UPDATED: Bloomfield's Maple Art Theatre to Change Ownership

The Maple Art Theater, the sole movie theater that Bloomfield residents can call their own, will close at the end of January, company officials said Wednesday afternoon.

“Unfortunately, we have lost our lease and will cease operation at the Maple Art Theatre at the end of this month," Ted Mundorff, chief executive officer of Landmark Theatres, wrote in an email to Bloomfield Patch. "It saddens us to leave this historical landmark and we would like to thank our loyal patrons who have supported us for the past 13 years."

Further details about the decision were not immediately available.

The three-screen cinema, located near the southwest corner of Telegraph and Maple roads, was built in 1974 and has been operated by Landmark since 1998. The theater has long been a home to independent films and foreign language cinema, and was considered the first of its kind in this area to cater specifically to that segment of moviegoers, according to Landmark's website.

The theater will maintain its normal hours and regularly scheduled showtimes through the end of the month. Currently showing are Carnage, Shame, Melancholia and The Artist, which just won three Golden Globes, including one for best comedy film.

Landmark operates 55 theaters nationwide stretching from Berkeley, CA, to Boston. Among them is the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, which will not face a similar fate, Mundorff said.

"We love the city of Detroit and will continue to operate the Main Art in Royal Oak," he wrote.

Employees reached at the theater Wednesday declined comment and deferred all statements to Landmark's corporate office.

The company's statement did not address questions posed by Bloomfield Patch about how many employees will lose their jobs or when and how they heard the news. It also did not answer whether there would be special showings or events leading up to the closure, and how advanced ticket sales or rentals will be handled.