Cinema 123 by Angelika, the Upper East Side movie house across from Bloomingdale's, has closed after 64 years

One of the Upper East Side's last neighborhood movie theaters has gone dark. Cinema 123 by Angelika, the three-screen theater at 1001 Third Avenue, between East 59th and East 60th streets and across the avenue from Bloomingdale's, showed its final films on Thursday, Oct. 29, and is now permanently closed.

"As our final credits roll, we thank you for being part of our story," the theater said in a farewell notice posted on its Instagram account, which dated the closure to Oct. 30. Upper East Site reported the closing on the afternoon of the last day, hours before the final shows, and said it leaves just one movie theater standing in the neighborhood.

A 1962 original

The theater opened in 1962 as Cinema I & II, the notice says. 6sqft describes it as the first twin-screen cinema in the country. According to the theater history site Cinema Treasures, it opened on June 26, 1962, with Boccaccio '70 playing on both screens, was designed by architects Abraham W. Geller and Benjamin Schlanger, and added its third screen in December 1988. Recliner seats installed in 2016 cut capacity to 332, the site says. Over the decades it showed independent, foreign and mainstream films, Time Out said.

The last bill, per Cinema Treasures and the marquee on closing day, included You Can See Everything and Sense and Sensibility.

Why it closed

The closing follows a sale. Reading International, the parent company of the Angelika brand, became the property's full owner last year, 6sqft reported. It listed the site in April for about $50 million, and in September agreed to sell it for $41 million to a buyer identified as 1001 Third Avenue LLC, according to Time Out and 6sqft, both citing MarketWatch. Time Out said the company expected the deal to close on or around Oct. 30 and had said the sale would cut interest costs and add liquidity.

What comes next is unclear. Marketing materials highlighted the site's spot across from Bloomingdale's and its potential for a mixed-use luxury development, Crain's reported, according to both outlets. No development plan has been made public.

Another East Side screen at risk

The closing comes as the AMC Kips Bay 15 faces its own end date after NYU Langone acquired its building. AMC's CEO has said the hospital system rejected every alternative the chain proposed, including a smaller theater, and the lease runs out on Jan. 3, 6sqft reported. Neighbors and elected officials have been fighting to save it.

Where to go now

Cinema 123's notice directs customers to Angelika's other two Manhattan theaters: the Angelika Film Center at 18 W. Houston St. and Village East by Angelika at 189 Second Ave. It lists info@angelikafilmcenter.com and a toll-free line, 888-668-4605, for other questions.