94: THE YEAR IN REVIEW : Valley arts and entertainment rebound after a shaky start : In With the New : Coming Soon: A Theater Near You

The west San Fernando Valley is beginning to show concrete signs of the rush to build more movie theaters.

Workers are demolishing the old Saks Fifth Avenue building at The Promenade mall in Woodland Hills, making room for an AMC 16-screen multiplex that is scheduled to open by fall of next year. Within a mile, Pacific Theatres hopes to open its new 20-screen complex at roughly the same time, while the General Cinema at Fallbrook Mall will expand from seven to 10 screens. And United Artists is pondering changes to its six-screen complex in Warner Center.

Not all the construction is limited to the West Valley. A new Mann complex opened in the fall in Granada Hills. The Calabasas City Council has given at least preliminary approval for new Mann and United Artists complexes. In Agoura, the developer of a proposed commercial center has signed a lease with Mann Theatres to build an eight-screen complex down the street from the existing Mann 8.

The new AMC complex in Woodland Hills, meanwhile, promises more than just movies. Half of its 120,000-square-foot building will be devoted to restaurants and shops.

“It’s entertainment-oriented,” said Dick Walsh, a senior vice president for the theater chain. “We are looking for bookstores and record stores to go along with the food court.”