Downtown Madras will still have a movie theater, officials said; it’s just taking longer than expected.

“We’re confident this will be a good project and in due time we’ll get a movie theater,” said Madras Community Development Director Nick Snead.

The $3.5 million project was slated to start showing movies this November.

When the doors failed to open and construction came to a halt, community members wondered if the theater would open as promised. To lure the cinema to town, the Madras Redevelopment Commission agreed to pay $100,000 a year for five years to the project — once it is up and running.

New target date

The new opening target date is the first of May. The theater’s owner, Chuck Nakvasil, of Portland, said weather slowed construction.

He said when it became clear that construction wouldn’t be complete by November, he decided to put the project on hold until spring, when blockbuster movies are released.

Nakvasil, who owns seven other theaters throughout the state, said it’s not a smart move to open a theater after November and before May because it’s difficult to make a profit during that period.

“People want to be entertained,” Nakvasil said. “I’ve been in this business for 48 years, and we aren’t going to run away.”

He said he’s already spent $2 million on the project and it’s 80 percent complete.

Construction is slated to resume in February.

The theater is part of a larger project known as Jefferson Square along U.S. Highway 97. Developer Scott Goodrich, of Bend, owns the surrounding property.

Goodrich bought the property in 2005 and immediately heard how much the community wanted a theater. He started looking for an operator.

“(Nakvasil) is absolutely committed to this,” Goodrich said.

The theater will have five screens. It will show first-run films and will be capable of screening 3-D movies.

“We’re about 80 percent complete,” Nakvasil said.