It seems that the curtains have finally closed on the AMC Loews’ Kings Plaza movie theater.
The six screen cinematheque that thrilled audiences of all ages for over 30 years quietly closed its doors earlier this month without any hooplah and fanfare.
By Monday, in fact, there wasn’t even a sign that there had been a theater inside the Flatbush Avenue mall at Avenue U: the entrance to the theater was replaced with a blank wall; the fresh plaster securing it in position still visible.
The marquee was still outside, although nothing was on it.
While it hadn’t advertised the movies playing at the theater for some time, moviegoers were asked to visit www.amcentertainment.com for show times and ticket prices.
There was no mention of the theater’s closing on the website. A call to the AMC Loews’ 800 number for information were directed to a recording that said, “Sorry, that theater is closed.”
Calls to AMC Loews for comment were not returned by press time. Nor were calls to Kings Plaza regarding what is expected to be built inside the theater’s massive space.
While causal visitors noticed a dip in theater attendance over the last few years, current and former residents remembered all of the fun flicks they saw at their neighborhood movie house on the website Cinematreasures.com.
“Passed by Kings Plaza this afternoon and, lo and behold, this theater is indeed closed,” wrote poster “thlvr.” “Saw many wonderful films here: “Superman,” “Diamonds are Forever,” “Live and Let Die,” “Moonraker,” “For Your Eyes Only,” “Octopussy,” “2010,” etc., etc. However when the clientele of this theater started to change, it was the kiss of death. And this theater is now deceased.”
“It saddens me greatly, as this theater (like the Kingsway, the Marboro, and the Georgetown Twin) was one of my childhood theaters,” noted poster Gary C. “My late grandmother took me here to see Rocky 3, though I’m sure she was slightly disturbed that her six year old granddaughter wanted to see it. (I liked the theme song.) My last memory of going here is seeing “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” about the life of Tina Turner. During all the scenes in which Tina was getting beat up by Ike, a man near me was yelling ‘Go get her Ike! Beat her up BUT GOOD!’ It was at this point that I realized I could no longer patronize this theater. The moviegoers were just too insane. But I’ll miss it.”
The Kings Plaza Theater opened in 1970, right around the time the mall did, longtime visitors remembered. It originally had two screens, Kings Plaza North — the larger one, colored blue — and Kings Plaza South, which was colored red. Each theater had its own restroom, although a concession stand served customers from both theaters, which early on hosted double features like “The French Connection” and “M.A.S.H.” and “Bullit” and “Bonnie and Clyde”.
“This was a popular theater when it opened in conjunction with the mall,” noted Fred, a former patron. “I remember abandoning my Flatbush Avenue movie palaces that I attended regularly to go to there.”
Over the years, the massive theaters were divided into smaller versions to keep up with the rise of multiplexes. At the end of its run, it had the distinction of being one of the cheapest movie houses in Brooklyn — just $9 a ticket.
