Movie night in Kips Bay could soon look very different. New Yorkers are rallying to save the AMC Kips Bay 15, the longtime neighborhood movie theater that is scheduled to close by the end of 2026.
A Save Kips Bay AMC Theater Rally is planned for Sunday, September 20 at noon outside the theater at 570 Second Avenue. The event is bringing together neighborhood groups, residents and elected officials who want to keep the movie theater in the community.
The AMC Kips Bay 15 has been part of the neighborhood since 1999 and is one of Manhattan’s larger multiplexes, with 15 screens and an IMAX auditorium. AMC confirmed in August that the theater will close after the property’s owner exercised its contractual right to terminate the lease early.
Now, the neighborhood is fighting back.
The rally is expected to feature Assemblymember Keith Powers, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Councilmember Virginia Maloney, Assemblymember Micah Lasher and other speakers. Local organizations say the theater is more than just somewhere to watch a movie—it is an important neighborhood gathering place.
The theater’s potential closure comes amid broader changes at the Kips Bay site. The property is owned by an affiliate of NYU Langone, which purchased the property more than a year ago. A coalition of Kips Bay organizations has asked the hospital system to work with residents on a solution that could preserve the theater and other neighborhood-serving businesses.
For movie lovers, losing the theater would mean losing one of the area’s most convenient places to catch everything from blockbuster releases to independent films—and one of the few remaining IMAX screens in Manhattan.
So if you’ve ever bought popcorn at AMC Kips Bay, survived a three-hour movie in those seats or simply enjoyed having a theater within walking distance, this weekend’s rally is the place to be.
Because apparently, in 2026, even saving your local movie theater requires a sequel.
