Alamo Ticket Fees Settlement: Eligibility, Payouts, and Changes

The Alamo ticket fees settlement is a $7,075,000 class action resolution in Presson v. Alamo Intermediate II Holdings, LLC, which alleged that Alamo Drafthouse Cinema hid a $1.89 convenience fee on online movie ticket purchases in New York. Judge Edgardo Ramos granted final approval on November 5, 2025, and payments to approved claimants were issued on February 10, 2026.¹²

Who Was Eligible

The settlement class covered anyone in the United States who bought tickets electronically through drafthouse.com for a film screening at an Alamo Drafthouse cinema in New York state between August 29, 2022 and January 30, 2024, and was charged a convenience fee on the transaction.³ Purchases made at the box office, through third-party ticketing sites, or at Alamo locations outside New York were not covered.

Excluded from the class were the judges and magistrates on the case, the defendant and its officers and affiliates, class counsel, and anyone who opted out by October 13, 2025. Only seven people submitted valid exclusion requests.¹

How Much Claimants Received

Payments were calculated on a pro rata basis. Each claimant’s share depended on how much they had paid in convenience fees during the class period, so people who bought more tickets received larger payouts.² The $7,075,000 fund first covered settlement administration costs, attorneys’ fees of $2,358,333.33 (one-third of the fund), and a $5,000 service award to the named plaintiff, James Presson. The remainder was distributed to claimants.¹

The final filings did not publicly disclose the total number of claims filed or the resulting per-person payout amount.¹

When and How Payments Went Out

The claims administrator issued payments on February 10, 2026. Claimants received their money either by physical check or by a digital payment method they selected when filing. The settlement notice originally listed PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle as the digital options.³²

If you received a check, cash it within 180 days of the issuance date. Checks not cashed in that window become void, and the money is redistributed pro rata to class members who did cash their payments. Anything left after that second round goes to the Legal Aid Society as a cy pres recipient.¹

Case Timeline and Current Status

James Presson filed the complaint on January 9, 2024 in the Southern District of New York, case number 1:24-cv-00170.⁴ The court granted preliminary approval on August 6, 2025.⁵ The main dates that followed:

Exclusion and objection deadline: October 13, 2025.
Final approval hearing: November 5, 2025.
Claims deadline: December 22, 2025.
Payment distribution: February 10, 2026.

Judge Ramos entered final approval on November 5, 2025 and the case was terminated the same day.⁶ The claims period is closed. If you missed the December 22, 2025 deadline, you cannot file a late claim.

What Alamo Agreed to Change

Beyond the money, Alamo Drafthouse agreed to change how it displays ticket prices online. If the company charges convenience fees for online purchases at its New York theaters, it must clearly and conspicuously disclose the total cost, including fees, before a customer selects a ticket. That obligation is tied to New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 25.07(4), which is currently set to expire on July 1, 2026.⁷⁸ The company denied any violation of the law as part of the settlement.²

The Law Behind the Case

Presson sued under New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 25.07(4), amended on June 30, 2022. The provision requires ticket sellers and entertainment venues to disclose the total ticket cost, including all ancillary fees, before the ticket is selected for purchase. It also bars the price from rising during checkout and requires that service charges be disclosed in a clear and conspicuous manner.⁸ The complaint alleged that Alamo’s $1.89 convenience fee did not appear until the final checkout screen, which Presson said violated the statute.⁴

The Alamo case is one of at least 25 similar New York suits over hidden fees filed since the 2022 amendment took effect, targeting movie theaters, zoos, comedy clubs, amusement parks, and ticketing platforms. Related resolutions include a $9 million Fandango settlement, $2.5 million from Regal Cinemas, $1 million from Splish Splash, roughly $990,000 from the Bronx Zoo, and $550,000 from Atom Tickets. Ticketmaster, Live Nation, AMC, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats have faced comparable litigation.⁹¹⁰ If you bought tickets from another company under similar circumstances, that would be a separate case with its own claim process and deadlines.

1
Alamo Ticket Fees Settlement. Final Approval Order
2
Alamo Ticket Fees Settlement. Alamo Ticket Fees Settlement Homepage
3
ClassAction.org. Presson v. Alamo Intermediate II Holdings Settlement Notice
4
Truth in Advertising. Presson v. Alamo Intermediate II Holdings Complaint
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ClassAction.org. $7M+ Alamo Drafthouse Settlement Ends Class Action
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PACER Monitor. Presson v. Alamo Intermediate II Holdings, LLC
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Alamo Ticket Fees Settlement. Settlement FAQ
8
New York State Senate. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 25.07
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ClassAction.org. New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law Settlements
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Top Class Actions. $9M Fandango Ticket Fee Class Action Settlement