AMC Theatres will open its latest Chicago movie theater in the South Loop, replacing the former ShowPlace Icon Theatre that closed this summer.
The theater, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, will open in the Roosevelt Collection retail complex in “early 2025,” the company announced Thursday. AMC confirmed it signed a lease for the South Loop location, but it’s unclear how long the lease is for. An AMC spokesperson said the company doesn’t publicly disclose details of its lease agreements.
“In recent years, AMC has made it a priority to strengthen our circuit by identifying popular and well-performing theaters in areas where we believe moviegoers are underserved,” Dan Ellis, AMC’s executive vice president and chief operations and development officer, said in a news release. “AMC Roosevelt Collection 16 is one of the most productive locations in the Chicagoland area and fits perfectly within that strategy.”
The theaters at the Roosevelt Collection will include power-reclining seats. A full concessions menu and bar serving beer, wine and cocktails will open in the months following opening, according to AMC.
Members of the AMC Stubs A-List will be able to use their account and earn rewards at the new location.
The announcement comes just months after ShowPlace Icon Theatre closed its doors at the Roosevelt Collection over the summer. The theater shuttered June 30 after Icon’s parent company ceased all operations nationally.
At the time of Icon’s closure, Roosevelt Collection’s property management, CBRE, said it was in “active conversations with potential new theater partners” to take over the space. AMC declined to comment on rumors that it was interested in the location, which was billed as “one of the best performing theaters in the Chicago area” by CBRE’s Deirdre Larsen.
Tenants at the Roosevelt Collection include Ulta Beauty, H&M, Fleet Feet Sports and LensCrafters.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming AMC to our lineup of dining, retail, fitness and lifestyle amenities here at Roosevelt Collection Shops,” Larsen said. “Our center has long stood as a community hub, and the addition of this highly anticipated new experience will bring with it endless opportunity for the community to enjoy quality time together on our grounds.”
The Icon was considered one of Chicago’s first luxury movie houses — complete with VIP seats — when it opened in 2009. It offered first-rate sound and projection, specially designed seating and a lounge with special drinks, plus mini-pizzas and sandwiches. Customers who bought premium tickets had access to the complex’s spacious VIP theaters.