Stunt Ranch Cinema series is bound to be fun for movie fans of all ages, and a great outdoor activity for the spring and summer.
Originally hailing from Pennsylvania, Jackie has called Austin home since choosing to attend the University of Texas, where she graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism. She loves spending time with her dogs, writing about pop culture in all its forms and spending time with friends – eating, drinking and doing trivia.