Despite its “Last Picture Show” charm and its position as the governmental seat of Douglas County, the Town of Castle Rock has never had its own movie theater. That’s about to change in a big way.

Before the end of the year, two major movie theater projects will have been built within one mile of each other. Both will be accessed from I-25’s Founders Parkway Exit.

The Castle Rock Grand 14 has broken ground on the north end of the Outlets at Castle Rock. The developer of the 14-screen retail and theater complex is Dev-Vic LLC, of which Jack Vickers III, is the managing partner.

Castle Rock Stadium 12 recently broke ground at the southeast corner of Meadows Parkway and Prairie Hawk Drive. The developer is Colorado Cinema Group, which is working with The Meadows to make the 12-screen theater a centerpiece of a proposed “town center” complete with restaurants and shops.

In February, the Castle Rock town council granted economic assistance of more than $200,000 to each project.