AMC to Reopen Headquarters Plaza Cinema

Six weeks after Bow Tie Cinema closed the movie theater in the heart of Morristown, AMC theaters is getting ready to rip tickets again.

Officials from Headquarters Plaza, the Class A commercial complex in downtown Morristown, announced Thursday AMC Theatres have signed a long-term lease to bring a 10-screen cinema back to Morristown.

AMC Theatres will occupy the 40,000 square-foot movie theater space within Headquarters Plaza that was previously controlled by Clearview Cinemas (now Bow Tie Cinemas), which closed its Morristown location at the end of June.

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty said at Tuesday night's council meeting that progress was being made on opening up the theaters again, but declined to give details.

"I feel it will be positive for our town," Dougherty said.

AMC, which originally operated the theater when Headquarters Plaza was first opened, prior to Clearview Cinemas, has begun recruiting staff, will begin operating the cinema within the next 30 days and has plans for extensive renovations during the next nine months that will modernize the facility, giving guests an unparalleled experience.

"We are very pleased to welcome AMC Theatres back to Headquarters Plaza and the Town of Morristown,” said Seth Schochet, vice president of the Commercial Division of The Olnick Organization, which developed Headquarters Plaza in partnership with Fisher Development Associates.

“Morristown residents, visitors and the area’s significant daily workforce have loyally relied on this location for their movie-going experience for decades. This lease agreement ensures that tradition will continue for years to come.”

Bringing a movie theater back to Morristown was a high priority for the Headquarters Plaza management team, according to Brian Fisher, a principal at Fisher Development Associates.

“Our team worked diligently to bring back this important component of Morristown’s social and entertainment fabric as quickly as possible, but with an improved guest experience,” Fisher said. “AMC Theatres will be a welcome addition to Morristown, and another example of our unwavering commitment to providing a modern, amenity-rich environment for our Headquarters Plaza tenants that also benefits the community at large.”

Renovations planned for the 10-screen theater include plush power recliners, a revamped concession area that includes hot foods such as mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, French fries and pizza, Coca-Cola Freestyle machines and state-of-the-art presentation equipment, such as new movie screens, new speakers and 100 percent digital projectors. The improvements will be completed in phases, allowing the theater to remain open during the work.

“As a community we are thrilled with this announcement,” Dougherty said in Thursday's announcement statement. “I know it’s been on the mind of many residents that we want to get our theater back. I spoke with Headquarters Plaza management and had full faith they would negotiate with different entities in the movie theatre industry to get this done. I’m glad to hear that they now have a contract in place and I look forward to any renovations they have planned for our new theatre in downtown Morristown.”