Cinephiles at the last movie theater in the Bronx lamented the fact that the borough has become a film desert – with one local railing “our childhood is being erased.”
AMC Bay Plaza Cinema 13 became the only theater in the Bronx last week when Concourse Plaza Multiplex Cinemas near Yankee Stadium shut down after three decades — a stunning turn for a borough of more than 1.4 million people.
And residents were none too happy about it.
“It’s sad that movie theaters are slowly but surely disappearing, and everything is coming on the phone,” said Cindy Vilchez, 30, who brought her 7-year-old daughter to theaters at The Mall at Bay Plaza to watch “IF” on Sunday.
“It’s kind of like our childhood is being erased,” she told The Post. “I want my daughter to have a piece of my childhood with her, because the technology nowadays does not give them the childhood we went through.
“In case movie theaters do go away as she gets older, at least she experienced them,” she added. “So she can say, ‘Oh, I used to do that with my mom,’ like I did it with my mom. We just want to keep the tradition going.”
Angie Corretjer, a 36-year-old foster care worker who was seeing “Garfield” with a big group of friends, echoed Vilchez’s comments — and expressed frustration at the culture of immediacy that’s led people away from tried-and-true, communal experiences like going to the movies.
“We like the movie theaters,” Corretjer told The Post. “We old school. We go to the movies. People want that instant gratification all the time. As soon as a movie comes out, they wanna watch it —and then they watch it at home instead of going out.”
The Concourse Plaza cinemas on East 161st Street closed May 28 after decades in the Bronx because it could not reach a lease agreement with the property’s landlord, according to parent company National Amusements.
“It has been our pleasure to serve the Bronx community with great movie-going for many years,” the Concourse, which was one of 19 spots run by theater chain Showcase Cinemas, posted on Facebook.
“We thank you for your patronage and hope you have made wonderful movie memories at our cinema.”
The closures aren’t especially shocking in an era of streaming services that let would-be moviegoers stay home with their own snacks and watch the newest films from the comfort of their couches.
About 5% of the country’s theaters closed between 2019 and 2022 alone, according to the National Cinema Foundation, with Queens’ quarter-century-old College Point Multiplex Cinemas dropping its final curtain just a few weeks ago.
That doesn’t lessen the sting, however.
“This being the last movie theater makes it hard for people in the community,” Lex, a 33-year-old entrepreneur, told The Post at AMC Bay. “There are still movies out there we like to see — but imagine if you are not from this area. It’s difficult.”
Rikesha Knight, was at AMC Bay Plaza to see “Garfield” in a private room that family and friends rented for her son’s 4th birthday, agreed that the borough needs an alternative spot.
“You do need the variety,” the 37-year old told The Post. “So they definitely need more than one movie theater in the Bronx.”
Cristal Rodriguez, who works for the city’s Department of Homeless Services on 151st Street, was shocked when she found out the other theater had closed — she often went there for afternoon matinées before she headed to work on the night shift.
“Now they’re closing the movie theaters?” she asked, incredulously. “I have to go to my movies on Tuesdays! I went there two weeks ago. I guess that was my last movie in there. I feel sad.”
But others remained optimistic.
“Even with the Fire sticks and Netflix and all that, it doesn’t feel the same as going to see a movie,” Quinten Belts, 34, told The Post outside AMC Bay.
Belts, a security worker, had come with his pal, AMC employee Luis Alvarez, to see “Summer Camp,” which was one of the 14 movies the theater was showing Sunday.
The pair had grown up coming to this spot — and they have faith it will survive.
“Movie theaters are never gonna’ lose hope,” Alvarez, 22, told The Post, adding that they’re “a thing you’re gonna’ love for the rest of your life.
“It’s the thrill of it,” he said. “It’s gonna’ go on for many more generations.”
