The doors of the ShowPlace ICON Theatre were locked on Monday, the day after it closed.
Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times
When it opened in 2009, it was one of the city’s first luxury movie theaters, with VIP seating.
Moviegoers would likely have to go elsewhere to have that experience, after its doors closed Sunday at the ShowPlace Icon Theatre in the South Loop.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our visitors for their unwavering support, loyalty and enthusiasm over many years,” reads a sign placed at the main doors of the theater, in the Roosevelt Collection grocery shopping complex.
Chicago-based owner Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres may not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for Roosevelt Collection said Monday that the closure is due to “Icon’s parent company ceasing all operations nationwide. “
The Chicago multiplex was one of four still operating through Kerasotes, which shut them all down in recent weeks, but some will have a momentary life. One site, located in the Minneapolis suburb of St. John’s, Louis Park, has been acquired by Marcus Theatres and will reopen shortly. The company “has not taken ownership” of the Chicago theater, a Marcus spokesman said Monday.
The Aher Kerasotes Theatre, in Secaucus, New Jersey, is back in operation after being sold to Regal Theatres, which responded to a request for comment on the Chicago site.
Deirdre Larsen of CBRE, the asset control firm that operates the Roosevelt Collection, said Monday that it is “actively in discussions with potential new theater partners” to take over the ShowPlace Icon space. He added that Icon is “one of the top hit theaters in the Chicago area. “
AMC Theatres, which owns many Chicago-area multiplexes, declined to comment on “rumors and speculation” about its imaginable interest in ShowPlace Icon, a spokesperson said.
In 2009, it was the cinematic “experience” that would set the Icon apart from other movie theaters in Chicago. The venue featured top-notch sound and projection, specially designed seating, and a lounge area with specialty drinks, as well as mini pizzas and sandwiches. Guests who purchased premium tickets can simply take their meal to the resort’s most spacious VIP theaters.
On Monday, the theater compound seemed nearly empty for a two-person Schindler elevator crew. The team was climbing the escalators that led to the first floor.
The sign in front of the theater, near Roosevelt Road, at 1011 S. Delano Ct. , also said that tickets purchased at Icon or with the exhibit app after Monday were “automatically refunded to the credit card used for the purchase. “”Tickets purchased through Fandango or Atom Tickets will be refunded at those sites, the company said. These refunds can take up to 10 days to appear on bank or credit card statements.
At the Roosevelt Collection, several incidents involving young people were reported last year, adding the arrest of dozens of teenagers after a fight broke out and several of them became disruptive and “ignored verbal police orders to disperse,” Chicago police said at the time. . .
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