Movie fans sad about downtown B&B closure, but will support other KC-area spots
Kansas City’s film-watching community took a massive blow Sunday, March 1, when B&B Theatres announced it was closing its doors with no warning. Located near the Power & Light District, it was one of the last movie theaters within Kansas City limits.
The Liberty-based B&B Theatres had operated the location since 2021, and the closure puts an end to a century’s worth of movie history inside the building on the southwest corner of 14th and Main streets. Vaudeville, AMC and Alamo Drafthouse theaters once occupied the venue on the National Register of Historic Places.
After the closure, fans mourned losing another place to hang out and watch the newest releases with friends, family or loved ones. Some of the comments on The Star’s social media post alerting readers of the closure read:
- “So disappointing,” from the official KC Streetcar account
- “I was hoping to get one last movie in but it’s already gone. :(”
- “That was my fav movie spot.”
- “The movies didn’t let us down, we let the movies down.”
One comment also read, “Sad. The genesis of the Main Street Movie Club was at this location, I have so many fond memories. A wonderful gathering place.”
Jamel Thompson, the creator of the Mainstreet Movie Club, agreed.
The creative also known as The Royal Chief has hosted the movie club since April 2025. Participants would meet up at a local KC restaurant on the KC Streetcar route to grab food and drinks before taking the streetcar to B&B Theatres. The closing won’t put an end to the monthly meetups, but it’ll make things a little tougher for members who live in the urban core of Kansas City.
“It’s unfortunate to that kind of centrally located theater, you know, an urban theater that’s around the Black community,” Thompson said. “It’s always unfortunate to lose that space, and hopefully somebody can step in and take it over.”
B&B’s closing marks the fourth theater to close its doors within Kansas City limits in the last decade, following Cinemark on the Country Club Plaza and AMC and Alamo Drafthouse in the Main Street building.
Thompson believes the closing of movie theaters not only in Kansas City, but nationwide, comes down to convenience. It’s easier and cheaper for someone to turn on a movie on a streaming service and eat at home rather than pay for a ticket and concessions.
“If it’s not a big movie anymore, people just feel like, ‘I won’t go to the theater. I’ll just wait for it to come out on streaming,’” Thompson said. “I know it’ll be on streaming in a few weeks whereas in the past, you were waiting months before something got to DVD.”
The lack of community is something his club addresses and would like to see more pop up to combat the “wait for streaming” thinking. He’d like to see more people coming together and enjoying each other’s company, and watching movies as a group is one way to do that.
“You learn a lot, you meet a lot of new people., you get different perspectives,” Thompson said.
Mainstreet Movie Club has collaborated with other movie theaters in the past, like Screenland Armour in North Kansas City, Pharaoh Cinema in Independence or the soon-to-reopen Boone Theater in the 18th & Vine district (which will also host the Black Movie Hall of Fame), and Thompson said he’s looking forward to venturing out to the remaining B&B Theatre locations to reach audiences around the Kansas City metro.
Support for movie theaters in the Kansas City area
Screenland owner Adam Roberts said that the reality is that more theaters across the country are closing than opening, and that Kansas City is a small market in terms of box office. The area’s been overpowered with the number of screens for the size of the city, but that’s not the reason for the closures.
Roberts attributed it to new moviegoing habits. Theaters are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 Screen Actors Guild strike prevented a lot of movies from being shown on the silver screen.
He also believes that the location itself played a role. Despite its central location, a high price for rent, building taxes or navigating parking even with the streetcar just outside could’ve made the moviegoing experience tough and drew potential visitors away, also making it tough for the theater to profit.
“We’ve had three very different flavors of theater in and seen highs and lows, and none of them financially made sense to operate,” Roberts said. “And in 2026, it’s harder to justify underperforming locations.”
The independent movie theater does have more flexibilty compared to large chains, and Roberts said Screenland is able to offer a moviegoing experience similar to how he grew up: limited to no ads, no talking or texting and a variety of movies. He’s hopeful that the experience can grow, both for the visitor and the owner.
“For consumers, we need to shed our algorithm and look into what’s playing and take a chance and not be dictated by top of box office or Rotten Tomatoes,” Roberts said. “For theater owners, we have to be creative with programming and work to offer the best concessions and movie going environment.”
Screenland also left a comment on The Star’s social media post, saying, “If you’re looking for a close new favorite theater, it’s us. Just a 9 minute hop away.”
“If you love movies and want to ensure the success of both cinemas and filmmakers alike, keep spending with your dollar,” Roberts said. “Support your theaters. Support your favorite local business.”
