Chicago's ShowPlace Icon movie theater closes, its future uncertain

When it opened in 2009, it was billed as among the city's first luxury movie houses — with VIP seating.

Moviegoers may have to travel elsewhere for that experience, after ShowPlace Icon Theatre in the South Loop closed its doors Sunday.

"We would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our guests for your unwavering support, loyalty and enthusiasm over the many years," said a sign posted on the front doors of the theater, located at the Roosevelt Collection retail complex.

Chicago-based owner Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres could not be reached for comment. A Roosevelt Collection spokesperson said Monday that the shutdown resulted from Icon's "parent company ceasing all operations nationally."

The Chicago multiplex was one of four still operated by Kerasotes, which closed all of them in recent weeks. But some will have second lives. One site, in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, was taken over by Marcus Theatres and is set to reopen shortly. The company "has not taken ownership" of the Chicago theater, a Marcus spokesperson said Monday.

Another Kerasotes theater, in Secaucus, New Jersey, is back up and running after being sold to Regal Theatres, which did not respond to a request for comment on the Chicago site.

Deirdre Larsen of CBRE, the property management company that operates the Roosevelt Collection, said Monday that it's "having active conversations with potential new theater partners" to take over the ShowPlace Icon space. She added that Icon is "one of the best performing theaters in the Chicago area."

AMC Theatres, owner of many Chicago area multiplexes, declined to comment on "rumor and speculation" about its possible interest in ShowPlace Icon, a spokesman said.

Back in 2009, it was the movie "experience" that was going to set the Icon apart from other movie theaters in Chicago. The venue offered first-rate sound and projection, specially designed seating and a lounge with special drinks, as well as mini-pizzas and sandwiches. Customers who bought premium tickets could take their food into more spacious VIP theaters within the complex.

The theater complex appeared to be mostly empty Monday, except for a two-man Schindler Elevator crew. The crew was doing work on the escalators leading up from the first floor.

The sign on the front of the theater, off Roosevelt Road at 1011 S. Delano Ct., also said tickets purchased on the Icon website or with the app for shows after Monday have been "automatically refunded to the credit card used for purchase." Tickets bought via Fandango or Atom Tickets will be refunded from those sites, the company said. Those refunds could take up to 10 days to appear on bank or credit card statements.

At the Roosevelt Collection, several incidents involving youths were reported last year, including the arrests of dozens of teenagers after a fight broke out and several of them became disruptive and “disregarded multiple verbal commands by police to disperse,” Chicago police said at the time.