It’s Been Grand: AMC Closing Dallas Megaplex
By November 30, 2010, the country’s first megaplex movie theater will have closed its doors for the final time.
The AMC Grand (located off of I-35E and Northwest Highway, in Dallas), according to reports, cannot come to an agreement on lease terms with Kansas City-based Entertainment Properties Trust (who owns the property), so they’ve opted to pull the plug.
Built in 1995, it was the first theater in the country to house more than 20 screens (and feature stadium seating!). Seems hard to believe that only 15 years ago, the megaplex was the exception, rather than the rule, for movie viewing.
AMC, formerly Durwood Theaters (I only add it because it makes me chuckle), was one of the few movie theater chains not to go bankrupt during the last recession (which is apparently over?). The area around The Grand is now populated with more strip clubs, sex-toy stores, and chain restaurants than anything else. Combine that with the fact that it’s nearly impossible to find the entrance to the parking lot, and it’s easy to see why people might be opting to see their movies elsewhere.
The fact is, though, they don’t. The AMC Grand is still one of the top 20 highest grossing theaters in the Dallas area. It sounds like Entertainment Properties Trust would like to get another theater chain into the property when AMC vacates at the end of the year.
Still, it’s sad to hear that it’s closing. I just made the trek over there to see “Iron Man 2″ (The Grand is in a pretty great place for meeting friends who live in the boonies), and the woman who sold me a pretzel made me the happiest girl in all the land.
“What movie are you seeing?” she asked, as she tried to sprinkle parmesan on my pretzel.
“‘Iron Man 2′.”
“Oh! You look just like that girl who’s in it. I think she’s called ‘Black Widow’ or something,” she said.
After blinking a couple of times in complete confusion, I looked at her with squinty eyes. “Are you talking about Scarlett Johansson?”
“Yes! That’s her!”
And while I loved the movie anyway (read the RCC review here, if you missed it), I have to tell you that nothing could have made my day more fantastic. Just don’t ruin it and tell me that AMC only hires blind people or pathological liars to work the refreshment stand.
