More than 100 residents, elected officials, and community organizers rallied outside the AMC Kips Bay 15 on Sunday, September 21, demanding that NYU Langone Health reverse plans that would close the 15-screen multiplex at 570 Second Avenue by the end of 2026. The theater is the only remaining major cinema on Manhattan’s East Side.
Key Takeaways
- Over 100 protesters gathered in the rain on Sunday outside AMC Kips Bay 15, organized by the Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats, calling on NYU Langone Health to preserve the theater.
- NYU Langone quietly purchased the approximately 193,000-square-foot retail complex at 570 Second Avenue more than a year ago, a transaction elected officials said they were not notified about until August 2026.
- The property owner, Kips Bay Development Limited Partnership, exercised a contractual right to terminate the theater’s lease before its May 2027 expiration, forcing a closure by year’s end.
- Seven elected officials, including Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, and Assemblymember Keith Powers, sent a formal letter to NYU Langone’s CEO on August 27 requesting a meeting.
- Online petitions to save the theater have gathered more than 12,000 combined signatures, and nine neighborhood groups have written separately to NYU Langone urging preservation of the site.
- NYU Langone has stated interest in expanding healthcare access at the property but says it is willing to speak with local stakeholders about options for the site.
A Rainy Sunday Rally Drew Elected Officials and Lifelong Residents
The “Save the Kips Bay AMC Theater Rally” unfolded on a rainy Sunday afternoon outside the multiplex near East 30th Street, organized by the Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats, a political club representing communities across the Lower East Side, East Village, and Midtown East. Judith Gross, the group’s president, said the neighborhood coalition remains determined to reach NYU Langone’s leadership. The rally drew residents spanning multiple generations, from families with children to lifelong Kips Bay locals who have patronized the theater since its opening in 1999.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal addressed the crowd directly, calling the theater a cultural institution. Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who represents the surrounding district, told attendees that NYU Langone bears direct responsibility for the theater’s fate. State Senator Kristen Gonzalez also attended. Local businesses joined the effort as well. Paddy Reilly’s Music Bar, the Irish pub located around the corner from the theater, promoted the rally on social media and offered a free drink to anyone who arrived with a selfie from the protest.
NYU Langone’s Quiet Acquisition Sparked Community Backlash
The controversy traces back to late August 2026, when AMC confirmed that the 15-screen theater would close by year’s end after the property owner exercised its contractual right to terminate the lease ahead of its scheduled May 2027 expiration. Within days, Assemblymember Keith Powers disclosed in a video message posted to social media that NYU Langone Health had acquired the retail complex at 570 Second Avenue more than a year earlier, a transaction no elected official in the district had been notified about at the time of purchase.
The revelation drew immediate backlash. On August 27, seven elected officials sent a joint letter to Dr. Alec Kimmelman, CEO and Dean of NYU Langone Health, criticizing the lack of communication and requesting a meeting to discuss the property’s future. The letter was co-signed by Powers, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymember Micah Lasher, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Council Members Virginia Maloney and Harvey Epstein. A separate letter followed on August 31 from nine neighborhood organizations, collectively operating under the “Save Kips Bay Coalition,” including the Alliance for Kips Bay, Waterside Plaza Tenants Association, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, and the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association.
The Theater Anchors A Neighborhood Already Dense With Medical Institutions
AMC Kips Bay 15 opened in 1999 as Loews Kips Bay. AMC assumed operations in 2006, growing the location into the chain’s second-largest multiplex in Manhattan, behind the Empire 25 in Times Square. The theater houses Manhattan’s only IMAX screen on the East Side and has long served as a neighborhood gathering point for cinephiles, families, and date-night crowds across Kips Bay, Murray Hill, and Gramercy.
Residents at the rally and in earlier community meetings have described the closure as part of a broader pattern of institutional encroachment. The stretch of Manhattan’s East Side surrounding the theater already includes NYU Langone, Bellevue Hospital, the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, and the former Beth Israel Medical Center campus. Long-time residents have referred to the corridor as “bedpan alley,” a nickname reflecting the density of medical facilities along First and Second Avenues. NYU Langone alone owns and leases more than six million square feet of property citywide. Activists have pointed to a 2024 leasing brochure that marketed the approximately 193,000-square-foot Kips Bay property specifically for medical use, though no related rezoning application has been publicly identified.
Community Board 6 Held A Public Hearing Earlier This Month
Manhattan Community Board 6 hosted a public hearing on September 9 where residents and elected officials testified about the planned closure. Sandra McKee, the board’s chair, acknowledged the tension between institutional growth and neighborhood livability. Community Board 6 has not taken an official stance on the matter. At the same hearing, Powers stated that NYU Langone would likely build outpatient and ambulatory care facilities on the site. The Fairway Market supermarket, which also operates within the same retail complex, told the community board that it holds a long-term lease and intends to remain at the Kips Bay location.
Online organizing has amplified the in-person efforts. A Change.org petition calling for the theater to remain open has gathered more than 9,000 signatures, while the Save Kips Bay campaign has collected nearly 4,000 additional names. The savekipsbay.org website, launched by neighborhood volunteers, consolidates the elected officials’ letter, rally details, and calls to action directed at NYU Langone’s leadership.
NYU Langone Has Signaled Willingness To Engage But Offered No Commitments
NYU Langone Health has stated publicly that it is interested in the property to expand healthcare access for the surrounding community. The health system has also said it is willing to speak with local stakeholders about options for the site. No specific plan for preserving the theater, no timeline for development, and no formal commitment to community engagement beyond that general statement have been made public. The theater remains open and operational, with a formal closure date expected to be announced in the coming months. AMC operates eight other locations in Manhattan, but none on the East Side south of 84th Street, leaving Kips Bay residents without a nearby multiplex alternative once the closure takes effect.
FAQs
When Is AMC Kips Bay 15 Closing?
AMC Kips Bay 15 is expected to close by the end of 2026. A formal closure date has not been publicly announced. The property owner exercised a contractual right to terminate the theater’s lease before its scheduled May 2027 expiration.
Why Is The AMC Kips Bay Theater Closing?
NYU Langone Health acquired the retail complex at 570 Second Avenue, and the property owner terminated AMC’s lease early. NYU Langone has indicated interest in using the property to expand healthcare access, though no formal development plans or rezoning applications have been publicly filed.
Who Is Leading The Effort To Save The Theater?
Seven elected officials, including Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, and Assemblymember Keith Powers, have written to NYU Langone’s CEO. The Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats organized the September 21 rally, and nine neighborhood groups are coordinating under the “Save Kips Bay Coalition.”
Is Fairway Market In The Same Complex Also Closing?
Fairway Market operates in the same retail complex at 570 Second Avenue. A representative for Fairway told Manhattan Community Board 6 that the supermarket holds a long-term lease and intends to remain at the Kips Bay location.
Are There Other Movie Theaters Nearby On Manhattan’s East Side?
AMC Kips Bay 15 is the only remaining major multiplex on Manhattan’s East Side. Once it closes, the nearest AMC locations will be the 84th Street 6 on the Upper East Side and the Village 7 in Greenwich Village. The theater also houses the only IMAX screen on the East Side.
