HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Lehigh County — The curtains are about to come down on a long-running Lehigh Valley movie theater.
AMC Classic Allentown 16, at 1700 Catasauqua Road in Hanover Township, will show its last flick on Sunday, April 28, AMC’s Media Relations Manager Cassie Nichols told LehighValleyNews.com.
“I can confirm that AMC will cease operations at Allentown 16 after close of business on Sunday, April 28.”AMC’s Media Relations Manager Cassie Nichols
The multiplex theater previously was under the Carmike Cinemas brand and has been operational for decades. It sits behind the Valley Plaza Shopping Center on Allentown's border.
“I can confirm that AMC will cease operations at Allentown 16 after close of business on Sunday, April 28,” Nichols said in a statement.
“AMC routinely reviews the theaters in our circuit, as well as opportunities outside of our circuit, and makes decisions based on what will best strengthen the company going forward.
“We thank our Allentown 16 guests for their patronage and encourage them to continue enjoying the AMC experience at AMC Center Valley 16 or AMC Tilghman Square 8.”
Gimmicks, at-home popcorn
According to MarketWatch, shares of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. rallied last week to their highest close since March 2023.
That included the best two-day streak since October for AMC, the world's largest theater chain.
It came as analysts flagged the chain’s continued “heavy debt burden” and recent reports from IndieWire and other publications noted gimmicks AMC has recently rolled out to try to lure new audiences into theaters.
Last month, AMC announced a partnership with Blumhouse for a new film festival dubbed “Halfway to Halloween” — a five-day run of films that ran March 29 to April 4, with tickets just $8 per film to see flicks such as M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split,” the original “The Purge” or “Ouija: Origin of Evil.”
That event came the same week AMC announced “Zoom Rooms” active in eight different U.S. markets, allowing theaters to be rented for corporate meetings.
Those announcements followed the rollout of AMC’s at-home microwave popcorn, available now at grocery stores or online at Amazon. A box of six runs $35.99 through the online retailer.
Future unknown for theater site
While a zoning amendment was adopted early last spring to add food processing as a conditional use of the AMC property, there has been no additional movement in land use or redevelopment of the property once the theater closes.
During a March 21, 2023, township planning commission meeting, plans were revealed to potentially integrate the AMC Theater property into Primo Produce operations.
Primo is currently based next door, and the proposed project and use mentioned a “food processing business combining elements associated with handling storage, packaging, labeling, preserving and preparation and processing of food and beverages” and more.
