New York City has lost plenty of movie theaters over the years, but Kips Bay residents aren’t exactly willing to let their neighborhood’s big screen quietly ride off into the sunset.
The fight over the future of AMC Kips Bay 15 heated up this week as residents packed a Community Board 6 meeting to protest the theater’s planned closure. The beloved Second Avenue multiplex is scheduled to keep showing movies through the end of 2026—but locals are already treating its potential disappearance like a very bad sequel.
The AMC Kips Bay 15 opened in 1999 and has become a neighborhood fixture, offering 15 screens, including an IMAX, along with first-run movies and special screenings. For residents, however, it’s about more than popcorn and overpriced soda. They say the theater is a gathering place that brings customers to nearby restaurants and businesses and gives Kips Bay something increasingly rare: entertainment within walking distance.
The controversy comes as NYU Langone Health finalizes its purchase of the building. NYU Langone says it wants the property to expand healthcare access and has indicated it is willing to speak with community stakeholders. Meanwhile, AMC says the theater’s landlord exercised a contractual right to terminate the lease early.
Local politicians are now getting involved. Assembly Member Keith Powers said the reaction has been unusually intense, while Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal suggested that any future redevelopment requiring rezoning could give the community an opportunity to push for keeping a movie theater on the site.
And that’s the heart of the battle: What should Kips Bay look like in the future?
Residents aren’t necessarily saying no to healthcare. They’re saying yes to having a neighborhood that includes places to eat, shop, gather—and, occasionally, sit in the dark for two hours while eating $18 popcorn.
For now, the Kips Bay movie theater isn’t gone yet. But the clock is ticking, and locals are making sure the final credits don’t roll quietly.
