New York’s AMC Kips Bay Theater Closes on Jan. 3; CEO Says ‘AMC Wants to Stay’ but NYU Langone ‘Wants Us Gone’ — SkimNews
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- AMC will close its Kips Bay 15 theater in Manhattan on January 3 after the building’s owner terminated its lease, anticipating a transfer to NYU Langone.
- NYU Langone Health plans to expand its medical facility by acquiring the building housing AMC Kips Bay 15, and has rejected AMC’s proposals to preserve a smaller theater on-site.
- Adam Aron, CEO of AMC, stated the theater was among the top 10 most attended in the U.S. during summer 2023, citing its popularity and national box office success.
- Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and New York State Assembly Member Keith Powers have advocated publicly to keep the theater open, supporting community efforts.
- Local residents protested the closure in September, highlighting the theater’s cultural significance in the Kips Bay neighborhood after 24 years of operation.
- AMC Kips Bay 15 was the chain’s second-largest multiplex in NYC and had become a key venue during a record-breaking summer box office that grossed $4.67 billion domestically.
Why it matters: The closure removes a major entertainment hub from Manhattan despite strong attendance and community support, privileging medical expansion over cultural infrastructure. With AMC offering to downsize and remain, the decision sets a precedent for how urban development weighs competing public needs when institutions hold unequal negotiating power.
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