KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan has continued to cover topics in regarding growth and development in Belton and across Cass County. If you have a story you'd like to share, reach out. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Late Wednesday night, Willie Walker, Belton Cinema 8's longtime general manger, who also works as Chief Operating Officer for Mitchell Theatres', confirmed the sale of its longtime Belton theater to a local church.
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Two weeks ago, management of Mitchell Theatres Belton 8 Cinemas announced it would close at the end of the summer.
Belton 8 Cinemas has operated for over a decade in the community.
KSHB 41 has reached out to the church that purchased the property for comment and has not heard back.
The church will not be named until KSHB 41 is able to confirm the church's purchase of the property.
Following the theater's closure announcement last month, an outpouring of support appeared online for the theater complex.
"Thank you for standing by us over the years," Belton 8 Cinemas wrote on Facebook."Your support has meant everything. We encourage you to continue visiting, sharing your memories, and celebrating what we’ve built together. Thank you for the incredible years—we’ll see you at the movies."
The closure follows an announcement that B&B Theatres would operate a location in Belton's new Uptown District, KSHB 41 reported in late March.
In that same Belton City Council meeting, Tyler Burks, the developer of the Uptown District from PETRA, told the council it intended to purchase Belton 8 Cinemas and operate it with B&B Theatres until the new location opens.
Walker told KSHB 41 Cass County reporter Ryan Gamboa that PETRA submitted an offer and Mitchell Theatres countered PETRA's offer, but never heard back from the company.
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In an official statement to KSHB 41, Walker expressed his discontent with the development decisions in the Uptown District project.
"It's evident we are shutting down," Walker said. "I just want to be clear on the facts that we are not in line with the city of Belton or PETRA on its development priorities. The Uptown District development is not something we support. We were never warned another movie theater was in the cards. We have been loyal to the community and our customers over the years. I wish we would have known this was coming, with the amount of money involved in this project."
KSHB 41 reached out to the City of Belton for comment on the sale of the property late Wednesday night and is waiting for a response.
Belton's new Uptown District was first announced back in November 2025 by Mayor Norman Larkey at the State of the City address.
The development, in addition to 600 new homes, would offer five, 6,000-square-foot restaurants, 7,500 square feet of retail and a large entertainment complex.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026 and is expected to be completed by 2032.
In a phone call with Walker on Wednesday night, he told Gamboa he was at peace in selling the property and and is ready for the next steps in his life.
Mitchell Theatres has 107 screens across 15 locations — Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Walker does not own Belton 8 Cinemas, but opened the theater in 2011, and has opened multiple locations for the company.
The Belton 8 Cinemas plans to close in late July.
Gamboa also reached out to the developer for the Uptown District, PETRA, for comment and is waiting on a response.
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