Located at the intersection of Avent Ferry Road and Western Boulevard in the Mission Valley Shopping Center near the campus of North Carolina State University. The Mission Valley Cinemas opened on March 2, 1973 as a twin theatre under Fairlane-Litchfield Corporation. Screen 1 which is the larger auditorium seated 500 while screen 2 (which is about half the size of screen 1) seated about 300, bringing the total to 800 seats.

On December 9, 1983, the Mission Valley Cinemas grand reopening expanded the theatre from two screens to five screens under the new title Mission Valley Cinema 5. Under Litchfield Theatres it kept its original auditorium intact while screens 3,4 & 5 seated 288 each. United Artists took over this theatre in 1988.

The only other remodelling was done in 1994 when new management took over under United Artists Theatres. This was just a lobby renovation in which a kitchen was built and the concession stand was moved from a circular island in the middle of the lobby to a new stand to the right of the lobby. Additional changes were made to the box office and the downstairs managers office.

By the early-2000’s, United Artists had dropped ownership and Bill Peebles took over the theatre and its operations under his company Ambassador Entertainment (which also operates two other Raleigh theatres including the Rialto Theatre at Five Points and the Colony Theatres 1 & 2). The Mission Valley Cinemas remain Raleigh’s top destination for great Hollywood movies and events of special interest.

As of August 31, 2019 the Mission Valley Cinemas has been listed as closed on the Ambassador Entertainment website due to new ownership and will be going through renovations. The theatre will by reopened sometime before Christmas 2019.

Contributed by raymond