AMC Closes Magic Johnson Theatre

Living in Leimert Park I pass the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza pretty frequently. I’ve noticed in the last week or so that Magic’s name has disappeared from the multiplex movie theatre he helped established 15 years ago. Turns out that AMC closed the theatre down officially on June 13th; however the theatre will undergo a $10 million renovation thanks to Capri Urban Investors, owners of the mall themselves. The movie theatre renovation is the beginning of a $30 million renovation to the entire mall.

Magic Johnson had this to say about the theatres’ closing:

“I am deeply saddened to learn of AMC’s decision to close the Magic Johnson Theatre at Crenshaw Baldwin Hills Mall,” Johnson said in a statement. “AMC purchased the Magic Johnson Theatres several years ago. This was my first (theater), so a piece of me will definitely close with it. I want to thank the community for their support and loyalty over the years. The (theater) has truly been the heartbeat of that community.”

As a resident of this community, I am personally excited about this renovation. Capri Urban Investors, which is a Black owned and operated company, plans to take into account the needs and wants of the residents of this area. I hope they understand that Black folks shop for more than tennis shoes and baby clothes. With Walmart as an anchor store, this mall doesn’t offer much, and we know Macy’s is here begrudingly since they closed their doors on us in 1999. It was sheer luck that they acquired Robinsons-May and ended back over here anyway. Hopefully a $30 million investment will bring us a more diverse selection of retail stores so we can spend our money within our community.

6 Replies to “AMC Closes Magic Johnson Theatre”

  1. You should see the drawings for the new mall. It looks amazing! Magic’s theater needs to be torn down and rebuilt, not remodeled.

  2. I actually did see them a few years ago, but I was sworn to secrecy. I worked for a PR firm that represented one of the architects on the project. I can’t wait to see the change!

  3. It’s about time they put some money into that Mall. I see what Westfield did to Fox Hills and hope that we could see that type of renovation for the Baldwin Hills mall. It’s crazy about the Magic Theater, cuz I met my wife there 12yrs ago while working the box office at that theater.

  4. I think it’s wonderful that they are finally renovating the theater formally known as “Magic’s Theater”. It is long over do and I can’t wait to see it once completed and how it will hopefully financially stimulate the area.

    My only negative remark is that they chose the worst time of the year to renovate. Summer is here which means big box office hits which would rack in a lot of revenue! You’d think that they would have made the decision to close it in September or December 2009.

    Just a thought. 🙂

  5. That area really fell off & I’m more than happy they are cleaning it up I just hope the community appreciates the hard work money & effort put into

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