Amber Tolbert has been serving up caffeine fixes at the East 59 Cafe since 2020.The coffee hot spot is only feet from AMC’s Village at Lee Branch theatre, which comes with a little extra entertainment nostalgia for moviegoers like her.“Me and my husband had our first date there in 2005, and so that was 20 years ago, and that's how long this movie theater has been a staple here,” Tolbert said. Unfortunately, the cinema's 21-year run is over.AMC showed its final films at the Highway 280 location Sunday night.Monday, AMC issued the following statement. "AMC ceased operations at Lee Branch 15 after close of business on Sunday, March 23. 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. We thank our Lee Branch 15 guests for their patronage and encourage them to continue enjoying the AMC experience at AMC Summit 16, AMC DINE-IN Vestavia Hills 10, and Patton Creek 15.”Michelle Baum once watched movies here monthly when she lived in the nearby Brook Highland neighborhood. “I just think it is really sad that movie theatres in general are not that popular. There's so many things you can watch on tv. You can stream everything,” Baum said.The closure will not only affect Lee Branch businesses like Tolbert's café which benefited from the extra traffic, but will force movie buffs to burn more gas for the latest box office hit. The signs announcing the theatre's closing on its exterior doors urge moviegoers to visit their Summit location.The AMC website offered other locations for patrons to visit. Google Maps shows the Summit AMC is 16 minutes away, while the Patton Creek and Vestavia Hills spots are even 5-8 minutes further away.“Traffic on 280 is not fun. So yeah, it'll leave a hole, I'm sure,” Baum said.So what's going to fill that hole?Tolbert was told a fitness mecca is likely on the way.“We know that there's a gym going in. And we hope that it continues to kind of revitalize this side of Lee Branch,” Tolbert said. Crawford Square, the real estate company which manages Village at Lee Branch, did not respond to our request for a timeline on the future theatre replacement.>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free