It's the end of an era for some metro Detroiters as the final act has come for a local cultural icon.
A sign taped to the doors of the AMC Star Southfield at 12 Mile and Northwestern Highway reveals that the multiplex has permanently closed.
“Theatre closed. AMC Southfield 20 has permanently closed,” the sign reads in a photo posted by The Detroit News Wednesday.
Erected in 1997 for a whopping $40 million, the theater was considered one of the flagship locations of the Star Theater chain, which rebranded as AMC in 2018.
The news comes to a shock to some, many of whom are reflecting on childhood memories spent at AMC Star Southfield, and others look back on first jobs and first dates. Some visitors, while sad to see the theater shutter, are less surprised, citing its need for updating and its declining state over recent years
“Wow! I know it’s not necessarily a surprise for those of us from the area, but AMC Southfield remained one of the more convenient theater options for several years,” one user wrote. “Sad to see it go.”
im actually crying rn this was my favorite theatre in the world. i was just telling ryla a couple weeks ago about how special it is to me and how much i miss going to it because there really was nothing like it anywherehttps://t.co/rt4YmyKghm
— 𝕭𝖚𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖃𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖃𝕯𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓 (@xWASTExGATEx) April 1, 2020
On March 17, AMC Theaters announced their decision to temporarily close all of its theaters to comply with CDC guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the announcement, the closure is expected to last 6-12 weeks.
“The summer has always been one of the biggest movie seasons of the year, the summer and Christmas,” AMC Theatre CEO Adam Aron told CNBC earlier this week. “I would love to think that America will be enjoying summer movie season again.”
The announcement of AMC's chain-wide closures coincided with the news that AMC Fairlane 21 in Dearborn was the first coronavirus exposure site in Wayne County.
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