The big talk around town lately has focused on the proposed 12-screen movie theater on Avenue of the Fountains and Verde River Drive.

The consensus seems that virtually everyone would like to see some type of movie complex come to the Hills. The debate is this – how big? And where?

Some have castigated town officials for even considering plans for a 12-plex. It will never be successful, detractors say. It will be an empty big box in five years. We’ll be stuck looking at an eyesore.

And that may be true. Or it might not.

First off, the Town Council really can’t evaluate a project on economic merit alone. If the council last week had voted 7-0 to deny the theater plans because they thought 12 screens were too many and that the developers were throwing good money after bad, I think a rather substantial lawsuit would be filed pronto.

And the town would lose.

Plus, if Fountain Hills had been developed with the attitude of “that will never work,” the community itself likely would not even exist today.

We’ve had some commercial projects go bust out here. There are plenty of commercial pockets that are either dirt or have vacancies. That’s the unfortunate part of commercial development.

I do not know the inside workings of the theater business, showing newly-released movies, profitability margins, etc.

But I have to assume that the investors, the developers, the owners and the theater company that has signed on to operate the theaters (Haffar Entertainment Group out of California) have done their due diligence and know what they’re doing.

It’s their money, and I think they want the project to be a success and believe that it can be so.

It’s fair to say that it doesn’t require all 12 theaters to be sold out for every showing for the project to be a success and stave off future closure (we’ve all been to the movies with five people in the place).

I realize other theaters in more densely-populated areas have folded. I know there is a ton of competition. I understand the demographics are changing. I, too, wonder how many people will actually drive from elsewhere to see a movie in Fountain Hills.

Several readers have said the project should go in the Target center.

I agree – if Target and all the other stores didn’t already exist. Some developer would have to tear down half the center and re-configure parking, utilities and everything else on that site to make it work (assuming it could even be made to work).

It’s naïve to think such an endeavor would be simple and cheap or even practical given what’s already there.

So, back to “The Avenue.”

I know we’ve all been down this road before. When we see the armada of yellow bulldozers, then we’ll know.

When we attend opening night, then we’ll know a little bit more.

And a few more years from now, we’ll know a little bit more.

It very well could be a bust, but I’m choosing to be optimistic. And I’ll patronize it. That’s the only way it will be a success.