SOLON, Ohio -- The AMC Classic Solon 16 has permanently closed, ending the theater’s 31-year run in the community.
When it opened in 1991, the Solon Commons 8, as it was known then, was touted as Solon’s first cinema since the town’s original movie house shut down in 1974. Opening weekend audiences came to see “The Fisher King,” “Necessary Roughness,” “Company Business” and more. Regal, the theater’s original operator, expanded the business twice, doubling its original size to 16 screens by 1997. Cleveland Cinemas took over operations in 2004. The theater then changed hands a couple of times before AMC acquired the location in 2016 and branded it as an AMC Classic theater, which the company uses for its older theaters with fewer amenities.
Like the other national movie theater chains, AMC has had its share of challenges navigating a pandemic that has seen attendance plummet dramatically. The industry has started to slowly recover, but box office receipts in 2022 were still down 35% from their pre-COVID-19 levels. The company’s other Northeast Ohio locations -- AMC Ridge Park Square 8 in Brooklyn, AMC Westwood Town Center 6 in Rocky River and AMC Classic Ashtabula Mall 6 -- remain open. But the southeastern suburbs will be without another place to watch theatrical releases when Chagrin Cinemas, located less than 10 miles from the AMC Classic Solon 16,If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.