Some bad news on the entertainment front. Baxter Avenue Theaters in Louisville is closing at the end of the year, according to the CJ.

Baxter Avenue Theatres is coming to a close after a long life in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood.

The theater’s last day open will be Dec. 31, according to a Dec. 22 statement from Apex Entertainment, Baxter’s parent company. …

Best known for showing foreign and independent films, the eight-screened theater has been a Highlands staple since it opened in 1996 on Bardstown Road.

Baxter has hosted at least 300 showings of cult-classic films throughout the years, including “Donnie Darko,” which premiered the theater’s Midnight at the Baxter series in 2003. It was also the location for the premiere of the “White Men Can’t Jump” remake starring Jack Harlow, who grew up in the area.

The future of the theater has been up in the air since Mid City Mall hit the market in 2024, with the potential to be redeveloped by a new owner. According to previous reporting by The Courier Journal, owner Leslie Aberson had said he had no plans of relocating if the theater at the mall’s rear entrance did close.

In November, rumors of the close started circulating on social media, sparking a change.org petition to save the theater, which the petition referred to as “Louisville’s last indie cinema landmark.” As of Dec. 12, the petition had gathered more than 5,500 signatures, with commenters sharing their memories of Baxter. In a Nov. 21 statement from Apex Entertainment, the theater’s future was left uncertain.

We’ve seen plenty of shows at the Baxter Avenue Theater, but to be honest, with streaming services providing movies soon after, or sometimes before, they hit the general theater circuit, our visits have reduced significantly. (I watched the latest “Knives Out” movie on Netflix last week. It hadn’t been in theater distribution yet.)

In the past, going to the theater for some of us was a two- or three-times-a-week adventure. Now, we’re lucky if we get to watch a movie in a theater once every two months.

Times are tough for independent theater owners, and they don’t get any help from the large theater chains that dominate our shopping centers.

And the loss of the Mid City Mall is also a downer. The ValuMarket there has very reasonable prices and a reliable selection of merchandise, but that’s going to close soon as well, although a date hasn’t yet been confirmed.

We have no idea what’s going to become of the Mid City Mall property, but the loss does make our lives a little bit harder.