Big theater, big screens to New Caney

​​​NEW CANEY – Valley Ranch Town Center, the largest retail project under construction in the Houston area, is starting to build a new movie theater.

Signorelli Co. announced this week it began construction on a ten-screen, 40,000-sf Cinemark theater.

The movie house is expected to open late 2017 or early 2018.

It’s Cinemark Holdings Inc.’s 13th location in the Houston area, but the first to have all-reclining chairs.

Other amenities include online ticketing, self-serve concessions and expanded food and beverage options.

The Woodlands-based Signorelli broke ground in April 2014 on Valley Ranch Town Center, a 1.5 million-sf mixed-use development.

The development sits on 240 acres in the northern part of Valley Ranch, a 1,400-acre master-planned community north of Kingwood.

Academy Sports + Outdoors was the inaugural tenant in the center when it opened September 23. 

The first phase of Valley Ranch Town Center—spanning 505,000 sf—is anchored by other major big-box stores.

Party City’s 12,000-sf store is expected to open in early December, and Hobby Lobby’s 55,000-sf store is expected to open in the 1Q 2017.

The remainder of the major tenants—Kroger Marketplace’s 123,000-sf grocery store and a Sam’s Club location—are expected to open by early 2017.