AMC Loews Bay Terrace 6
211-01 26th Avenue,
Bayside,
NY
11360
211-01 26th Avenue,
Bayside,
NY
11360
4 people
favorited this theater
This six screen multiplex opened December 1993 as part of the expansion of the busy Bay Terrace shopping Center in the northeastern Queens neighborhood of Bayside. It was intended as a replacement for the two screen (originally a single screener) Loews Bay Terrace Theater, a free standing theater opened in the early-1960’s at the corner of 26th Avenue and Bell Boulevard just a few hundred feet to the east. As part of the shopping center expansion, the older theater was converted to retail space and currently houses the chain restaurant Applebee’s and a Victoria’s Secret women’s apparel store.
The new theater was built on some seven acres of vacant land along the western edge of the shopping center that had previously been speculated at various times for condominium and town house development. The structure is actually two stories high, with single story wings built in a U-shaped configuration facing the shopping center. The lower floor is occupied by a variety of shops and eating establishments, representing at the time an increase of 67,000 square feet of retail space for the center. The theater is located in the upper portion of the building and faces its own separate parking lot away from the center. Due to the natural grade in the landscape, the theater’s parking lot allows for convenient entry at the second floor level. Patrons actually traverse a short foot bridge from the parking area that spans the loading bay access area for the retail shops on the lower level.
The two-window box office is located flush along the exterior wall of the theater with entrance doors on either side. The doors lead into an atrium lobby that feels a little smaller than it actually is due to the large circular candy counter that occupies most of the space. There are coming attraction display cases against either wall of the lobby along with a couple of small benches and video games for ticket holder convenience. Facing the lobby along the back wall are the rest rooms, which are along the foyer that runs the length of the building and leads to three auditoriums in either direction. Posters from older movies (older as in the 1980’s and 1990’s) line the foyer walls.
The ticket taker is usually stationed at the mid-point of the wide threshold from the lobby into the foyer, with the rest of the entryway cordoned off to ensure only ticket holders are permitted. Of course, this means you have to negotiate with the ticket-taker if you need to make a bathroom trip before your theater is ready for seating. The auditoriums are layed out symmetrically, with the two largest screens (302 seats each) at the far end of the foyer and the smaller rooms (140 seats) more towards the center. It’s been a while since I attended, but I don’t recall that any of the theaters feature stadium style seating, though the rocking chairs are quite comfortable. None of these rooms were constructed for 70mm presentation (since the format was well into its death throes at the time the multiplex was conceived) nor do I think there has been any digital installation.
Interestingly, as with the original 1960’s Bay Terrace Theater, Loews is a tenant in the building, rather than an owner all buildings in the shopping center are owned by Cord Meyer Development, the company that first opened the mall in 1960. The entire expansion project including the new theater was budgeted at $20 million when it was announced in May of 1992. I found the original article online at the NY Times website, along with a related article from 1994 about the rising cost of admissions. At the time, Manhattan theaters topped out at $8 for adults, while tickets at the Loews Bay Terrace Sixplex had risen 50 cents to $7.50 as of May 1994.
Adult ticket prices are currently $9.50 with discounts to $7.50 available Monday and Thursday until 6PM and Friday and Sunday (plus Holidays) until 4PM.
Contributed by
Ed Solero
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Recent comments (view all 68 comments)
Sounds like this place is on the way out. They don’t get the product and when they do they don’t publicize it.
The phone number for this theater is no longer in service.
Shocking they still change the marquee regularly – I’ve seen many AMC and Regal locations that permanently put up a message saying something like “For tickets and showtimes call … or visit www…..to me this screams cheapness and a lack of showmanship – but I understand the winter months it might be dangerous. Then again AMC Theaters are all about cutting corners and jacking up prices where they can lately, while harassing you about the stubs program at nearly every interaction with an employee (either to join or renew your card).
Went by the theater today and they say they are staying open and they gave me a different phone number for the theater which they do answer. Noticed that too,the people selling tickets and concessions holding up the lines pitching the Stubs cards.
On the upcoming schedule for February 24 I noticed that the earliest showings were rather late considering New York public schools are closed that day. For instance the lone opener “Wanderlust” has its first showing is 3 pm. They said whilst I was there attending Ghost Rider that some doctor rented the whole theater and almost 800 guests were coming. He apparently does this once a year. Do they have conferances or do they actually watch some movie like when the schools come for special showings of those Disney Earth day films?
The $4 surcharge on 3D films has been reduced back to $3. I don’t how long this has been for since I’ve managed to see 2D showings there of Ghost Rider, The Lorax and John Carter.
Shows starting before noon are $6., as at all (most?) other AMC cinemas coast-to-coast.
This may not seem that ridiculous but it does to me. Currently the Avengers is on pace to break the alltime weekend record. If you look at the schedule on Fandango for this evening and considering the theater shows maybe 15 minutes of coming attractions and commercials before the films, at 9:30 pm “Marvel’s The Avengers” will be playing on all 6 screens!!!
Another big summer start here. Last week the Avengers at night all 6 screens. We’re not getting Dark Shadows, The Dictator, Battleship and Prometheus but hot dang we’re getting a Chinese epic this week.
Alright,I spoke too fast, we’re now getting Battleship and The Dictator along with Brave and the Amazing Spider-man.