LOWER EAST SIDE — A 14-screen Regal Cinemas multiplex will open in Essex Crossing in the next few years, the movie theater chain and developer Delancey Street Associates announced Monday.
The theater, which will be located on the corner of Delancey and Essex streets, is the development’s first retail tenant, the developer said in a statement.
The new Regal Cinemas location will be the first movie theater built in the borough since 2001 and the largest in Lower Manhattan below Union Square, where the chain also has a theater, according to Delancey Street Associates.
Amenities at the new theater include digital projection, as well as recliners with electric controls “for multiple positions” and padded footrests, according to the release.
“It’s been more than a decade since a new theater has been built in Manhattan and Regal jumped at the chance to partner with the developers,” said Greg Dunn, president and COO of Regal Entertainment Group in a statement.
“Located in the heart of the Lower East Side, the [theater] is going to be an incredible addition to this quintessential New York City neighborhood and we are excited to be a part of it.”
The theater will take up 65,000 square feet in the base of a 315-foot-tall apartment building and will sit atop the future site of the Essex Street Market, which will move to the new building once construction has been completed, according to Crain’s New York, which first reported the deal.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring and finish by late 2017 or 2018, according to Crain’s.
Unveiled last year, Essex Crossing is a $1.1 billion mix-used development located on nine city-owned blocks near Delancey and Essex streets. In addition to commercial space, the project will include a park and 1,000 new apartments.
