Kips Bay rallies to keep its AMC as NYU Langone moves to buy the building
NYU Langone is under contract to buy the Second Avenue building that holds a 15-screen AMC and a Fairway, and the neighborhood is pushing back.
Kips Bay residents and elected officials gathered outside the AMC multiplex at 570 Second Avenue on Sunday afternoon, carrying signs reading “save AMC Kips Bay” in protest of a pending sale that would close the 15-screen theater and the Fairway supermarket in the same building at the end of 2026.
What NYU Langone says about the Second Avenue building
NYU Langone confirmed it is under contract to buy the property, saying it has been looking to expand health care services in Manhattan to meet demand. Steve Ritea, the hospital system’s senior director of media relations, said the owner approached NYU Langone about a possible sale and that the site’s closeness to its hospital could support long-term community health needs. The purchase is not expected to close until early next year, and the system said it will share clinical plans once the transaction is final.
Ritea also said that years before NYU Langone was approached about the site, AMC and the landlord signed a lease that lets either side terminate at any time.
Why Kips Bay is fighting for its movie theater
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez stood at the rally with Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Keith Powers. The prospect of losing the cinema was only half of what angered the officials who spoke. Several said the way the deal came together was the deeper problem, since no one tried to tell the neighborhood what was coming.
“The only way we found out is because my office literally had to reach out to them,” Gonzalez said. She added that she has struggled for a year and a half to build a working relationship with the system, pointing to its decision to discontinue gender-affirming care for young patients, which drew letters from more than 85,000 New Yorkers.
Powers said the shutdown is not a mutual decision and that AMC wants to keep the location open. AMC did not comment on the rally.
For the people who showed up, from children to seniors, the argument was about more than movies. “It’s a place for the community to actually be together,” resident Joan Beranbaum said, describing the theater as a standing plan with friends at a time when screens keep going dark across the city.
Quick answers
When would the AMC Kips Bay theater close?
Under NYU Langone's plan, the 15-screen theater and the Fairway supermarket in the building would close at the end of 2026.
Who is buying the building at 570 Second Avenue?
NYU Langone, which says the property is under contract and the sale is not expected to close until early next year.
Does AMC want to leave?
Assembly Member Keith Powers said the closure is not a mutual agreement and that AMC wants to stay open.
