FILM FIASCO AMC movie theater shuts down all 12 screens for remainder of the year and shares plans for ‘smaller’ future
Maya Lanzone , Consumer Reporter
Published: 12:18, 24 Jul 2026
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Updated: 15:01, 24 Jul 2026
A POPULAR neighborhood AMC movie theater is temporarily closing all 12 of its screens for the rest of 2026, forcing moviegoers to watch this summer’s hottest films elsewhere.
The theater, however, will be back next year following a wave of exciting renovations.
AMC Evanston 12 in Illinois closed its doors at the end of business hours last Sunday in preparation for a “comprehensive, multimillion-dollar renovation,” the movie theater company announced last week.
Located on Maple Avenue inside Church Street Plaza in downtown Evanston, fans of the theater will see a handful of premium upgrades once it reopens in early 2027.
For example, it will have new luxury recliner seating, updated auditoriums and restrooms, new interior finishes, and common area enhancements.
“When this project is complete, moviegoers will enjoy a dramatically enhanced experience from the moment they walk through the front doors until the credits roll,” Dan Ellis, AMC’s chief operations and development officer, said in a statement.
“We are excited to bring luxury recliner seating and a completely refreshed theatre environment to our guests in Evanston.”
Beyond the upgrades, AMC Evanston 12 customers will also notice fewer movie screens following the closure.
The theater is expected to shrink from 12 screens to seven screens and reopen with a new name as a result: AMC Evanston 7.
There will be five fewer screens due to a high-rise apartment building proposed at 900 Clark Street.
Continuum Development, the owner of Church Street Plaza, is planning to construct a 27-story, 358-unit luxury apartment tower on the north end of the building.
The Chili’s restaurant on the ground floor has already shut down, while the Dogtopia dog daycare center is planning to relocate to make way for the residential complex.
Now that the AMC movie theater has closed its doors for renovations, the site is fully cleared for demolition and construction, as long as Continuum Development’s application for the apartment tower receives final approval.
“AMC is a vital anchor of downtown Evanston’s commercial district, and we’re thrilled to continue our relationship with them at Church Street Plaza following a substantial renovation that will ensure the theatre remains part of the local business community for years to come,” Continuum co-founder Evan Meador said in AMC’s announcement.
City officials had some advance notice of the theater’s temporary closure, with council member Jonathan Nieuwsma alerting Evanston residents to expect it in the near future at a meeting earlier this month.
“I look at this as a positive that AMC is willing to invest in our community and give us an entertainment amenity that’s nicer than it is now,” said Nieuwsma.
Plenty of other theaters are getting a makeover as the world of film makes a comeback following a post-pandemic slump.
Over in Los Angeles, California, the Cinerama Dome, a landmark Hollywood theater, is undergoing a huge multi-year restoration by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema after being shuttered since 2020.
The gigantic 86-foot-wide curved dome theater and its neighboring 14-theater complex are expected to reopen in 2028.
Meanwhile, in downtown San Antonio, Texas, the Alameda Theater is being brought back to life through a $52 million renovation, with the project expected to be complete by 2028.
Aside from structural upgrades, many theaters nationwide are getting a makeover at the concession stands to match changing consumer tastes.
As the movie theater industry sees a major resurgence, some chains are tapping into plant-based and allergy-friendly trends.
AMC, for example, rolled out new plant-based menu items at its dine-in theaters in 2023, and several theaters have begun offering vegan popcorn for guests.
Update capacity to 932 and 1 screen, I set up another page for the TLC Chinese 6 which should have it own page, since it a seperate building and different address.
that what I’m trying to figure out, I don’t know if something when I took them with my older iphone model, it gave me the same issue uploading to the Regal Fenway page also @m00se1111. I was their in 2016 when I saw Snowden at the Dome, but was in the lobby when Arclight had the cafe open to Cinerama Dome ticket holders.
I created a new page for the 14 plex since it a seperate building and to keep the dome history separate since it has it own history. Also, rename the theatre Alamo Drafthouse Hollywood Cinerama Dome 1 screen, currently 856 seats. The count probably change when it reopens.
Please fix website, the website is https://hipointetheatre.org/
FILM FIASCO AMC movie theater shuts down all 12 screens for remainder of the year and shares plans for ‘smaller’ future Maya Lanzone , Consumer Reporter Published: 12:18, 24 Jul 2026 | Updated: 15:01, 24 Jul 2026
A POPULAR neighborhood AMC movie theater is temporarily closing all 12 of its screens for the rest of 2026, forcing moviegoers to watch this summer’s hottest films elsewhere.
The theater, however, will be back next year following a wave of exciting renovations.
AMC Evanston 12 in Illinois closed its doors at the end of business hours last Sunday in preparation for a “comprehensive, multimillion-dollar renovation,” the movie theater company announced last week.
Located on Maple Avenue inside Church Street Plaza in downtown Evanston, fans of the theater will see a handful of premium upgrades once it reopens in early 2027.
For example, it will have new luxury recliner seating, updated auditoriums and restrooms, new interior finishes, and common area enhancements.
“When this project is complete, moviegoers will enjoy a dramatically enhanced experience from the moment they walk through the front doors until the credits roll,” Dan Ellis, AMC’s chief operations and development officer, said in a statement.
“We are excited to bring luxury recliner seating and a completely refreshed theatre environment to our guests in Evanston.”
Beyond the upgrades, AMC Evanston 12 customers will also notice fewer movie screens following the closure.
The theater is expected to shrink from 12 screens to seven screens and reopen with a new name as a result: AMC Evanston 7.
There will be five fewer screens due to a high-rise apartment building proposed at 900 Clark Street.
Continuum Development, the owner of Church Street Plaza, is planning to construct a 27-story, 358-unit luxury apartment tower on the north end of the building.
The Chili’s restaurant on the ground floor has already shut down, while the Dogtopia dog daycare center is planning to relocate to make way for the residential complex.
Now that the AMC movie theater has closed its doors for renovations, the site is fully cleared for demolition and construction, as long as Continuum Development’s application for the apartment tower receives final approval.
“AMC is a vital anchor of downtown Evanston’s commercial district, and we’re thrilled to continue our relationship with them at Church Street Plaza following a substantial renovation that will ensure the theatre remains part of the local business community for years to come,” Continuum co-founder Evan Meador said in AMC’s announcement.
City officials had some advance notice of the theater’s temporary closure, with council member Jonathan Nieuwsma alerting Evanston residents to expect it in the near future at a meeting earlier this month.
“I look at this as a positive that AMC is willing to invest in our community and give us an entertainment amenity that’s nicer than it is now,” said Nieuwsma.
Plenty of other theaters are getting a makeover as the world of film makes a comeback following a post-pandemic slump.
Over in Los Angeles, California, the Cinerama Dome, a landmark Hollywood theater, is undergoing a huge multi-year restoration by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema after being shuttered since 2020.
The gigantic 86-foot-wide curved dome theater and its neighboring 14-theater complex are expected to reopen in 2028.
Meanwhile, in downtown San Antonio, Texas, the Alameda Theater is being brought back to life through a $52 million renovation, with the project expected to be complete by 2028.
Aside from structural upgrades, many theaters nationwide are getting a makeover at the concession stands to match changing consumer tastes.
As the movie theater industry sees a major resurgence, some chains are tapping into plant-based and allergy-friendly trends.
AMC, for example, rolled out new plant-based menu items at its dine-in theaters in 2023, and several theaters have begun offering vegan popcorn for guests.
Please update, rename theatre Chase Park Plaza Cinemas as per website and total seats 480
Theatre 1 85
Theatre 2 89
Theatre 3 142
Theatre 4 90
Theatre 5 74
and the website is www.chaseparkplazacinema.com
Seating Capacity:
Theatre 1 72
Theatre 2 98
Theatre 3 86
Theatre 4, 5, 6 and 7 47
Theatre 8 258 The Big Show
Theatre 9 120
Theatre 10 110
Please add theatre operated by https://breckenridge.filmalley.net/contact-us by Schulman Theatres
Please fix website to https://www.phoenixmovies.net/, you got the other Phoenix Theatres chain
Please update, open
Please update, closed not on Metropolitan Theatres website and reported closed by Google
Please fix website, http://hometowncinemasmarion.com/
This is the website, your link is to the Texas based Hometown Cinemas chain
Please update website, https://www.hometowncinemaslumberton.com/
The link directs you to HomeTown Cinemas, which this location is not affiliated with
Please add to operated by Fat Cats Entertainment
Please update website, no longer operated by Far Way Entertainment, new webwite https://www.oscinema.com/home
Sony owns Alamo Drafthouse
Update capacity to 932 and 1 screen, I set up another page for the TLC Chinese 6 which should have it own page, since it a seperate building and different address.
that what I’m trying to figure out, I don’t know if something when I took them with my older iphone model, it gave me the same issue uploading to the Regal Fenway page also @m00se1111. I was their in 2016 when I saw Snowden at the Dome, but was in the lobby when Arclight had the cafe open to Cinerama Dome ticket holders.
Please update, seating capacity is 52 seats and includ in the summary it used to seat 700
grand opening ad posted in the photos section
I created a new page for the 14 plex since it a seperate building and to keep the dome history separate since it has it own history. Also, rename the theatre Alamo Drafthouse Hollywood Cinerama Dome 1 screen, currently 856 seats. The count probably change when it reopens.
Please update, total seats 738 and renovations finished
Seating Capacity:
Theatre 1 80
Theatre 2 74
Theatre 3 87
Theatre 4 102
Theatre 5 80
Theatre 6 67
Theatre 7 and 8 68
Theatre 9 112
according to the Cinemark website, it is Cinemark Century Napa Valley and XD, guess it was branded as Century when it opened under Cinemark
The theatre now all recliners
Please update, total seats 1,324 and expanded to 18 screens from 16 on January 28, 2005
Seating Capacity:
Theatre 1 35
Theatre 2, 3 and 13 43
Theatre 4, 5 and 6 45
Theatre 7 and 17 68
Theatre 8 and 9 116
Theatre 10 50
Theatre 11 138 with DBOX
Theatre 12 171 with XD and DBOX
Theatre 14 120
Theatre 15 78
Theatre 16 67
Theatre 18 33
Please update, seating capacity is 52 seats
Please fix website address to https://www.bryantxentertainment.com/movie-theater/thequeen
Please update, total seats 1,248
Seating Capacity:
Theatre 1 33
Theatre 2 32
Theatre 3 and 14 51
Theatre 4, 5, 12 and 13 53
Theatre 6 and 11 113
Theatre 7 and 10 110
Theatre 8 206 IMAX
Theatre 9 150
Theatre 15 33
Theatre 16 34