AMC Irving Mall 14

The Irving Mall opened August 4, 1971. Following a soft launch open house, the General Cinema Irving Mall I-II opened on the mall’s main level on Nov. 17, 1971 with “Something Big” on the 900-seat screen I and “Doctor Zhivago” on the smaller 450-seat screen II. The 900-screen theater was divided into two at the end of 1976 to form the Irving I-II-III. On October 26, 1984, on the mall’s lower floor at the food court, General Cinema added the Irving Mall IV-V-VI-VII.

General Cinema closed the I-II-III in August 1997 to expand into what would be the its only attempt at approaching a modern-build megaplex in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area before its operations were overtaken by AMC. The 14-screen stadium seating Irving Mall 14 was part of a $20 million renovation of the Simon DeBartolo Irving Mall which was trying to compete against strip shopping centers across the street and across the highway. On September 25, 1998, the Irving Mall IV-V-VI-VII ceased leaving the mall theater-less for almost three months. General Cinema also closed the Collin Creek Mall cinema the same day. Those followed the July 1998’s closing of NorthPark III & IV and Prestonwood Town Center as the megaplexes were decimating General Cinema’s failing multiplex business plan. The Irving Mall 14 would have a free soft launch on December 16, 1998 and then open on Dec. 18, 1998.

The move did prompt AMC to shut down its neighboring six-screen dollar house less than a year later. But by 2000/1, General Cinema was in free fall collapse in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closing theaters all over the nation including virtually every theater in the DFW area. The theater chain was down to just 73 theaters nationwide from its high of 621 theaters when purchased by AMC in Dec. 2001 (approved in 2002). The General Cinema signage was quickly removed from the Irving Mall location on a Thursday night where moviegoers could choose between AMC “Ticket” cups and bags or General Cinema “Popcorn Bob” cups and popcorn bags. Then on Friday, the theater opened as the AMC Irving Mall 14 which operated thereafter. While other shuttered General Cinemas became home to movie theaters, the Irving was the only continuously operated theater passing from General Cinema to AMC in DFW.

Under Dalian Wanda’s takeover of AMC, the AMC Irving was almost shockingly selected for a $6.1 million transformation including a bar, high end recliner seats which led to theaters having just 50 to 130 seats in them. The adjoining, enclosed game rooms were repurposed. AMC paid two thirds of the remodel and Simon Malls which operates the entire property paid for the other third. Total seating went from 3,056 seats in the 14-screener to just 1,152 seats. In July of 2013, the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission approved the liquor license and the theater operated continuously to its relaunch in October of 2013 with its first nine luxury suites. Despite the remodel, a few of the General Cinema coming attraction lit signs were still being used within the theater unchanged since 1998.

Please update, The Irving Mall 14 would have a free soft launch on December 16, 1998 and then open on Dec. 18, 1998 (see seperate page of the other 2 cinemas)