AMC CEO Adam Aron has spoken out about the closure of New York’s popular AMC Kips Bay 15 theater, which will close on January 3.
Aron wrote a letter to the Kips Bay community and explained that nearby NYU Langone Hospital, which plans to expand its medical facility, has not committed to any of AMC’s alternatives for sharing space. In addition to the 15-screen AMC movie theater, the building also houses a Fairway supermarket and a bank, which are also expected to close.
“Unfortunately, the decision to retain or end AMC’s tenure at Kips Bay is not ours. Neighboring NYU Langone Health care wants to expand, appears to be in the process of purchasing the building your (our) theater currently operates in, and it wants us gone. In anticipation of such a move to NYU Langone, the current owner of the building has terminated our lease,” Aron wrote. “We engaged with NYU Langone, suggesting a number of alternatives – including expanding the current low-rise building to accommodate its desires for growth of its medical facility, but also leaving a theater in place for you. Alternatively, we proposed that our theater could become smaller, so that at least we could leave something in place to continue to serve you. Unfortunately, all of the variations we proposed fell into closed minds.”
On August 24, Variety reported that the Kips Bay Theater would close at the end of 2026, ending 27 years of operation at the location. AMC took over the theater in 2006, which became the chain’s second-largest multiplex in the city (after the Empire 25 theater in Times Square). The Kips Bay site has become beloved by local residents, who staged a protest in September to try to stop the closure.
“Every day, thousands of guests watch a movie at AMC Kips Bay 15,” Aron wrote. “It has become so popular lately that for several days last summer, AMC Kips Bay 15 was repeatedly among the top 10 busiest theaters in the entire United States, out of the more than 500 theaters operated by AMC nationwide.”
The theater’s closure comes after a record summer box office, which saw films like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “The Odyssey,” “Toy Story 5” and more collectively gross $4.67 billion domestically. There are also major upcoming films like “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part III,” which Kips Bay residents will now have the chance to see at their beloved theater before it closes for good.
Read Aron’s full letter below.
“To the community of Kips Bay,
Since news broke that our popular 15-screen AMC Kips Bay Theater at 570 Second Avenue in Manhattan will soon be forced to close its doors against our wishes, I have been struck by the extraordinary support this AMC theater has received from the surrounding local community.
Many moviegoers and neighbors, and especially many elected officials, gathered around our cinema. (Given the central role that movie theaters play in the lives of so many New Yorkers, perhaps it is better and more accurate to say that so many of you gathered around YOUR theater.)
On behalf of everyone at AMC, thank you. Your support means a lot to us, and especially to our AMC Kips Bay 15 theater team members who work tirelessly day in and day out to make you smile.
As I think about this theater, which has been a cultural icon and entertainment lifeline for so many surrounding residents for decades and decades since its opening on May 14, 1999, I want to make one thing clear:
AMC Theaters doesn’t want to go there. No way. AMC Theaters wants to stay in Kips Bay.
Operating under long-term leases, there was a time when the sums paid each month to the theater owner had become so high that the long-term viability of the theater was uncertain. But we have been fortunate to successfully address these concerns in recent years. Today, this theater (in operation for over 25 years) has a bright future — if we could keep it.
Indeed, every day, thousands of guests watch a movie at AMC Kips Bay 15. It has become so popular lately that for several days last summer, AMC Kips Bay 15 was repeatedly among the top 10 busiest movie theaters in the entire United States, out of the more than 500 theaters operated by AMC nationwide.
With that in mind, this is a theater that shouldn’t even come close to permanently dimming its lights.
Of course, AMC wants this AMC movie theater to stay in place.
And remembering how much and how often Americans enjoy watching movies in theaters, a tradition in Manhattan that dates back more than a century, we’ve heard from many of you that you, too, want us to stay open for your benefit.
Apparently NYU Langone Health does not share this view, neither ours nor yours.
Unfortunately, the decision to retain or end AMC’s tenure at Kips Bay is not ours. Nearby NYU Langone Health Facility wants to expand, appears to be purchasing the building your (our) theater currently operates in, and wants us out. In anticipation of such a transfer to NYU Langone, the current owner of the building terminated our lease.
We have engaged in dialogue with NYU Langone, suggesting a number of alternatives, including expanding the current low-rise building to accommodate its desires for growth of its medical facility, but also leaving a theater in place for you. Or, we suggested that our theater could become smaller, so that we could at least leave something in place to continue to serve you. Unfortunately, all the variations we proposed fell into closed minds.
We are calling on NYU Langone Health to open its mind, think creatively, and find a solution that will give the Kips Bay community the TWO things that are most wanted: expanded facilities offering the world-class medical care that is the hallmark of NYU Langone Health AND a fully functioning AMC theater on Second Avenue.
It’s not true that we can stop New Yorkers from having the cake and eating it too. Indeed, you can. But only if people of good will think outside the box a little. After all, the ubiquitous proverb “where you will, you can” is said to have been first published in 1640 – three hundred and eighty-six years ago to be precise.
Speaking of people of good will, I especially want to express my gratitude to Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and New York State Assemblyman Keith Powers for their leadership and tireless advocacy on this issue. Reinforcing and speaking on behalf of the clear desire of the local community, they energetically called attention to the importance of keeping an AMC movie theater open and operational in Kips Bay.
In summary, this is a theater that you at Kips Bay want to continue to be around, and that we at the AMC also, unequivocally, want to be able to continue as part of our theater fleet.
But time is running out. Unless NYU Langone Health allows us to delight the Kips Bay community beyond this date, to comply with our terminated lease, the lights of AMC Kips Bay 15 will forever see their last sunset on January 3, just two and a half months from now.
Hopefully there will be an outcome in which a sensible and workable solution is designed, one that will benefit and please the entire neighborhood. What do you say to NYU Langone Health?
No matter what happens, I want you to know how much AMC appreciates your support, your efforts and your voice. We are proud to have been a part of the Kips Bay community since 1999 and I sincerely hope that we can continue to be a part of it for years to come.
Sincerely,
Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment
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