Lake Creek 7 opened Dec. 20 in the former Alamo Drafthouse theater location in Northwest Austin, making it one of the only discount theaters in the area.

Nathan Searer, chief operating officer for Southwest Theaters, which owns Lake Creek 7, said business has been picking up every week. He said a lot of customers have been surprised to find Southwest Theaters replaced all the seats and bought a new projection system.

"One of the big things we have is people ask us if we still serve food [to patrons during movies], and we don't," he said.

When Alamo vacated the site at 13729 Research Blvd. to move into the new Lakeline Market theater, Searer said the theater was gutted.

Southwest Theaters built a new concession area and serves treats such as $1 hot dogs and Orville Redenbacher's popcorn with a variety of seasonings. Lake Creek 7 also has a Coca-Cola Freestyle soft drink machine that serves more than 100 flavors.

The theater airs second-run movies, and Searer said that depending on when a movie is available, guests could see films three weeks to two months after they were first screened.

Searer said the company is considering its options for opening other discount theaters in the Austin area but is primarily focused on promoting Lake Creek 7 and is planning its grand opening event.

"We want people to know that even though tickets are still $2–$3, they will still get a quality experience," he said.

Ticket prices are $2 for matinee shows before 6 p.m. and $3 for shows after 6 p.m. Movies shown in 3-D are $1.50 extra per ticket. For more information and latest showtimes, visit www.southwesttheaters.com or call 512-291-3158. Lake Creek 7 is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SouthwestTheatersLakeCreek.