AMC theater in Manhattan's Kips Bay closing at the end of 2026

New York City's AMC Kips Bay 15 movie theater is set to close at the end of the year.

The 15-screen theater on Second Avenue near East 30th Street opened in 1999, with AMC taking over operations in 2006. 

A spokesperson said the property owner is terminating the lease before its scheduled expiration.

"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," a statement from the spokesperson read. 

A formal closure date is expected to be announced in the coming months.

No information about what will replace the theater has been released.

New York State Assemblyman Keith Powers said he is talking with his colleagues to see if they can prevent the shutdown.

"The community has been reaching out to me over the last 24 hours, deeply saddened by the sudden news," he said.

He said it's unknown exactly why the property owner is ending the lease early, and he says it's uncertain exactly what will go into the space.

"We've reached out to the property owner and other nearby institutions to talk about our intention to want to keep the movie theater open and how we might do that together," Powers said. "We certainly want to have a diversity of options to offer to people, and we think this movie theater is one of those."

He says more transparency and creative thinking could keep big-screen movies from going permanently dark.