Kansas City’s downtown movie theater closes, leaving historic spot vacant
One of the last movie theaters within the Kansas City limits has closed.
Liberty-based movie chain B&B Theatres announced on Facebook that its downtown Kansas City location, Mainstreet KC at the Power & Light District, has shut down, effective immediately. Its Facebook page now says “permanently closed,” and there are no showtimes available on its website.
“B&B routinely reviews the theatres in our circuit and makes decisions based on what will best strengthen the Company going forward,” B&B Theatres said on social media. “After thoughtful review, we have made the decision to exit this location.”
The building at 1400 Main St. has only known movie theaters. Before becoming a B&B, it was an Alamo Drafthouse That theater filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2021. Alamo Drafthouse had been accused of allowing sexual harassment and treating workers unfairly, according to 2020 reporting by The Pitch .
Leawood-based movie theater chain AMC operated inside the building from 1960 to 1985 under the name the Empire before it shut down, and then was called the AMC Mainstreet Theater from 2009 to 2012 after restorations to the historic building. Alamo Drafthouse took over in 2012 after AMC moved its headquarters to Leawood.
The building first opened in 1921 as a vaudeville and movie theater called the Mainstreet Theatre.
Movie theaters within city limits now include AMC Ward Parkway and the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre inside Union Station. Other spots showing films include the Rooftop Cinema Club and Tivoli Cinema inside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, although they do not show new releases.
B&B said in its social media post that moviegoers can visit other locations in Shawnee, Overland Park, Liberty, Lee’s Summit, Harrisonville, Grain Valley and Leavenworth. Other movie theaters are scattered around the KC metro area, like Screenland Armour Theatre in North Kansas City and Cinemark in Merriam.
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 11:34 AM.
