Amazing & Incredible News for Chicago: AMC Is Saving The South Loop
WGN - AMC is opening up a theater early next year in the same spot where ShowPlace ICON abruptly closed this summer.
It will be known as Roosevelt Collection 16, located in the stretch of outdoor business space near Roosevelt Road. The theater will open up “in the first quarter of 2025,” according to a press release.
Alcohol is expected to be served following the opening and the theater will feature power-reclining seating.
I couldn't think of a better way to start a Friday morning then sharing this extremely local and profoundly encouraging news that AMC has plans to save the South Loop. Specifically that the former ShowPlace ICON movie theater is finally being restored under the AMC banner. This is a monster development for a number of reasons.
First off, South Loop rocks. Sure it's a little seedy and increasingly more dangerous, but that's reflected in the rents and general cost of living. You have everything you need in a contained, mostly-walkable neighborhood and that ranges from great restaurants to a unique Binny's and probably Chicago's best inner city Marianos. There's the lake front walking and museum campus and Old St. Mary's Catholic Church anchoring Michigan Avenue. There's history and culture and even my wedding venue. I love South Loop and think it needs to get way more respect. Especially if you're still living in the city because you work downtown, then there's really no better neighborhood for cost conscious Chicagoans.
Second, you need a movie theater. Plain and simple. That doesn't need to a be a complicated point. Everybody needs a movie theater.
Historically, the ShowPlace ICON was reliable enough to consistently deliver an enjoyable experience. Like a South Carolina strip club, it could be a lot better but also a lot worse. But retail theft and the degradation of policing standards ultimately combined to turn the location risky in recent years. And by risky I mean a measured increase in shootings and gun-related violence. So the neighborhood goes on Movie Theater Probation and loses the ShowPlace ICON. And now the return of AMC is a telling sign that society is starting to turn for the better.
That's a good thing.
Finally and most importantly, this is a big fuckin deal for the short-term preservation of Roosevelt Road. That may not mean much to you.. but to Chicago, it's easily one of our best East-West roads and that includes everything north of Madison. I know that sounds extreme but I'm dead serious. You start at Lake Shore Drive and go for one mile, you get:
- Museum campus
- UIC campus
- Manny's Deli
- A red/orange line station
- Maxwell St. Polish
- Multiple independent credit unions
- Union Station Power House
- Two Mattress Firms
- CFD cadet training
- Elite suburban retail institutions including a fully-staffed Nordstrom Rack
And that's just one of the 50 total miles of Roosevelt. It's truly one of our best and most prolific roads.
And lately there's been a lot of speculation that flash mobs are turning it more south. That the best days are over and Jerry Reinsdorf would be stupid to put a baseball field anywhere close.
There's been so much negativity towards this part of town and I seriously think it was because people lost their direction without a movie theater. Every since closing in July, people have gotten progressively more reckless on Roosevelt and I thought that would continue westward. Start with one movie theater then watch UIC admissions slow down and the price of gas goes up and Kroll's closes the kitchen and next thing you know they're closing the dog parks. It can snowball quickly and that was a huge concern of mine over the last few months.
So needless to say, AMC's return is a big step in the right direction of preserving the community. One that I'm very fond of and can't recommend enough to anyone searching for a new place in Chicago.
Especially for date night. Dinner and a movie at AMC kills.