AMC Classic East Pointe 12
8300 Gateway East,
El Paso,
TX
79907
8300 Gateway East,
El Paso,
TX
79907
1 person
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Closed at the expiry of a 30-year lease.
This theater closed yesterday, 8/11/2024.
Likely a combination of declining attendance due to streaming (sub runs have been hit particularly hard), inability to book top titles due to shorter release windows (many studios started skipping sub runs all-together), and AMC’s general apathy towards the sub run business model. I’m not sure what East Pointe’s recliner remodel status is (whether it’s been conducted or is planned), but that would also play into the decision.
I’m sad to hear that East Pointe has been forced to make the change. Back in the Starplex days this place pulled in incredible business. I doubt it will ever see attendance like that again, nor do I foresee the price change going over particularly well with patrons. Truly the end of an era.
This Theater just turned into a first-run theater since March 24th. Don’t know why but it’s probably because 2nd run theaters aren’t as profitable as they use to ever since the pandemic.
Theater rebranded as AMC Classic East Pointe 12
On May 11, 1998, Silver Cinemas bought the venue at the Movie One bankruptcy proceeding for $3.4 million taking over on this date. That gave Silver three discount houses with the Montwood and the University Cinema. The Movie One signage remained and the theater continued until changing names to the Eastpoint Village Theaters 12. It would shed the University Cinema in 2000. Silver closed the theatre likely opting out at the ten-year point of a least on August 4, 2002.
Interstate Theatres took on the venue beginning on March 12, 2004 with a sub-run $2 policy ($1 on Tuesdays) operating as East Pointe Movies 12. It also acquired the Montwood Movies 7 which it ran at even lower prices (50 cents on Tuesdays). On December 8, 2006, the same company now was doing business as Starplex Theatres. Starplex would close the Montwood Movies 7 on June 19, 2007. AMC took on the venue buying out Starplex for $172 million in July of 2015.
After a refresh which included a McGuffin’s Bar, it was rebranded as the AMC Classic East Pointe 12 in 2017 with AMC taking the theater to a first-run policy after 19 years of discount operation. The theatre closed along with the rest of the circuit’s location on March 16, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMC Classic East Pointe 12 then resumed operations on September 3, 2020.
This opened on July 22nd, 1994 by Movie One. It had the first THX-certified cinema in El Paso.
Saw the animated The Swan Princess in 1994 featuring the late, great Jack Palance with my daughter. All I really remember about this theatre is it had really, really narrow seats. Painfully narrow.