The silver screens at Tysons ShowPlace Icon Theatre will briefly go dark next week.
The Boro’s movie theater (1667 Silver Hill Drive) is scheduled to close temporarily from Monday through Thursday (June 17-20), a manager confirmed to FFXnow. However, details about why the theater is closing and what comes next have proven elusive.
The closure might be ushering in a change in the theater’s ownership, according to a tip sent to FFXnow.
The tipster, who described themselves as “a big fan of this theater,” said they noticed that pre-sales for upcoming blockbusters like “Deadpool and Wolverine” and “Twisters” were marked as “sold out” on ShowPlace’s app, and they got a call on Sunday (June 9) saying they’d need to get a refund for purchased tickets because the screenings were canceled for “technical difficulties.”
When they went to see a movie Tuesday night (June 11), the tipster says they were told the theater would close next week and reopen on June 21 “under new ownership.”
“They didn’t specify the new owners other than saying they’re a newer smaller chain and they need a week to switch systems over,” the tip said. “They said not much will change for now and the staff has been told they’re keeping their jobs.”
When asked by FFXnow, employees at the Tysons theater said they were unable to talk about the closure. ShowPlace Icon’s parent company, Kerasotes, didn’t respond to requests for comment by email, phone and social media by press time.
A public relations representative for The Boro also said they hadn’t received any information.
For now, if you’re planning to catch a film at ShowPlace Icon soon, this weekend appears to be the best bet. The theater’s website still lists screenings for this weekend’s big new release — the “Inside Out” sequel — on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but attempting to buy a ticket triggers a pop-up message that “online tickets are not available for this showing.”
The online schedule ends next Thursday (June 20), when no movies are listed.
Featuring 14 auditoriums that can seat 1,795 people, a bistro and lounge, ShowPlace Icon originally opened at The Boro in February 2020, but it quickly closed as the region shut down to limit the spread of COVID-19. The theater temporarily reopened in August 2020 with new safety protocols before closing again due to the challenges of operating under pandemic-related restrictions and a lack of new releases.
The theater reopened on a more long-term basis in April 2021, enticing patrons with a “Welcome Back” promotion that included cheaper-than-usual tickets and food and drink discounts.
Other cinema options in the Tysons area include the long-standing AMC Theatres in Tysons Corner Center, Angelika Film Center at the Mosiac District in Merrifield and CMX CinéBistro — the most recent addition — in Tysons Galleria.
