Commentary: A blockbuster we don’t ever want to see: The loss of AMC

By Betsey Burgdorf

I don’t remember what my first movie was. But I do remember the first movie I took my kids to.

It was Babe, an adorable tale of a pig that could communicate with its farmer, that mesmerized my son and daughter, ages 5 and 3 at the time. I remember their faces lifted to the screen, illuminated in its light. The love of the theater was instilled in them at that moment for life.

Nowadays, I still go to the movies, but not quite the tales that require little ones to sit in booster seats. Every Tuesday, tickets are only $7 at AMC Headquarters Plaza 10.  That’s where you’ll find me, with the Tuesday Night Movie Club (TNMC).

Since COVID, it seems that our selection at the Morristown theater has been dwindling, with the best of Hollywood being sent straight to streaming. But it’s the big screen, the trailers, and the club’s passion for movies that keeps me coming back.

The TNMC started approximately seven years ago through the collaborative efforts of several friends.

“We were attracted to the idea of a midweek activity, together with the fact that movies have generally been discounted on Tuesday nights,” said Michael Tobia, one of the founding members and a Morristown resident. “We realized that for many of us, movies tend to unite people.”

But then March 2020 arrived, and life as we knew it came to a screeching halt. The pandemic has had a substantial impact on many industries, particularly on the film industry, which has continued into 2022. Theaters already had been in decline, but the pandemic was a hit below the belt.

According to the LA Times, by summer of 2021, Hollywood and Wall Street speculated that bankruptcy was most likely just around the corner for AMC, the world’s largest cinema operator with approximately 11,000 screens in 1,000 theaters across the globe.

Morristown is lucky to be home to one of these theaters.

Fortunately, AMC was able to avoid bankruptcy by receiving a $917 million “cash infusion” from investors who believe in the future of cinema.

Towns that have local movie theaters are becoming increasingly harder to find. The Rialto Theater, a landmark venue that opened in 1922 in Westfield, closed its doors for good in 2019. The Strand Theater in Summit closed its doors permanently in the late 1980s, leaving deep voids in both small towns.

Chatham faced a similar heartbreak in October 2021 with the closing of Robert’s Theater, which truly left a void in my own heart. Robert’s Theater had a lineup of indie movies that rivaled any Greenwich Village theater.

Some of my top movies were seen on the single screen at Robert’s Theatre. I can remember my son and I sneaking away, on a school night, to see Slumdog Millionaire. He had seen it the weekend before and was so captivated, he needed to see it again, and wanted to share it with me. It is still on one of my top 10 favorite movies.

Luckily for film fans, it seems that major studios, like Paramount and Warner Brothers, and major actors, are getting back in business on the big screen.

The Lost City, our recent TNMC outing, is a prime example. Distributed by Paramount Pictures Studios, with stars like Sandra Bullock, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Daniel Radcliffe, and Tatum Channing, and a cameo by Brad Pitt, it promised and delivered the kind of hilarious Hollywood satire that we all know and love.

Despite being self-proclaimed movie buffs, TNMC members, like all movie fans, have one movie or genre that we just can’t stand. While I can’t remember my first movie, I can remember the first and only movie I ever walked out of. 

Amityville Horror.

Horror is my least favorite genre, forever and ever, Amen! And, while I admire anyone who can enjoy it for the art that it is, it will always be simply too scary for me.

One of the only movies I have seen the TNMC walk out of was Oscar-nominated Uncut Gems. Members complained of the violence, offensive nature, and lack of plot. I, however, managed to stick it out with another member, desperate for the plot line of the violent script to emerge.

Another miss for our TNMC was the clunky Studio 666, starring the late Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the Foo Fighters. In our recent outing, members discussed a renewed interest in the film following the musician’s untimely passing.

Luckily, the TNMC is happy to report that walkouts are rare. Typically, we have found more luck with stories such as First Man, A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, Toy Story 4, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Since 2018, I have been to more than 30 movies with the TNMC. Some founding members who seen close to 200. I have been dazzled by the charming Oscar winner Green Book, an unsurprising win if you are familiar with the film.

One of the perks I have gained from my time in the movie club is finding obscure films, those that never earn the deserved recognition on the small screen, for being quirky or for not featuring mainstream actors or actresses.

While everyone may be familiar with the multilayered hit drama TV series This Is Us, few may know that the director, Dan Fogelman, also wrote and directed a small indie film called Life Itself.

Streaming services have made it easy to hunker down on the couch for the night with the pause button in reach. But is it the same? Whether the movie is good or bad, for the members of the TNMC, the excitement is being in a theater, with friends, in a reclining seat, being dazzled by the big screen, the buttery popcorn enticing you in.

Movie lovers know the big screen is the best! Nicole Kidman, who always appears onscreen on Tuesday nights, says, “We come…for magic. To laugh, to cry. For that indescribable feeling when the lights begin to dim, and we go somewhere we have never been before.”

It is an indescribable feeling being at the movies, at least for me. Going to the movies is something I have enjoyed my whole life. But it seems like an historic era might be coming to an end. With the rise of streaming services, and theaters closing left and right, could our beloved AMC Headquarters be next?

Not if the TNMC can help it. The perks seem endless to members. With discounted ticket prices, it’s hard to say no. It’s a great chance to get out of the house, and support a local business. Top that with our discussions and debates afterward, with all opinions welcome, and you have a night out you just won’t want to miss.