AMC Theatres announced its first newly-built theater of 2022 – the AMC Dine-In Topanga 12 in Canoga Park — will open June 2 as the pandemic-rattled exhibition business reshuffles.
The launch will follow by a day the close of operations at nearby AMC Promenade 16 in Woodland Hills as the exhibitors continue to fine tune portfolios and upgrade theaters if they can.
This cinema, in partnership with developer Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is a core entertainment anchor in the expansion at Westfield Topanga & The Village, a former department store space, AMC said. It features Imax with laser and Dolby Cinema premium formats and is the latest addition to AMC’s group of dine-in theaters, a feature that’s proven increasingly success for chains trying to turn movies into night-out events to lure patrons. Guests place their order in the lobby. It will also offer beer, wine and cocktails – another spreading industry selling point — “in the coming weeks.”
“During the last two years AMC has made a significant investment in expanding and enhancing the AMC movie-going experience in the Los Angeles market with acquisitions, renovations, and brand-new theatres,” said Dan Ellis, EVP, Chief Operations & Development Officer. He called the new theater “one of our crown jewels not only in the Los Angeles area, but in the entire country.”
The LA market has been in flux. The Hollywood Arclight closed last year. The 12-screen flagship Landmark Pico shut this month. Landmark Theatres just entered a long-term lease deal for the Playhouse 7 movie house in Pasadena.
AMC CEO Adam Aron has said the company plans to continue adding theaters (as well as high-potential non-traditional assets like its recent investment in Hycroft Mining).
In April, it inked a deal with Bow Tie Cinemas to purchase and operate seven locations in Connecticut, upstate New York and Annapolis, Maryland. Earlier this year, the chain, again with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said it was reopening former ArcLight locations in San Diego and Washington D.C. Other new openings or acquisitions announced over the past year include AMC Northridge 10 and AMC Newcity 14, AMC Americana at Brand 18 and AMC The Grove 14.