KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
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The B&B Theatres location in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, closed its doors this weekend, marking the latest sign of challenges facing movie theaters across the country.
In a statement, B&B Theatres said the closure came after a review.
"B&B routinely reviews the theatres in our circuit and makes decisions based on what will best strengthen the Company going forward. After thoughtful review, we have made the decision to exit this location. We encourage you to continue enjoying the B&B experience at our other Kansas City locations," the statement said.
Adam Roberts, the owner of Screenland Armour, another Kansas City theater, said the closure was not unexpected.
"Honestly, it's not too surprising. You know, in 2026 more theaters are closing than opening. That location has historically always been somewhat difficult," Roberts said.
Roberts said Kansas City has long had more screens than its market can sustain.
"The asterisk there is that we're a small market with a ton of screens for the size of our city. So it never really was sustainable long term for us to have, you know, a theater a stone thrown away from the other theater," Roberts said.
While Roberts called the closure bittersweet, he said fewer theaters competing for the same audience could benefit those that remain.
"Less competition is good for all the other theaters, honestly. Maybe, yeah, bittersweet, of course. I mean, any theater closing isn't good. Like, you know, I've closed theaters too. It's not exciting to close a theater, but you do have to look on the bright side that, you know, like, we're still here. They're still here. They didn't close their whole business. They closed a location," Roberts said.
For years, Americans have moved away from regular theatergoing, with pandemic shutdowns, Hollywood strikes, streaming convenience, and franchise fatigue breaking the once-steady habit of seeing movies on the big screen.
However, Roberts said one demographic has been a bright spot for his theater.
"In the last year, our biggest growth has been Gen Z," Roberts said.
Roberts said the generation's interest in communal, in-person experiences has driven that growth.
"We had to look at Gen Z and hope, hope they were going to be interested. And for us, they really have been in all types of cinema, and that's really good. But I think the reason they're interested is those analog experiences, is that they could find community outside of a keyboard, and that's really important," Roberts said.
CinemaUnited reports a 25% moviegoing frequency uptick for Gen Z over the last year.
Roberts said Kansas City moviegoers who frequented the downtown location still have options nearby.
"But if you're downtown and you're like, 'I feel like I have nowhere to go.' Just know that 10 minutes away, either south or north, there are locations that will gladly accept you and need you to come," Roberts said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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