NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Enjoying the latest blockbuster movie with candy and popcorn can be a bit expensive. It’s a luxury not many families can afford these days.
Moctezuma Esparza, film producer and CEO of Mayas Cinema, is hoping to add another option to the North Las Vegas area and has decided to open a multiplex theater for those underserved in that part of town.
"I saw that there was an opportunity to bring that amenity to people of North Las Vegas and it's not going to be underserved anymore," Esparza said.
He also said he wants lower-income families to be able to enjoy movies minutes away from home and not have to travel long distances.
"It's going to be properly priced. People's money is valuable to them, and they deserve value, and that's we are committed to," said Esparza.
The new project will take over an empty lot on North Las Vegas Boulevard that has been empty for more than ten years.
"I consider it to be the new cornerstone of downtown North Las Vegas," said North Las Vegas Ward 1 Councilman Isaac Barron.
The Mayas Cinemas 14 is a $75 million cinema center that will target a Hispanic audience.
"We'll show art films, documentaries, Spanish language films, American-Latino films, Filipino films, African-American films, whatever is missing, whatever is not being made available in the Latino market we are going to bring it," Esparza said.
Councilman Barron believes it'll have an impact on North Las Vegas culturally and economically.
"It'll provide jobs for some who are going to college or in high school. That helps with their family income and helps to lighten the load," Barron said.
It will also benefit people like Maria Valencia; she applied for a job a Mayas Cinemas a few weeks ago.
"I think this is great as they will also be looking to hire a lot of people. They told me they were hiring about 80 people," Valencia said.
Mayas Cinemas 14 will have a VIP celebration ceremony on Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
