By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
The entrance to Baxter Avenue Theatres Filmworks, set to close permanently on Dec. 31, 2025.
After months of speculation about its future, Baxter Avenue Theatres Filmworks (BAT) – a regular screening site for the Trager Family JCC’s annual Louisville Jewish Film Festival — has made the difficult decision to close permanently.
“With heavy hearts, we announce that December 31 will be our final curtain call,” Apex Entertainment, BAT’s parent company, said in a Dec. 22 statement.
Apex’s Les Aberson, Jr., who owns Baxter Avenue Theatres, told Community: “Apex Entertainment was proud to partner with the Louisville Jewish Film Festival at Baxter Avenue and Village 8 over the decades. We were honored to offer screenings where Louisvillians could connect with the richness of Jewish culture and observe the perspectives found in Jewish films and appreciate all the support from our patrons, including the JCC, The Temple along with many other organizations who supported us.”
The facility’s continued existence has been under threat ever since the owners of Mid City Mall, which houses BAT at its rear, announced in November 2024 that they were putting the 11.5-acre mall up for sale. Redevelopment possibilities have centered on converting the Highlands complex – lying along Bardstown Road in front and Baxter Ave. in back — to a mixed-use residential/commercial complex.
Nothing is definite, however.
“The future of Mid City Mall is uncertain,” Apex acknowledged in its statement. “While Apex Entertainment would prefer to continue operations and serve its loyal patrons, that is not possible at the present time. We have not received any indication that the developers wish to incorporate Baxter Avenue Theatres into their plans. We disagree but respect their decision.”
Aberson told The Courier Journal last February that his current lease ran through the fall of 2026, and that “we have no intention of closing or moving anywhere.” But this past November, Apex recognized the need for “evaluating the future of Baxter Avenue Theatres within the evolving local real estate landscape.”
Housing eight screens, BAT “has been home to Louisville Exclusives, Independent Films, Blockbuster New Releases, Cult Classics, and Midnight Screenings, including countless nights of entertainment since our theatre opened its doors in 1996,” Apex’s statement said.
“They’ve been wonderful partners,” Tricia Kling Siegwald, Senior Director of Adult Programming and Special Projects at the Trager Family JCC, said of Apex. Looking ahead to the 2026 Louisville Jewish Film Festival, which runs Feb. 7-26, she added that the two films originally slated for the Baxter will instead run elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Apex says “we would like our final week of business to be a celebration of the past three decades…As we say goodbye, we hope you will take this opportunity to visit us one last time to catch a show. Please share your favorite Baxter memory in person or on social media. Thank you, Louisville, for all of your love and support! We will miss you.”