Milagro Cinemas opens Friday at Norwalk Town Square
NORWALK — A new movie theater is scheduled to open today at the Norwalk Town Square.
Milagro Cinemas, located at 13917 Pioneer Blvd., will open Friday, Aug. 2 in a spot previously occupied by the Regency Theatre, which closed almost exactly two years ago in 2022.
Milagro Cinemas was created by acclaimed film producer Moctesuma Esparza, the sixth that he’s developed. Esparza is also the CEO of Maya Cinemas.
Esparza said that movie theaters had closed in “almost every community he had been to with Latinos,” heading instead for suburbia. He said that it was “his commitment to bring back that experience.”
“I think that that was a missed opportunity because our community supports movies, loves movies, and they go to movies all the time,” said Esparza.
He added that “this theater is for the community.”
“We welcome everyone; this is very important,” said Esparza. “From that point of view, I’m excited about everyone in this Southeast Los Angeles County, Orange County adjacent areas to know that this theater is for them.”
Mayor Margarita Rios said that the theater would help “rejuvenate the community.”
“Theaters for many people, especially families, represent entertainment,” said Rios. “This is going to be just another location in the city of Norwalk, a brand-new cinema – Milagro Cinema – that’s going to be an opportunity for families to come and gather, grab some popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, drinks, and watch the latest entertainment.”
Rios described the theater as “a big draw.”
“We’re a connected community here in the city of Norwalk, so the fact that Moctesuma has reached out to make the partnership I think is just going to be a success for the city, and for Milagro Cinemas,” said Rios.
One of the main features of theatre is the mural painted in the main lobby, which depicts a young Esparza with his father, painted to reflect classic Hollywood glamour. The piece was created by renowned artist Robert Vargas, who recently painted a mural in Little Tokyo of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
“This mural came about through conversations I had with Moctesuma Esparza and his recollection of some of his fondest memories as a kid spending time with his father,” said Vargas. “As I thought more about that connection and how going to the cinema was so transformative for him, it reminded me of my own history and my own memories with my own family going to the cinema, and how those moments really brought us all together and united us, and how we still recite movie lines from our favorite movies.”
Esparza said he “loved the idea of families coming to the movies together.”
“When I was a little boy, movies opened up the world for me. I grew up in Boyle Heights, in East LA by the general hospital, and it was a very small world; we hardly got to go anywhere,” said Esparza. “But the movies, my god, I could be anywhere in the world experiencing all sorts of different heroic moments. Science fiction, romantic comedies, action, and historical pieces. It broadened the world for me in a way that allowed me to be more successful in life, because I knew that there was more than just my little one block that we hardly ever left.”