Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas
159-02 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11425
159-02 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11425
2 people
favorited this theater
When this theatre opened on May 17, 2002 as part of the new Jamaica Center it gave the area it’s first theatre again since the RKO Alden Theatre closed in the 1980’s. Jamaica is an area that once had almost twenty theatres in the vicinity including one of the Loew’s Wonder Theatres, the Valencia Theatre (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures). The Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas was closed on April 30, 2024.
Contributed by
RobertR
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 71 comments)
That’s a good idea, Bway. Perhaps you should suggest it to the management.
Warren, who is Sumner Redstone ?
Here’s a google street view of the Jamaica Multiplex:
View link
Please update, theatre open May 17, 2002
Grand opening ad in the photos section
Jamaica movie theater set to close in June, while future of College Point theater in doubt
By Iryna Shkurhan
Posted on January 3, 2024
Queens is set to lose one of its few remaining movie theaters this year, and another one appears in jeopardy, amid a nationwide decline in the big screen industry.
The Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas will shut down in June, according to the Mattone Group Jamaica Company, a real estate investment firm that spearheaded bringing the theater to Jamaica, and also managed it over the past two decades. Meanwhile, the College Point Multiplex Cinemas, just five miles away, looks slated to close, with reports emerging last week that developers are in the process of transforming the cinema site into a distribution center.
The parent company of the two theaters, Showcase Cinemas, notified the owner of the Jamaica property last month that it does not plan on renewing the lease. Showcase initially signed on for a 20-year lease in 2002, and then received a short two-year extension in 2022, which is set to expire in June.
The Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas, a 15-plex cinema located on Jamaica Avenue, opened in May 2002 – the same month that the original Spider-Man movie was released. When the cinema first opened its doors, the operators were still running movies on giant rolls of film.
“We hate to see it go. It’s unfortunate, but a sign of the times,” said Michael Mattone, who recounted breaking ground on the previously vacant lot where Jamaica Center now stands in 2000. “We were hoping that they would stay, but I can’t say it came as a total surprise.”
Showcase Cinemas is owned by National Amusements, which collectively owns 1,500 theaters across the world under a variety of theater brands including Cinema de Lux and Multiplex Cinemas. Its theaters in the United States are almost exclusively in the Northeast.
The company has closed several theaters in the past year but has yet to formally announce the closure of the Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas. The future of the College Point Multiplex Cinemas appears in doubt. Last week, New York YIMBY reported that the real estate development firm, Triangle Equities, secured $50 Million in financing for a logistics facility on the 425,000-square-foot site where the theater on Ulmer St. is currently located.
The current plan is to redevelop the nine-acre area into a multi-story distribution center, given its central location and proximity to major roadways. The site is also home to Party Wow, a party supply store, and used to have a Toys “R” Us before it filed for bankruptcy in 2017.
Meanwhile, other theaters operated by Showcase Cinemas across the state have recently closed.
Tuesday marked the last day that the Linden Boulevard Multiplex Cinemas in East New York was open to moviegoers.
A statement on its website read, “It has been our pleasure to serve the Brooklyn community with great movie-going for many years. Due to a business decision, January 2, 2024 will be our last day of cinema operations. Showcase Cinemas is committed to providing a superior movie-going experience and we hope to see you at our Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas and College Point Multiplex Cinemas locations. Thank you for your patronage.”
But despite the company’s message to encourage moviegoers to visit its other locations, it appears that both Queens locations won’t be open for long.
QNS reached out to National Amusements for comment, but did not hear back by publication time.
The closures are part of a nationwide trend that left the industry scrambling to sell tickets amid a rise in streaming services, and then the pandemic further hurt the industry with temporary closures.
“Whereas other theaters did rebound. I don’t know that Jamaica really rebounded as well as some of the other theaters,” said Mattone. “So I think that may have also been part of some of the decision making.”
Mattone said that his investment group has already held preliminary conversations with other theater companies to explore the possibility of keeping a movie theater in Jamaica. But he couldn’t comment just yet on the specific companies in consideration. They are also considering other types of retailers. But he added that bringing in another theater tenant would be the most seamless option.
“I can’t think of the last new theater that opened in the area,” said Mattone. “There’s really been no new theaters that have opened in Queens in god knows how long.”
Queens residents who are looking to watch a movie on the big screen still have some options.
AMC has locations in Bay Terrace and Fresh Meadows. Regal UA also has theaters in Astoria and Forest Hills. There are also small independent theaters sprinkled throughout the borough such as the Cinemart Cinemas in Forest Hills and Fair Theater in East Elmhurst.
Regal Tangram opened in Flushing in November 2021.
Jamaica Multiplex to close April 30 Many people are shocked by loss; some blame inflation and streaming by Naeisha Rose, Associate Editor Feb 1, 2024
Showcase Cinemas, a global chain that manages movie theaters across the country, has told the Chronicle via email that Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas will cease operations on Tuesday, April 30, about two months earlier than what has been reported over the past few weeks.
“Members of our Starpass loyalty program will receive a special offer as a way to thank them for their many years of movie-going at Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas,” said a marketing and partnerships representative of the chain. “Showcase Cinemas remains deeply committed to our theatrical exhibition business and we look forward to continuing to provide a superior movie-going experience at our U.S. cinema locations.”
When asked why the multiplex, located at 159-02 Jamaica Ave., is closing, the representative said the move follows a failure to come to terms with the landlord on a new lease agreement.
Michael Mattone, CEO of Mattone Investors, LLC, the owner of the building that houses the movie theater, told the Chronicle there was no dispute with Showcase Cinemas.
“Their lease terms came to an end,” Mattone said. “They were there for 20 years and then we gave them an extension. That extension basically expired and they decided not to seek an additional term.”
When asked about the April 30 end date, Mattone said he had been told it was June.
“That’s news to me,” said Mattone, who opened up a JD Sports next door to the multiplex two weeks ago.
As for whether he will work with a different movie chain or replace the business with a retailer, the CEO said he has a couple of things in the works.
“I am not at liberty to get into the details on those just yet,” Mattone said. “Those range from maintaining it as a theater to change of use … [Details] coming soon to a theater near you.”
Several people were shocked and dismayed on Monday to learn that Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas will be closing.
The move comes on the heels of Brooklyn’s Linden Boulevard Multiplex Cinemas’ closure on Jan. 2 and the announcement that College Point Multiplex Cinemas will close May 7 and eventually be replaced by a logistics center.
According to multiple reports, Showcase Cinemas, owned by National Amusements, which owns all three theaters, has been shuttering movie houses across the country due to the rise of streaming, low foot traffic since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and expiring lease agreements.
“I think another theater would be good,” passerby Javonte Wooten said when asked by the Chronicle if there should be a new business or another moviehouse. “I actually live near where the Linden Boulevard theater just closed. Those are staples in our community.”
Wooten, who works for the city Department of Health in Queens, said there are not a lot of places to take kids and she is sad to see both theaters go.
“I have attended this one plenty of times and it has always been pretty nice, but I know it is not busy at all,” she added. “I can understand that after the pandemic that all of the theaters are getting shut down, but it is a sad era to take place with streaming and everything.”
A Brooklyn woman in her 50s said that she is a live-in nurse aide and does not get to go out a lot, so she watches movies via cable TV.
“I want it to stay the same because I’ve been coming here since I was 5 or 6,” said a 23-year-old Ozone Park woman. “We come here all the time.”
She said she does not want to see the multiplex get replaced by a different theater chain or a retailer.
A third woman from Brooklyn who works in Queens, found the news to be terrible.
“We need a theater right here in Jamaica,” she said. “It was my go-to theater right after work.”
Sheryl Virtue of Deer Park, LI, said she is not a cinemagoer but feels that movie theaters are a great place for young people to gather.
“I’m not a movie person … but for those that are into movies, I don’t think it is a good thing,” Virtue said. “Sometimes this is where [youths] get to hang out with their parents or their peers.”
Janet Henry of the Bronx said that there should be a smaller multiplex in the building that houses the theater as well as a new retailer that will draw people to the moviehouse and the area.
“Inflation is really high too; perhaps if they cut prices a little bit,” Henry said. “When people can get things at a lower cost, they will try to make use of it.”
Joel Raceral of Cambria Heights did not feel any particular way about the multiplex closing because of the lack of quality films.
“I don’t really go to the movie theater often,” Raceral said. “There isn’t anything really interesting for me to watch anymore.”
Fabiola Labonche of Jamaica had mixed feelings about the closure. She was sorry to hear the theater is closing, but liked the potential of a new type of business replacing it so there will be more jobs in the region.
“I’m sad because I enjoy going there,” she said. “But it can be an Amazon. We don’t have it here. I need a job. Just put an Amazon here.”
Theater last day of operation April 30, 2024. see ad in photos section
Re: article posted ¼/24: The last sentence recommends alternative independent cinemas, including the Fair in East Elmhurst.
Yes, I highly recommend the Fair for an “alternative” moviegoing experience.