New York City is about to lose one of its biggest movie theaters, and this time it’s not a slow fade, it’s a hard stop.
AMC Kips Bay 15, the second-largest AMC multiplex in Manhattan behind only Times Square’s Empire 25, will shut its doors permanently by the end of 2026, according to a statement AMC gave to Variety.
The news dropped Monday, and it hit New York’s film community hard and fast.
Here’s what we know about the end of this era.
Why it’s actually closing
This isn’t a case of AMC walking away on its own terms. According to the company’s statement, the building’s landlord is exercising a contractual right to end the theater’s lease early, well before it was originally set to expire.
“We expect that AMC Kips Bay 15 will continue operating until the end of 2026, at which time the theatre will close following the property owner’s decision to exercise its contractual right to terminate the theatre’s lease before its scheduled expiration,” AMC said in a statement to Deadline.
AMC didn’t specify why the landlord is pulling the plug, and a formal closing date still hasn’t been announced.
But online chatter has already zeroed in on a likely culprit: reports of a nearby hospital expansion eyeing the theater’s footprint on Second Avenue, a detail multiple New Yorkers pointed to online following the announcement, per NBC New York’s coverage of the fallout.
A theater that’s been there since 1999
The 15-screen theater, which includes an IMAX auditorium, has been a fixture of the Kips Bay and Murray Hill neighborhoods since it first opened in 1999. AMC took over its operations in 2006 and has run it ever since.
“Since its opening in 1999, the theatre has been an important part of the Kips Bay community and surrounding neighborhoods, providing guests with a place to enjoy the magic of the movies together,” the company said in its statement to Variety. “We are immensely grateful to our guests for their loyalty and support throughout the years.”
Kips Bay 15 wasn’t necessarily the most polished multiplex in the city, sources told Deadline it wasn’t always fully kept up, but it still pulled in solid ticket sales year after year, and generations of Manhattan moviegoers built real memories there.
New Yorkers are not taking it well
Word spread fast after film critic Bilge Ebiri posted about the closure online, and the reaction was immediate. Grief, disbelief, and more than a few jokes rolled in within hours, according to NBC New York’s roundup of the response.
Some of the loudest reactions online included:
- Calls for a “Save Kips Bay” rally
- Direct appeals to Mayor Zohran Mamdani to step in
- A half-joking suggestion to build a replacement AMC at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
- Dozens of people sharing memories of first dates and movie premieres at the theater
It’s the kind of reaction that makes sense once you consider what’s actually left.
Once Kips Bay 15 closes, Manhattan will be down to eight AMC locations: Empire 25, 34th Street 14, Lincoln Square 13, Magic Johnson Harlem 9, Village 7, Orpheum 7, 18th Street 6, and 84th Street 6.
For anyone on the East Side who’s relied on Kips Bay for a decade or two, the nearest replacements become the Union Square or East 19th Street locations.
What happens next
For now, the theater remains open and running normal showtimes through the rest of 2026. AMC says details are still being finalized, with a firm closing date expected in the coming months.
Until then, it’s officially the final countdown for one of Manhattan’s most reliable multiplexes, and if you’re a frequent flyer here then plan on getting a few more trips to Second Avenue in before the lights go out for good.