The Brenden Pittsburg 16 in Pittsburg, California closed in April 2012 when the property owner decided not to renew the lease held by Brenden Theatres, saying that they wanted to improve the theater and bring in a new operator, Maya Cinemas. In the Journal Article we posted in March, they were quoted as saying that they were hoping for a Memorial Day or June opening, but it took a little longer than that.

The good news is that today is the first day for the new Maya Cinemas Pittsburg 16! The theater opened its doors today to the public and moviegoers will have their first chance to see the newly remodeled areas. The former 16-screen theater will have 10 screens running on opening day, with plans to increase that to 15 by November, according to an article in the Mercury News:

"The show starts on the outside ... I was searching for exciting colors for a building to jump up and say 'come inside.' We wanted to make a statement," said Frank Haffar, president and chief operating officer of Maya Cinemas, as workers put the finishing touches on the property.

Inside, there is a huge lobby with a 50-foot-long concession stand. The auditoriums have been completely redone with a state-of-the-art sound system, leather rocking seats, and new wall-to-wall screens.

"The vision is to really create a first-class, state-of-the-art-theater," Haffar said.

When it opens, the Maya will have 10 screens showing movies, a number that will increase to 12 a couple weeks later. By the end of November, the theater will be operating with 15 screens, Haffar said.

(Since Maya Cinemas is referring to the theater as the "Maya Cinemas Pittsburg 16," it makes one think that they are eventually planning to have a total of 16 screens again, so perhaps the 15 number in the article is a typo.)

If you would like a sneak peek at the new theater, the Mercury News also posted a series of photos that were taken on July 24th.

To see what's playing at the Maya Cinemas Pittsburg 16, head over to their Showtimes page and make your plans!

Maya Cinemas operates two other theaters in California, the Maya Cinemas Bakersfield 16 in Bakersfield and the Maya Cinemas Salinas 14 in Salinas.