AMC Acquires 7 Bow Tie Cinema Locations in CT; Greenwich Bow Tie Theater to Be Demolished

AMC Theatres announced this week it finalized a deal with Bow Tie Cinemas to purchase and operate seven locations in Connecticut, upstate New York and Annapolis, Maryland.

The theaters in Connecticut are the Majestic 6 in Stamford, the Landmark 8 in Stamford, the Marquis 16 in Trumbull, the Royale 6 in Norwalk, and the SoNo 8 in Norwalk.

This acquisition more than doubles AMC’s presence in Connecticut.

Alas, here in Greenwich, residents have no movie theater.

The theater on Greenwich Ave was replaced by the Apple Store.

In 2019 the owners of Greenwich Plaza proposed a major redo of the entire block that would have replaced the existing theater built around 1970 with smaller boutique theaters with reclining seats and food service.

At the time, Co-CEO of Ashforth, Daryl Harvey, told P&Z that 50 years earlier the bottom of Greenwich Avenue was “the seedy end.”

“It didn’t seem odd to build a walled theater at the end of Greenwich Avenue then because there wasn’t much there,” he said, adding, “We don’t see it as a spot for a big wall. Plus it’s going to fall down soon. And there are a lot more office buildings around the station and in downtown.”

When a deal over air rights couldn’t be reached with the town, the entire plan was put on hold.

Then the pandemic hit.

After closing temporarily due to covid, the theater announced they would reopen in August 2020.

But it was not to last.

Bowtie Cinemas on Railroad Ave. Aug 30, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager

This February, Greenwich Plaza’s updated application to P&Z proposed instead to upgrade the train station by removing the ticket booth and opening up views of the platform, renovating the existing storefronts at street level, and tearing down the entire movie theater building.

They plan to replace it with a new mixed use building, set back on two sides, to house a restaurant and some retail.

Existing movie theater building at corner of Steamboat Road and Railroad Avenue would be torn down.

AMC also plans to add Saratoga Springs 11 in upstate New York and Annapolis Mall 11 in Annapolis, Maryland.

AMC intends to retain all theatre associates at the newly acquired theatres. AMC remains in active discussions with other property owners regarding additional locations.

Upon reopening, guests at these locations can expect many of AMC’s most popular programs and amenities, including AMC Stubs, a world class loyalty and subscription service that includes AMC Stubs A-List. In addition, Marquis 16, Royale 6, SoNo 8, Majestic 6, Landmark 8, and Annapolis Mall 11 were renovated in recent years and include all-recliner seating. Saratoga Springs 11, Marquis 16, Majestic 6 and Annapolis Mall 11 offer a PLF experience.

“Our theatre acquisition strategy makes AMC a better and stronger company as we move forward on our glidepath to recovery,” said Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC. “Acquiring these locations is especially notable for our expansion in Connecticut, where we are more than doubling our presence. We are encouraged to bring the magic of AMC to more and more theatres across the country, given our mid-2021 acquisitions of AMC The Grove 14 and AMC Americana at Brand 18, both in the Los Angeles market, continue to rank among the 30 highest grossing movie theatres in the entire United States since joining up with AMC.”

“I would particularly like to thank Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont,” Aron continued. “While AMC did not seek or receive any special tax benefit or other inducement to expand our presence in the state of Connecticut, Governor Lamont has made great strides to enhance the appeal of Connecticut, making it a particularly attractive jurisdiction in which to more than double our size.”