The AMC Block E 15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota closed September 23, 2012 because its lease ran out, and AMC was unable to persuade the landlord to extend it, even after going to court.

The StarTribune published an article on September 13, 2012 which outlined the situation:

The curtains will close at Block E's movie theater later this month, leaving downtown without a movie theater for the first time since 2002.

An AMC Theaters spokesman, Ryan Noonan, said Wednesday that the 15-screen theater will close at the end of the day on Sunday, Sept. 23. AMC didn't want to move, but lost a legal fight with building owners earlier this year to extend their lease.

AMC is the latest in a string of retailers to move out of the complex on 6th Street and Hennepin Avenue, which opened in 2002 after receiving a massive city subsidy.

Among the remaining tenants are the Shout House piano bar, Kieran's Irish Pub, Jimmy John's and Starbucks. Of those, only Shout House is located inside the building.

The article goes on to mention that after failing to gain support for a casino, the owners of Block E are now pursuing converting as much space as possible to office space. Click the Read link below to view the full article.

Before AMC took over the operation in 2010, the theater was known as the Crown Block E Stadium 15, which was built in 2002. The closure of the Block E 15 theater means that Minneapolis has joined the ranks of other large cities that do not have downtown movie theaters. The closest movie theater that we could find playing movies in current release is the St. Anthony Main, which is located across the river on Main Street SE. For more options (if you're willing to travel further), take a look at this list of nearby theaters to the AMC Block E 15.

Related News Articles

• Downtown's only movie theater, Block E AMC, to close Sept. 23 -- StarTribune [Sept 13, 2012]
• Block-E AMC Theatre to close on Sept. 23 -- Fox 9 KMSP-TV [Sept 12, 2012]
• Last movie showing at Block E as AMC moves out -- Fox 9 KMSP-TV [Sept 24, 2012]