May 29, 2026
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Apple Cinemas will not move forward with its plan to reopen the former Regal UA Riverview Plaza movie theater and debut a new IMAX screen, the company says. The independent chain claims property owner and developer Bart Blatstein has not honored terms of the lease.
Apple Cinemas' renovation of the former movie theater at the Riverview Plaza in South Philly will not move forward due to problems with the condition of the property, a co-owner of the independent chain said Thursday.
The reopening of the shuttered Regal United Artists multiplex on Christopher Columbus Boulevard, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, had been eagerly awaited by moviegoers in Philly since Apple Cinemas unveiled the project last August. The small chain signed a lease for the property two years ago and had a deal with IMAX to install a screen with a laser system. None of the city's other theaters have IMAX screens.
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Apple Cinemas aimed to open the 17-screen theater some time this year, but months passed without any concrete updates on the project. The company said the delay and demise of the renovation stems from a conflict with developer Bart Blatstein, whose Tower Investments owns the entire Riverview Plaza at 1100-1400 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
"Unfortunately this project, given the uncertainty over a lot of lease terms and the delivery condition, will not be able to move forward," said Siva Shan, co-founder and co-owner of Apple Cinemas. "There was a water leak, which caused mold. The landlord was supposed to remediate the mold and give the property to us. We've been holding onto this for the last two years, and he was supposed to do all those things and give it to us, and he has not communicated anything about delivering the property to us."
As recently as March 4, the city issued a permit for Apple Cinemas to move forward with alterations at the building, including new finishes and auditorium seating. Another permit issued in November covered a variety of interior and exterior work.
In late March, after months of inquiries, Shan told PhillyVoice that Apple Cinemas was still waiting to enter the property for contractors to start renovations.
Commercial real estate leases often include a landlord delivery letter stipulating work that needs to be done before a property is turned over to the tenant. An agreement may include a timeline to complete repairs of utilities and structural issues, for example, and tenants may have the option to renegotiate or terminate a lease if benchmarks are not met.
Blatstein, who owns and has developed more than 100 properties, mostly in Philly and Atlantic City over the past four decades, declined multiple interview requests.
When a deadline passed to deliver the South Philly property last week, Shan said Blatstein did not give Apple Cinemas a firm timetable to move forward. The company already has invested about $200,000 for permitting and other costs related to the project, Shan said, and Apple Cinemas would rather look elsewhere in Philly than remain in limbo.
"We want to take a property, renovate quickly, and move on to the next project," Shan said. "We cannot be sitting on a single project for more than two years, so we were forced to cancel it."
Tower Investments originally built the 77,000-square-foot movie theater and a separate retail plaza in the late 1980s. The property was then sold to Cedar Realty Trust in 2003. The theater long served as one of the city's most accessible places to catch a movie, especially in IMAX. A free parking lot beneath Interstate 95 made it a more convenient place to drive compared to Philly's other theaters in Center City, North Philly, University City and the Northeast.
Before the pandemic, Cedar Realty Trust had planned a $12 million renovation of the movie theater along with the construction of apartments and new retail outlets. The project never materialized, and the Regal closed in November 2020 as cinemas worldwide were crippled by COVID restrictions.
Blatstein bought the property back two years later, saying he paid less for it than the sale price in 2003. The retail complex across Reed Street is anchored by a Staples, Pep Boys and Verilife medical marijuana dispensary. Blatstein also owns the nearby Columbus Crossing shopping center, and he purchased Piers 38 and 40 on the Delaware River waterfront a few months after reacquiring the Riverview Plaza.
Apple Cinemas, founded in Massachusetts in 2010, operates 14 independent movie theaters primarily in New England. The company opened its first West Coast theater with an IMAX screen in San Francisco last year. The chain's growth prompted Apple Inc. to file a trademark infringement lawsuit against Apple Cinemas last August. The tech giant alleges Apple Cinemas' name dilutes the Apple brand, confuses customers and uses the company's reputation to garner favorable leasing deals.
Shan said he's unable to comment on the Apple lawsuit. The two sides filed a motion this week to continue the case, signaling they could be headed toward a settlement. The lawsuit has no bearing on the company's ability to continue operating and expanding, Shan said.
"We have opened two other locations since signing the Philadelphia lease," Shan said. "We are extremely good at what we are doing and we do very good for a movie theater."
Apple Cinemas still views Philly as an ideal fit for growth, and the company has already begun scouting alternate locations in several neighborhoods in the city.
"We always want that the city is very vibrant, and it suits our market perfectly," he said. "I believe the city definitely can use a good movie theater."
Apple Cinemas has sent legal notice to Blatstein to terminate the lease at Riverview Plaza and is now awaiting a response, Shan said. There are "multiple issues" at the theater that interfered with delivering the property, Shan claimed, but he declined to share further details on the problems at the building.
"They are in the breach of the lease," Shan said.
City property records show the theater failed to provide required energy and water benchmarking information in February, but later met its obligations on May 11. Last year, the property received a fire code violation for "unapproved conditions" and another violation related to licensing of a vacant structure. (Philadelphia's Property website still lists Cedar Riverview LP as the owner, but a city official confirmed Riverview Plaza is owned by Blatstein and the record is likely not updated due to administrative delays).
For Philly residents, the breakdown in the project may come as a disappointment. It also raises questions about the future of the property if it does not survive as a theater.
Shan said Apple Cinemas is now informing IMAX about the situation, and it's too soon to say whether the planned screen would be incorporated at another location. At one point recently, Shan said Apple Cinemas had applied for a permit to include bowling and arcade along with the theater in South Philly, hoping a revised plan could help move the project along.
Resolving the dispute at Riverview Plaza would be a long shot at this stage, though not impossible.
"If they stick to the original lease terms," Shan said. "It is not only delivering the property. They were not able to stick to a couple of lease terms that were originally agreed upon. I can't discuss that in detail."
Despite the letdown for moviegoers in Philly, Shan said Apple Cinemas is committed to opening in the city.
"At some point, we'll definitely be there," he said.
