Mission Valley Cinemas

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. Paul Newman in “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” opened in both auditoriums.

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.

Recent comments (view all 40 comments)

raysson on June 20, 2014 at 9:57 pm

The largest auditorium seats 500.

raysson on July 2, 2014 at 9:10 pm

Raleigh’s Mission Valley Cinema held the World Premiere of BRAINSTORM on October 6,1983. The movie was basically on location in North Carolina with locations in the greater Durham-Raleigh area as well as Research Triangle Park, Chapel Hill, Kitty Hawk, Wilmington, and a few other North Carolina locates.

The Christopher Walken-Natalie Wood science fiction thriller was one of the 70mm-6 Track Dolby Stereo presentations that got the North Carolina engagements in October,1983…Those theatres are…….

Charlotte: (Plitt)-Park Terrace III-[70mm Dolby Stereo]

Raleigh: (Litchfield)-Mission Valley 1 & 2-[70mm Dolby Stereo]

Other cities within the state of North Carolina got the general release showings in November,1983. Only cities of Raleigh and Charlotte were the engagements.

raysson on July 2, 2014 at 9:19 pm

December 9,1983…..THE MISSION VALLEY CINEMA 5

The grand reopening of the Mission Valley Cinemas

SCREEN 1: Natalie Wood in BRAINSTORM

SCREEN 2: Barbra Streisand in YENTL-DOLBY STEREO

SCREENS 3 AND 5: Clint Eastwood in SUDDEN IMPACT

SCREEN 4: The Oscar winning WW2 adventure DAS BOOT

THE COMING CHRISTMAS ATTRACTIONS:

William Hurt and Lee Marvin in GORKY PARK

Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft TO BE OR NOT TO BE

William Dafoe in THE KEEP

I have the original ads for the Mission Valley 5 grand opening from December 9,1983.

raysson on July 2, 2014 at 9:25 pm

Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry in SUDDEN IMPACT eventually played on two screens for one week.

December 16,1983…playing at MISSION VALLEY 5

Screen 1: William Hurt and Lee Marvin in GORKY PARK

Screen 2: Barbra Streisand in YENTL-DOBLY STEREO

Screen 3: Clint Eastwood(Dirty Harry)in SUDDEN IMPACT

Screen 4: Mel Brooks in TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Screen 5: William Dafoe in THE KEEP

KingOfFilm on September 15, 2014 at 7:47 pm

I saw RETURN OF THE JEDI in pure awesome 70mm, 6 track Dolby here in June of 1983. One of the more memorable movie going experiences of my child hood.

raysson on March 30, 2015 at 8:58 pm

King of Film: Mission Valley had a 70mm print of RETURN OF THE JEDI but was absent from the 70mm, 6 track Dolby Stereo presentations in the Raleigh area. Only Charlotte and Winston-Salem were the only theaters that presented JEDI in 70mm, 6 track Dolby Stereo…..

See the website digitalbits for further information:

www.digitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy—showmanship/remembering-return-of-the-jedi-30th

The 70mm,6 track DOBLY STEREO presentations of JEDI:

Charlotte: Park Terrace

Winston-Salem: Thruway

raysson on February 26, 2016 at 6:10 pm

TOP GUN was the only 70mm Dolby Stereo presentation in the Carolinas upon it’s general release at Raleigh’s Mission Valley Cinema on May 16,1986. Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem were absent from the 70mm presentations of TOP GUN.

cmbussmann on September 6, 2019 at 7:44 pm

Willem Dafoe wasn’t in The Keep.

rivest266 on May 5, 2020 at 3:35 am

Grand opening ad: Mission Valley Cinemas opening Fri, Mar 2, 1973 – 28 · The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) · Newspapers.com

MSC77 on October 25, 2022 at 12:36 am

A chronology of Raleigh’s 70mm presentation history has recently been published. Mission Valley is mentioned numerous times.