COVID-19 claims another business. Second Lexington movie theater closes
The AMC movie theater on Mapleleaf Drive and Man o’ War Boulevard has closed, according to the company’s website and notices on its door.
The AMC website says, “AMC Classic Lexington 10 has closed. We hope to see you at a nearby AMC theater.”
Notices on the theater’s doors also say the theater is closed, but the notices do not say when it will reopen. There are no posters in the “Coming Soon” displays on either side of the main entrance. Lexington city code enforcement has also cited the property for failing to pick up trash.
A spokesperson for AMC was not immediately available for comment.
According to its website, as of March 1, AMC owned or operated approximately 1,000 theaters and 11,000 screens in fifteen countries, and it is one of the world’s largest movie theater companies.
In 2017, AMC purchased the Mapleleaf theater from Carmike under which it was the only discount or dollar theater in Lexington. For the past three years, it was a first-run movie theater.
The AMC site is the second Lexington theater to close since March, when the number of novel coronavirus cases began to surge in Kentucky and the United States.
Late last month, the Kentucky Theatre announced it would temporarily close Oct. 1 due to lackluster attendance and sales. Movie studios have either opted to push back release dates or use streaming services for new releases, driving down demand and revenues for movie theaters.
The remaining movie theaters operating in Lexington include Cinemark at the Fayette Mall and Regal at the Hamburg Pavilion. Brannon Crossing’s Movie Tavern, in Jessamine County, is also still operating.
Krikorian Premiere Theatres is currently building a new movie theater on South Broadway across from the Central Bank Center. That long-delayed complex, called LexLive, includes 10 theaters, a sports bar, a bowling alley and an arcade. There has been no announcement on when LexLive will open.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 11:51 AM.
