After 18 months of renovations and construction, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will reopen its South Lamar location Aug. 16.

Media, friends and family were invited Aug. 13 to tour the remodeled facility and screen select movies. Much of the nostalgia of the original South Lamar location remains, Alamo Drafthouse Creative Director James Sanford said.

"This is such a big deal," Sanford said to start the tour. "This is our flagship location, so we had to honor the original spirit of it by bringing back some the original set design pieces."

While flying spaceship props and an upgraded 40-foot wall mural may remind repeat patrons of the old South Lamar location, a 30-foot zeppelin and hallway carpet from "The Shining" serve as major theater updates.

There is also a new parking garage that can hold as many as 575 vehicles, Sanford said.

"The parking before was always fun, challenging," he said, explaining that, once Lamar Union shopping center is finished, there will be 750 total parking spaces.

The theater now has nine theaters—up from six before—that hold as few as 46 people (Theaters No. 1 and 2) to as many as 198 people (Theaters No. 4 and 5).

"We want to make a push for more independent first-run films here at Alamo Drafthouse," Sanford said.

The same day Alamo Drafthouse reopens also marks the return of The Highball, now immediately adjacent to the movie theater. The revamped entertainment venue no longer has a bowling alley but is complete with seven uniquely designed karaoke rooms.

However, the bar stools, table booths and chandeliers were all lifted directly from the original Highball, Sanford said.

"This will seem awfully familiar," he said. "We brought back as much of the decor of the place as we could."

That includes the wood planks from the old bowling alley, as they now make up the dance floor, bar top and patio area.