AMC Theatres has officially closed one if its Texas locations, leaving a major Texas city with only one remaining movie theater.

After years of movie screenings, candy and popcorn buckets, the Waco AMC Galaxy 16 theater has officially closed, according to the company. The cinema, located at 333 S. Valley Mills Drive in Waco, had its final showings on Oct. 8. AMC Theatres currently states on its website that the theater is officially closed.

Waco, home to Baylor University, the Dr Pepper Museum and Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper, has an estimated population of 147,788.

The theater opened in February 1998 as the Starplex Galaxy 16. AMC Theatres acquired Starplex Cinemas in July 2015 for $175 million and rebranded dozens of the former company’s theaters as AMC. The Starplex Galaxy became AMC Starplex Galaxy 16 over the following years. In May 2017, the theater introduced an IMAX screen to its offerings.

The closure coincides with AMC’s continued initiative of closing underperforming locations across the country. In February, the company announced that it plans to close more theaters in the coming years, after closing more than 200 theaters since 2020.

The Waco Cinemark XD is Waco’s one remaining movie theater that residents can still frequent. The nearest AMC theater to Waco is now in Burleson, Texas, which is about an hour’s drive from Waco.

The Cinemark may still be a risky endeavor for some Waco residents. In late 2025, the Cinemark in Waco came under fire after guests reported seeing mice during movie screenings, prompting public health officials to significantly increase pest control efforts at the theater. The theater was deemed safe in February 2026 after no evidence of any rodents was found for several weeks.

Comments on social media regarding the theater’s closure were a flood of nostalgia and good times, as well as some questioning why the growing area only has one option now.

“One theater for a growing city? Definitely could use another one… Especially for a different location for those that don’t want to or can’t travel to the only left now,” one commenter wrote on Facebook.

Waco has had over 30 theaters that have closed over the years, including multiple drive-in theaters, dollar cinemas and big chains. There are currently no announced plans for what will be done with the former AMC location.

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This article originally published at Texas city loses one of its last movie theaters.