Closure of AMC theater in Apple Valley left moviegoers out ‘in the cold’

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·4 min read
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After renting a theater to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Frank Carillo and his girlfriend, Sidney Kaneski arrive to find the AMC Classic Apple Valley 14 movie theater had permanently closed on May 3.
After renting a theater to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Frank Carillo and his girlfriend, Sidney Kaneski arrive to find the AMC Classic Apple Valley 14 movie theater had permanently closed on May 3.

With a private screen booked to watch "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" on opening night, Frank Lira Carrillo said he and his entourage were refused entrance to the AMC movie theater, which had permanently closed.

“When we rented the theater to watch 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' they didn’t tell us they were going to close,” said Carillo, 23, who lives in Apple Valley. “When we got there, we were all left outside standing in the cold and wondering what the heck just happened.”

On May 4, Carillo, his girlfriend, Sidney Kaneski, and their families arrived at the AMC Classic Apple Valley 14 movie theater on Bear Valley Road.

During their visit, signs on locked doors and a row of empty movie poster holders told visitors that the AMC had permanently closed.

The closure signs also suggested visitors visit the company's nearest location: AMC DINE-IN Ontario Mills 30.

“I knocked on the door to get their attention, and somebody told us to leave since no movies were available,” Carillo said. “I saw employees and their families inside wearing party hats, eating pizza, and playing games. It looked like they were all celebrating and having a good time.”

Several employees told the Daily Press that the theater had permanently shut its doors on May 3, with management handing out final paychecks the following day.

When Carillo asked for a refund and to speak with the theater manager, he was told that the manager had left and that the staff could do nothing for him.

“Most of us went to the Civic Plaza 12 Cinema in Hesperia to watch the movie,” Carillo said. “It wasn’t the same because we weren’t all together.”

AMC Apple Valley was once his favorite theater, and he frequently rented theaters for private screenings of films such as “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and “Jurassic World Dominion," he said.

“I put $106 down for us to watch 'Guardians,' and they shut down the theater, brilliant,” said Carillo, who received his refund on Tuesday.

After the AMC movie theater closed, town officials began working to fill the vacant building located at the abandoned and uncompleted Apple Valley Plaza on Bear Valley Road.
After the AMC movie theater closed, town officials began working to fill the vacant building located at the abandoned and uncompleted Apple Valley Plaza on Bear Valley Road.

Moviegoers 

After the theater closed, hundreds took to Facebook to share their sadness, joy, and indifference to the closure of the theater.

Rebecca Cortez expressed her joy of previously taking her sons to the theater and her hope that the theater and plaza would be up and running.

“That area has so much potential, especially with a gas station coming in,” Cortez said. “I had always hoped a coffee shop, yogurt shop, fast food (restaurant), and arcade would go in, but they never finished the strip mall.”

The gas station mentioned by Cortez is the Central Gas & Mart on the northeast corner of Central and Bear Valley Roads.

Construction continues on the gas station on the property where the iconic Waffle Iron Cafe and June’s Market once stood.

Aurelyse Agth said she’s surprised that the AMC theater lasted so long with all the vacant buildings surrounding them.

“I think if the town had helped get those buildings finished and filled, it would have helped the whole community, including keeping the movie theater,” Agth said.

Monique Sanchez never understood why they’d built the theater so far from other business districts, she said.

With 2,600 stadium-style seats, digital cinema technology, and 3-D viewing options, the theater debuted as the UltraStar Digiplex in December 2007. It was the only business to open at the now-abandoned plaza.

In 2014, Carmike Cinemas took over as owner-operator of Digiplex Apple Valley 14 until AMC acquired the company in 2016.

Apple Valley spokeswoman Sarah Krieg told the Daily Press that the town has offered to help the property owner and broker as they work to lease the space at the plaza.

A new fuel station will be located at the hard corner of the plaza at Bear Valley and Central roads, according to Krieg. A restaurant pad also went in on Bear Valley Road.

The projects were initially approved in 2005 but had expired, with this portion reintroduced and approved in 2021. The building plans are currently being processed and reviewed, Krieg said.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Closure of AMC theater in Apple Valley left moviegoers out ‘in the cold’