Mount Vernon is expected to lose its only major movie theater later this month, ending more than three decades of films being shown at the Potomac Boulevard location. According to reports, AMC CLASSIC Mount Vernon 8, located at 400 Potomac Boulevard, is expected to permanently close after its final day of operation on Thursday, August 20th.
City officials say they have not received formal notification from AMC Theatres but have obtained credible information indicating the closure is moving forward.
The eight-screen theater opened in 1995 as Kerasotes ShowPlace 8, replacing the historic Granada Theatre in downtown Mount Vernon, which closed after the multiplex opened. The theater later became AMC Showplace Mount Vernon 8 before being renamed AMC CLASSIC Mount Vernon 8. If the closure occurs as expected, it will end approximately 31 years of continuous movie theater operations at the site.
The move comes one year after AMC closed its Illinois Centre 8 theater in Marion. That theater is expected to reopen this fall under new ownership as Showplace 8 Marion.
Following the Mount Vernon closure, AMC University Place 8 in Carbondale would become the company’s closest remaining theater in Southern Illinois.
AMC has previously announced plans to continue closing underperforming locations while investing in newer and more profitable theaters. It is not yet known whether another operator will take over the Mount Vernon location or what will become of the building and its equipment.