For a theater that offered “the best in programming, amenities and guest satisfaction,” the AMC Theatre at Crestwood Mall slipped away with no warning. The only telltale sign that the theater had closed its doors was literal—the movie show times sign on Watson Road went blank on May 17.

Two weeks of trying to gather information and to send the theater off with a proper goodbye ended in silence as contacted officials remained mum. The general manager of Crestwood Court declined to comment on the theater itself or the future of the space. He did refer me to Tony Stephens, vice president/general manager at Jones Lang LaSalle, a representative of Crestwood Court, St. Louis Union Station and Regency Square. Stephens replied to an email, stating that my best source of information would be AMC.

A call to Ryan Noonan, media contact and director of public relations for AMC, was not returned. 

So, it looks like the closing of the theater is as much of a mystery as the future of the court. The AMC Crestwood 10 originally opened with five screens at the east end of the mall. When the mall went through a remodel in 1992, the back side of the former Dillard’s was closed off and new theaters were added there, making the total 10. The original location closed and was replaced by an arcade.

The entire mall/plaza/court is destined to be replaced. Even though we may have seen it coming now that all of the anchor stores are gone and ArtSpace tenants have received their notices, after 20 years as a 10-plex in Crestwood Court, AMC deserved a better sendoff.