AMC 12 at Sarasota Square Mall closes permanently

One of three remaining businesses at Sarasota Square Mall, AMC Sarasota 12, has closed for business. The movie theater, which was one of the three merchants planned to remain at the mall when it is redeveloped, shuttered for good at close of business Thursday, Oct. 31.

Developer Torburn Partners of Illinois and Fort Lauderdale bought the mall structure in 2021 for $19 million and intends to demolish most of it to create a mixed-use project. Plans presented to the Sarasota County Commision in April indicated that Costco, JCPenney and AMC 12 were to remain in place. 

In all, Torburn has invested more than $32 million in the 93-acre mall property. The developer plans as many as 1,200 apartments and more than 690,000 square feet of commercial, office and retail space surrounding a central event lawn. 

“We thank our Sarasota 12 guests for their patronage and encourage them to continue enjoying the AMC experience at AMC Bradenton 20,” AMC Media Relations Manager Cassie Nichols said in a statement to sister publication Business Observer.

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According the Business Observer, AMC has reduced its footprint in recent years, operating 886 theaters worldwide at the end of June, compared with 906 theaters a year before and 940 at the end of 2022.

“AMC routinely reviews the theatres in our circuit, as well as opportunities outside of our circuit, and makes decisions based on what will best strengthen the company going forward,” Nichols said in the statement. 

Illinois-based Torburn Partners plans to convert the property into a mix of retailers, restaurants, offices and apartments, bringing an upscale lifestyle experience to the site just south of the city adjacent to Palmer Ranch. Aside from three big-box businesses, the mall has for several years been a nearly empty wasteland occupying prime commercial property just south of the Sarasota city limit.