Soledad breaks ground on first modern movie theater

The smell of freshly popped popcorn was in the air in Soledad, Saturday. After over a decade of hard work and planning, the city finally broke ground on the area’s first modern movie theater.

“It’s very exciting that the city is bringing this to Soledad. We really do need something like this for the kids. We want them to grow up and be able to watch movies and do something fun on Friday nights,” said Soledad resident, Christina Pinedo.

It’s an announcement South Monterey County families waited anxiously for. For the past year, a sign in front of the empty lot on Nestles Road told residents they wouldn’t have to wait much longer. After Saturday’s ground breaking, they can actually believe it. “Now we don’t have to leave town to go watch a movie. They’re putting one here in our city,” said Soledad grade school student, Samantha Banuelos.

It’s a roughly 30 minute drive up to Salinas to catch the latest film. Come next summer, nearby residents won’t have to waste the gas. Premiere Cinemas plans to open their doors in 2020. “We want to make sure that the people of Soledad know that their patience is going to be rewarded. They’re going to get a movie theater and a really nice shopping center,” said the City of Soledad’s Economic Development Director, Brent Slama.

City officials said the theater will bring around 25 new jobs to Soledad. In addition, over 100 people will work to build it.

In the future, the city hopes to market the rest of the open lot to retailers and restaurants. “Having this blank slate available to all of our communities is something that’s going to bring a lot of opportunity to us,” said Monterey County Supervisor, Chris Lopez.