BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A southwest staple, Regal Edwards, is getting some upgrades. Other changes to 'The Marketplace' are not finalized but there are several ideas.
- Edwards Cinemas in Southwest Bakersfield is getting upgrades after facing financial difficulties post-COVID.
- Regal has chosen Edwards as one of only 10 theaters nationwide to receive funding for improvements.
- New features include reclining chairs, updated concessions, and enhanced sound and visual systems.
- Local residents are optimistic about the changes and the future of the Marketplace shopping center.
- Plans for further improvements in the Marketplace are being developed based on community feedback.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
Broadcast transcript:
Changes are already underway at our historic Edward's Cinemas, a theater that's been a Bakersfield staple since 1997. If you've visited the theater recently, you've probably noticed new reclining chairs, and that's just the start.
"I think it's a good thing for the community." As a longtime movie goer in Southwest Bakersfield, Alex Gonzalez spent a lot of time at the Marketplace enjoying the regal architecture and environment of Edwards Theater.
"It's something to do. I mean, it's something away from the Valley Plaza, something you can come and there are, you know, shopping areas, but I like the food here, the pricing is pretty reasonable." Growing up on the Southwest side, Gonzalez said he's seen the changes at the Marketplace over the years and hasn't always been happy about it, losing restaurants and even the beloved fountain.
But now things seem to be improving.
While questions circulated the last few years about Edwards Theater closing, even potentially being replaced, Bakersfield Ward 5 Councilman Larry Koman said not only is it here to stay, but it's getting an upgrade. "They're going to be changing the concessions to make them a little bit more adult oriented and they'll be redoing the marquee and the signs at some point soon."
Within the theater, new reclining chairs are being added, as well as new wall coverings, flooring, plus sound and visual systems upgrades. The theater originally having opened back in 1997 is expected to be on par with competing exhibitors. And there's more to come for the Marketplace.
"Everybody misses the fountain, it just got to be unsustainable for the management of the Marketplace and so they had to remove it for safety reasons at some point and so this gives us an opportunity to rethink what this area looks like."
"It's kind of nice to see that they're wanting to improve the area and um you know, liven it up a little bit." Antonio Rios moved his family from New York to Bakersfield a year ago in order to provide a more family-friendly life for his son. "The opportunity for him to have a backyard and for us to be able to purchase a house."
Living 10 minutes away from the Marketplace, he's not only excited to see the improvements for the theater, but the focus on the shopping center as a whole, something Gonzalez said has been much needed. "It's the fact that it's happening here local and not I mean it's local in Bakersfield, but it's here closer to home as far as getting all the attention going somewhere else. I like that this place is getting the attention now. It's been long overdue."
And developers with First Washington Realty told me Thursday that they've been getting feedback for a while about what people want to see come to the Marketplace. While none of their plans have been finalized yet they have several ideas and hope to release some updates by this summer.
Meanwhile, Regal — the company that owns Edwards — appears to be looking to catch up to other theaters with these improvements after cutting multiple locations in 2023 amid its parent company's chapter.
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