Movie chain shuts South Bay theaters as cinema chain’s fate turns murky
SAN JOSE — An independent movie theater company has closed its doors at two South Bay sites in abrupt moves triggered by what appears to be its owner’s implosion.
ShowPlace ICON movie theaters in San Jose and Mountain View have ceased operations. The websites for the parent company as well as the websites for the two South Bay cinema houses have become inactive.
The movie chain emailed letters to customers of the two movie houses that operations had ceased at the two sites.
“ShowPlace ICON at Valley Fair has ended operations effective today,” the movie company stated in an email dated July 1.
The company’s San Jose movie house is at Westfield Valley Fair Center on Stevens Creek Boulevard and the Mountain View cinema complex is at The Village at San Antonio Center on California Street.
In both locations, the movie theaters are key anchors for the retail, restaurant and entertainment complexes where they are located.
Hollywood in general and the movie industry in particular are battling to recover from the brutal economic maladies that the coronavirus unleashed.
The coronavirus-linked business shutdowns and the post-COVID shifts in moviegoer preferences have coalesced to afflict movie theaters, four years after the original outbreak of the deadly bug.
“We would like to express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to our guests for your unwavering support, loyalty, and enthusiasm over the years,” ShowPlace ICON stated in an email that it sent to customers.